Word to the Wise
Sunday, December 11, 2011 - 3rd Sunday of Advent - B
[Isa 61:1-2a, 10-11; 1 Thess 5:16-24; John 1:6-8, 19-28,125]May the God of peace make you perfectly holy and may you entirely, spirit, soul, and body, be preserved blameless for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful, and he will also accomplish it.
Many of us will remember the lyrics in this season: "You better watch out. You better not cry. You better not pout, I'm telling you why. Santa Claus is coming to town!" That song is supposed to make all mischievous boys and girls tremble at the thought that their Christmas stocking will be filled with lumps of coal or whatever! Isaiah, Paul and John point to someone else today and it's not Santa! It's Jesus Christ. It is HIS coming that should give us pause and challenge us to examine our lives!
Does this season make us feel any better about our fellow human beings? The Third Sunday of Advent is called "Gaudete" Sunday, a word that means "Rejoice!" Do we have cause to rejoice? Some folks do not, and we who are in the "helping" professions know how difficult this season can be for those who have experienced a serious loss: parents who have lost a son or daughter in the war, or are unemployed, or receive bad health news, or have no place to live and nothing to eat! It is very hard to be joyful in those circumstances. Still, it is the coming of Jesus Christ that we proclaim at this time and we can let that motivate us to reach out to those who lack reason to be joyful! A daily glance at the manger scene can help us with this!
It's not just a matter of "staying blameless." Great events deserve great celebrations. But we can come to the celebration with an understanding of its reason. The one who is "coming to town" has the power to save us. Santa can make somebody happy for a day. Jesus can make us happy forever! AMEN