Advent Day 19

“When John heard in prison what the Messiah was doing, he sent word by his disciples and said to him, “Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?” Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them. And blessed is anyone who takes no offense at me.””
(Matthew 11:2–6 NRSV)

Go and tell John what you hear and see… if there is one thing that I am waiting on this Advent it is the strength, courage, and grace to be the Pastor, Christian, and Child of God; that I am being called to be. I know that on a daily basis I fail to live up to the way, el nuevo camino that Jesus showed to his disciples. Much like John, those around us in this world, will know who we are by our love and faith; the best way for them to know those things is by our actions. Faith and works are inseparable. If we want to remove the doubts that surround Christianity in our society and world, we must be willing to roll up our sleeves; we must give sight to the blind, cleanse the lepers, help the lame to walk, the deaf to hear, raise the dead, and bring good news to the poor. When we do this people will know who we are and what we believe. So go and let them hear and see God’s love for them, manifest through us by God’s grace.

Advent Day 18

“Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; this man was righteous and devout, looking forward to the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit rested on him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. Guided by the Spirit, Simeon came into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him what was customary under the law, Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying, “Master, now you are dismissing your servant in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel.””
(Luke 2:25–32 NRSV)

I wonder how the world would be different if we saw the Messiah with our own eyes. If our hearts leapt and we knew that we had seen that which would set us free. Maybe we are not looking hard enough, maybe the Messiah is all around us and we just fail to see. Perhaps we have passed them on the street, at the library, or while we were out grabbing a cup of tea. The Messiah, the Body of Christ, surrounds us most everywhere we go; we just have to see it, be glad in our hearts, and go in peace.