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Connections&
December 10, 2000--Second Sunday of Advent
The word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the desert. John went throughout the whole region of the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah: "A voice of one crying in the desert: 'Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths.'"
Luke 3:1-6
The prophet at the Galleria
He caused quite a commotion among the shoppers. Many dismissed him as an annoying nut, some found him a eccentric "hoot." He was dressed in a tattered flannel shirt and jeans. No one knew where he spent the night, but he was seen rummaging around the dumpsters for scraps of food from Orange Julius and McDonald's. Every day he could be found by the beautifully lighted fountain near the mall's food court. Despite his ragged appearance and that slightly "off" look in his eyes, there was a kindness and sincerity about him that drew people to him.
He would ask them why they would spend so much money for Christmas, why they would allow themselves to become so obsessed and stressed out over this tinseled holiday. "We like our Christmas with a lot of sugar, don't we?" he would tease. But Christmas is about hope and love, he said--and that can be a struggle. Give gifts of kindness and compassion to each other. Seek forgiveness and reconciliation from family and friends who may be lost to you. Let the spirit of the Christ Child embrace every season of the year, not just December.
Those who listened would nod in agreement as he spoke--even as they tightened their grips on their shopping bags. Some were moved to quit shopping and go home to be with their families, others would go off and buy an extra toy or piece of clothing for charity; a few would even be moved to escape to a church or chapel for quiet prayer.
Sometimes he would rail against the insipid music and the gaudy decorations. When the mall Santa would walk by, he would make fun of him, asking the embarrassed Santa pointed questions about the real Christmas story.
CONNECTION: If John the Baptizer appeared in our time and place, maybe this is where he would go, how he would look, what he would say. John, the Advent Prophet, proclaims the real Christmas event: the coming of the Christ--God becoming one of us out of love for us. The Baptizer calls us to realize God's constant presence among us, a presence that we are often too busy or too jaded or too overwhelmed to realize. But the notion of "joy to the world" and "peace on earth to all people of good will" that we give at least a hearing to this time of year can be just as real and life-giving in every season of the year: in imitating the loving kindness, the compassionate forgiveness and the reconciling selfishness of Jesus, we make God's living presence a reality in every human heart, in every moment of time, in every gathering place.v
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