|
There is a familiar and
favorite Christmas carol that asks, “Do you hear what I
hear?” and “Do you see what I see?” Both are good
questions as we approach Christmas, are we able to see
and hear what God is doing in our world, in our
community or are we preoccupied with so many other
activities and things that we completely miss out?
People that are attuned to God and walking in the
footsteps of Jesus are able to see what other people
tend to miss. Throughout the Old Testament prophets
burst upon the scene with the Word of God. Prophets are
people who hear and see what others do not. In times of
distress the prophet will tell of the day when God will
act in a decisive way, thus instilling a fresh sense of
hope. Prophets captured the people’s imagination and
attention. At other times people did not want to hear
what a prophet had to say, there were satisfied with the
status quo, the way things were, they too missed out.
As we look around, what
do we see? Do we see people serving others—those less
fortunate? What is the word on the street, what do you
hear? Do we hear that God is on the move in our
community? I believe that people are searching for a
sense of meaning and purpose in their lives. Perhaps
the problem is that people are looking in all the wrong
places, malls and stores. “Do you hear what I hear? Do
you see what I see?”
This morning we observe
the Third Sunday of Advent. Our journey to Bethlehem to
find the baby Jesus is almost complete. Our Old
Testament lesson finds the Prophet Isaiah breaking from
a long series of harsh words of judgment to proclaim the
time when the people “shall see the glory of the LORD,
the majesty of our God.” Isaiah sees what the people
cannot. His message instills hope in the people who
feel defeated. Isaiah offers a way to beat the
“Christmas Blues.” No matter how bad things may appear,
Isaiah was telling the people, the day will come when
they, “shall see the glory of the Lord.” His was a
message of hope.
Deep within the
people’s collective memory was the experience of the
Exodus. They remembered how Moses led the people out of
slavery in Egypt on a forty year sojourn through the
desert. While the Promised Land was in their future,
the experience was anything but pleasant to say the
least. Forty years wandering in the hot desert,
complaining about not having enough food or drink.
Forty years of asking directions, of being filled with
second thoughts and a general sense of discontentment.
Not my idea of having a good time or something you would
ever want to repeat. Forty years is a long time.
The
picture Isaiah paints of the second exodus is quite
different. With the coming of God the desert will no
longer be a place of dread but will be alive in amazing
ways. Instead of only seeing sand as far as the eye can
see, the desert will be transformed and “blossom
abundantly.” Instead of a somber march the people will
be filled with joy and singing. Instead of being a
barren dry place there will be “streams in the desert.”
There will be singing where presently there is only
lament. All of nature will be transformed, “The
wilderness and the dry land shall be glad, the desert
shall rejoice and blossom,” Isaiah claims. Clearly
Isaiah sees what no one else does.
At that moment the
people “shall see the glory of the LORD, the majesty of
our God.” The coming of God will “Strengthen the weak
hands, and make firm the feeble knees.” Those who live
in fear will be told, “Be strong, do not fear! Here is
your God.” On that great day the blind shall see, the
deaf hear, those with disabilities “shall leap like a
deer.” With such a positive vision of the future people
might be willing to overlook the present struggles,
beleving that one day, one glorious day, everything will
be different.
The desert will be
transformed; new life will spring forth where there is
no life. In the desert will be a highway, called the
“Holy Way.” God’s own people will travel on it and
never go astray. We think of a highway like an
interstate, like routes 30, or 283. The image Isaiah
had was different; it was a high way, as opposed to a
low way. It would be an elevated road, a high way, for
the people of God to travel. People traveling on this
“Holy Way” will be filled with joy and gladness because
that road leads to God.
When the people reached
their destination there will be widespread celebration,
“everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall
obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall
flee away.” We continue to long for that day.
When we
find ourselves overwhelmed with a sense of despair about
what the future holds, we can live in confidence that
God can make our desert blossom and lead us through our
present desert to our new home. Our God came to us at a
place called Bethlehem and delivered us through the
birth of a baby. It is easy to lose sight of our goal,
to become preoccupied with the minute details and miss
out what God is doing in our midst.
One morning last week,
I was listening to a local FM radio station that has
been playing only Christmas music for a month. Persons
where asked to call into the station to tell if they
ever looked or found their Christmas presents prior to
Christmas morning. Caller after caller told of finding
presents hid away in a variety of places, around the
house, the garage, attic, basement and shed. One person
said that her father was just as bad, looking for the
gifts she purchased for him. The common thread in all
of these experiences is that persons could not wait
until Christmas morning to discover what they would
receive. To be honest, it was sickening, and if I
wasn’t listening for traffic reports I would have turned
off the radio.
Then one woman called
to say that one time while growing up she and her
brother found their Christmas presents their parents hid
before Christmas. However, in their moment of glee, one
of their parents caught them, red handed as if were.
The woman told how her parents made them wrap their
gifts and then went to a children’s home and gave away
all their presents. They did not receive any gifts from
their parents that Christmas. They gave away their
presents to needy children. The woman said looking back
that was the best Christmas she ever had. The DJs’ were
at a lost for words, not knowing what to say, they were
caught by the unexpected. It was that year that the
woman discovered the real meaning of Christmas was not
to receive gifts and toys, but rather to give to
others. Years later this woman and her family continue
to support local homes for children.
Do you
hear what I hear? Do you see what I see? Perhaps a
better question to ponder this week is, what are you
looking for this Christmas? Will we, like the desert
Isaiah told about, be changed and transformed? The
purpose of Advent is to prepare our hearts to receive
anew God’s most precious gift—Jesus Christ. These weeks
leading to Christmas we are challenged to change our
ways, to get ready to receive the gift, believing that
if we are truly ready, our lives will be transformed
into something beautiful. Our lives will bloom like
flowers in the desert.
Amen.
|
