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12/1/2024 0 Comments Dec. 1, 2024: God is Near![]() Old Testament Reading - Jeremiah 33: 14-16 The Gospel - Luke 21: 25-36 Waiting is hard. Being patient is hard. Maintaining hope amid struggles is hard. And yet, hope is what we are asked to do on this First Sunday in Advent and always as Christians. We are to hope even as we hear scary end-times scriptures like today that speak of distress among nations and nature, and people fainting from fear. The Gospel of Luke was written almost 2000 years ago but can’t we watch the news today and hear of distress among nations and nature? Don’t we want to faint from fear at times from what we know is happening in our country and world or what we are afraid will happen? Yet, we are told, like the exiled Israelis in the Jeremiah scripture, to hope. Jeremiah gave those exiles hope when he told them that God said, “I will cause a righteous Branch to spring up for David and he shall execute justice and righteousness in the land.” And that happened. In this first day of the church’s new year, as we begin to prepare to celebrate the birth of Christ, we know that happened. Jesus was born as that branch bringing justice a new way: born of love and acceptance of all, offering forgiveness and second chances. Jesus brought justice that came without weapons, weaponization or vengeance. Jesus brought love. That is the definition of “The Lord is our righteousness”; Jesus’ very life was a moral example for us to follow. As we bask in the fulfilled prophecy from Jeremiah, knowing the life and teaching of Jesus, we also hear Jesus’ warning of those times of distress and we come back to our reality: where nations ARE going against nations, climate change DOES wreak havoc with our weather patterns causing storms and droughts and we wonder: is it time to look for Jesus coming in a cloud? Are these the end times? But wait, we are people of hope as Jesus reminds us with the parable of the fig tree. Each spring the fig tree and all other trees, no matter how long and hard the winter was, sprout new leaves. Jesus reminds us, “So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the Kingdom of God is near.” Now this could just be referring to the surety that the cycle of life and birth continues and that Jesus will come again, just as surely as the spring will come again. But the trees get new leaves each year so how near is the realm of God? The Apostle Paul thought the end times would occur within his lifetime, as many people did then. That is why he worked so hard to convert people to the Jesus way - to what we know as Christianity. But 2000 years later we are still waiting on the Son of Man to appear in a cloud and this is not the first time that the challenges in the world have made it seem like it was imminent. With his parable of the fig tree, could Jesus have been telling us that maybe we need to open our eyes. minds, hearts and our very souls to see that the realm of God is already here? I mean in here (Point to heart) and here (point to head) if we just take the time to look deeply inside ourselves to find God’s peace, love, justice and reassurance: to find God’s self. Could this be possible? Father Richard Rohr of the Center for Action and Contemplation says, “Parables aim to subvert our old consciousness and offer us a way through by utterly reframing our worldview. “ Wouldn’t we be completely reframing our world view by listening to and connecting to God within us, within each of us - God who has been patiently waiting for us to realize that the Holy One has been with us all along? Quakers believe that there is that of God or the Spirit in everyone. The light of God is in every person and those that are guided by that light are closer to God. They meet not in a church but in a meetinghouse and there is no leader in their worship. They sit at the same level in silence facing each other, speaking only if the Spirit moves them with a message to be shared. Maybe we each need to cultivate a bit of Quaker style silence so we too can listen to the still speaking God who is indeed near, maybe as near as our own hearts, minds and souls if we pause to listen. And if we listen, really listen to the Still Speaking God, what would we hear? Let’s try it for a moment with a little centering scripture from Psalm 46. But let’s begin with a deep Breath. As you breathe in, breathe in God’s peace and as you breathe out, breathe out God’s love. Ready? Breathe In —Breathe Out. Now listen for God in these words from Psalm 46. Be Still and Know that I am God. Be Still and Know that I am. Be Still and Know. Be Still. Be. Maybe part of our preparation for the coming of the Christ child is to listen and just be for a while. Be still, knowing God and listening for God’s voice. Be still and hope even when others are hopeless. Be still and find the love and peace that is God within us. Be still and find a way to share that love and peace so that we too can be righteous following Jesus’ model of abundant welcome, love and forgiveness for all, hope and justice for all. Jesus exhorts us to be on guard so that our hearts are not burdened by the worries of this life because those worries, although real, are finite. Excessive worry distracts us from the love that is God. Worry distracts us from the comfort and hope that is waiting for us. Worry can keep us from hearing the comforting whispers of God if we look into our hearts, minds and souls where God is waiting and speaking to each of us. Life will have its challenges, its disasters, its illnesses and its heartbreaks but throughout it all, God is there like a candle bringing light to the darkness, like a shawl knitted with love that keeps away the cold. Even as the earth changes and our lives change, God is still there, whispering through the storm - holding out a light to guide us. Our job in preparing for the Christ child and the Risen Christ is the same: to quiet the busyness of our lives for just a few moments each day to be alert to the word and voice of the living God. And if some days that is not possible, listen to the words of writer and minister Debie Thomas who reminds us, “God looks for us when our lostness is so convoluted and so profound, we can’t even pretend to look for God. But even in such bleak and hopeless places, God finds us. This is amazing grace. And it is ours.” Be still and know. God is near. God is here (hands on heart). Amen. Pastor Michelle Fountain
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