It was several years before I found it after moving to Joliet. One day it just popped out and I could see it. The big white “J” on the side of a hill just outside of town. One day as I was driving into town, I saw it . . . and, now, I never miss it. I see it all the time. It is hard to miss once you become aware of it.
This morning we are confronted with the idea of “awareness” and more importantly . . . what we should do with this awareness.
John the Baptist is a familiar character we encounter on the Advent journey. He shows up every year with a message that confronts our expectations and hopes for our journeys end. John has come to prepare the way of the Lord . . . he is the prelude to the main event . . . the coming of the Messiah. It is a message of hope, yet at the same time it is a challenge to those who will listen. It is a call to action. For an expectant people the message John shares catches their attention . . . pulls them in. Many flock out to hear his message and many are touched by what he asks of them.
In the message that John shares he warns them that they cannot sit back and rest on their past laurels of who they are. Being a child of Abraham . . . being of the Jewish faith . . . is not good enough. Merit and membership ain’t going to get the job done. To be a part of the party people are going to actually have to do something. To which the people want to know: “What should we do then?”
Not being bashful, John tells them.
If you have two coats give one to someone who has no coat. If you have extra food give food to those who have no food. To the tax collectors he told them to do the job they were hired to do . . . collect the money required and nothing more . . . do not cheat and steal. To the soldiers they are not to bully the people, exhort money, and accuse the people falsely. Though he is not saying it directly he is exhorting the people to love others as they would love themselves. To help those in need. To seek justice. To do acts of kindness. To walk in love.
Sounds pretty simple, doesn’t it?
The truth is that it is probably easier said than done.
Awareness is the first step towards accomplishing that which John tells those gathered in what they should do. One bible commentator I read this past week mentioned that there have been moments in his life when a crack appeared in his heart and the Spirit slipped in changing his awareness and actions to the world around him. He wrote that whether it was an experience or image or statement, the Spirit slipped in and an awareness overwhelmed him changing how he perceived and acted towards people and situations around him that he had previously been unaware of despite them always being there. That awareness changed the way he lived his life.
Awareness is important. There is a lot more to the world around us than we see or perceive. Take for example that “J” on the side of the hill that marks the town of Joliet. It has been there for what many may perceive as ever, but it was years before I ever saw it and realized that it was there. According to everyone else, it’s always been there. I just was not aware of it.
This experience got me to thinking . . . how aware of the world around me am I? For that matter, how aware are any of us? The reality is that there is a whole lot going on around us.
For the church, Advent seems to be a time that our awareness grows as we hear pleas from organizations, non-profits, and schools for assistance in making the holidays a little brighter and better for others. We up our contributions to the local food bank as we know that it will be seeing larger than normal use during the holidays. We see requests to purchase presents for kids and families in the area who might not get anything for Christmas. Some organizations ask for funds to provide a hot meal on Christmas Day. There are the bell ringers outside of businesses reminding us to give to help others. The season of Advents seems to broaden our awareness of the world around us and needs that need to be met.
But here is the reality . . . those needs, those people, those situations . . . they are always there. There are always those who need food and clothing. Those who need shelter. Those who need justice. Those who need acknowledgement. Those who are lonely. Those who need help. Because of this, this awareness we find slipping in needs to be broaden to move beyond the holidays to embrace each and every day. Instead of reacting, we should be thoughtfully and purposefully responding . . . we should be making it a part of who we are as the followers of Jesus.
The people asked John the Baptist: “What should we do then?”
Out of awareness you are called to respond out of love. Where there is a person without a coat, you give the person a coat. Where there are hungry people, you feed them. All around us there are people in need and needs that should be addressed. The question is whether or not we are aware of those needs. Think about those individuals who because of age or disability cannot drive . . . how do they get to the grocery store to get food to eat, get to medical appointments . . . how do they do anything that we take for granted because we can drive? Think about those kids in school who aren’t getting enough to eat because all the money their family has goes to pay the costs of housing, utilities, gas for the cars on wages that can barely support an individual . . . how do they eat?
All around us are needs that need to be met. Are our eyes opened enough to see the needs? Are our ears opened enough to hear the cries of the people and world around us seeking acknowledgement and assistance? Is our heart big enough to respond . . . to respond with love?
That is what we should do . . . we should love!
Advent, if we allow it to, opens our hearts to the world around us. It is a world desperately needing acknowledgement . . . desperately needing love. In this Advent season we become aware of this call to reach out and love. We participate in the call for outreach to meet the needs of those around us. And it is a good start. The need does not end with the coming of the Christ Child on Christmas Day. No, the need is always there. It is always there because we are not alone on this planet we call home, nor are we alone on this journey we make that we call life. There are others around us. Fellow sojourners . . . brothers and sisters of God’s family . . . and each has a story to share, a journey to acknowledge, and an awareness that there is an opportunity to love.
Through this there is an encounter with Holy. Through this we live in and experience the Holy in the Kingdom of God. Through this we recognize the coming of the Lord. Through this we are one step closer to our hope and expectation. What should we do? We should love. That is what John the Baptist tells us . . . that is what Jesus expects. It is as plain as the “J” on the side of the hill. Amen.
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