Breaking in and disrupting

from Helen

There’s a true story which was reported in the USA Today news paper. ‘An elderly Florida woman did her shopping, and upon returning to her car, she found four men in the act of leaving with her vehicle. She dropped her shopping bags and drew her handgun, proceeding to scream at the top of her voice, ‘I have a gun, and I know how to use it ! Get out of the car !’

The four men didn’t wait for a second invitation. They got out and ran like mad. The lady, somewhat shaken, then proceeded to load her bags into the back of the car and got into the driver’s seat. She was so shaken that she couldn’t get her keys into the ignition. 

She tried and tried, and then it dawned on her why… A few minutes later she found her own car parked 4 or 5 spaces further down. She loaded her bags into the car and drove to the police station. 

The officer to whom she told the story doubled over with laughter. He pointed to the other end of the counter, where 4 pale men were reporting a car-jacking by a mad, elderly woman described as white, less than 5 feet tall, with glasses and curly white hair, and carrying a large handgun… No charges were filed.’

The woman had broken into a car and caused a lot of disruption. When John the Baptist (Mark 1:1-11) appeared in the world he caused disruption. I often feel a bit sorry for John the Baptist. He is always known as the one who goes before, the one who prepares the way, not the one who is the way. 

John did a lot of great things, he announced to people the need for them to repent to turn from all that they had been and become new. When I think of John the Baptist I often think of the kind of character that you wouldn’t want to bump into on a dark night. His dress sense was very strange as was his choice of food. He was not someone who did anything in a normal way. 

John the Baptist broke into normal society by disrupting the way things were. John, this rather strange character preached a gospel of repentance. He instructed people to prepare the way for Jesus. By preparing the way he was asking people to make themselves right before God, to repent to be ready to welcome the Messiah, the Christ, our Lord, our Saviour, Jesus. 

We are now in the season of advent, a season which is about getting ready to meet Jesus. A season which is about us being in the right place to meet Him. A season which is about us preparing for the coming of Jesus at Christmas and also at His second coming when the world will be made completely right, living in the way that He would want. 

I don’t know about you but I think the world seems to be very disrupted already. The news is full of dreadful situations, and the things you hear from other people can be so heartbreakingat times. It is easy to think of all the lovely things ahead of us as we approach Christmas, and we can think of all the trouble around and pray about it. I was thinking about things and came across a challenge for advent. This challenge thinks about the second coming of Jesus but it mainly thinks of the world being made right, thinking and hoping for life to be the way that God would have it. 

My challenge is that when I see the news, or hear of a situation to which there seems no answer to pray – Let your kingdom come. This remembers our need for more of God, for God to break through and disrupt society. 

By praying for the Kingdom of God to come we are praying for things to be different. I think that this is also what it means when we are called to prepare the way of the Lord. To live life differently, to pray for things to be different and to prepare the way of the Lord by the ways in which we live. 

It is always great when we think of how to make things different and as we think fo ways in which the Kingdom of God can come to make sure that our lives are reflecting Jesus and the way that He would live.

The best way to prepare for the kingdom of God, the best way to prepare the way of the Lord is to be ready, to make our paths straight not to let anything get in the way of us and our worship of God. 

I have been told that sometimes I am a little too honest when I preach, about myself. Well, I am going to declare unashamedly that I am a huge Dolly Parton fan … I watched a programme a while back, where she was interviewed about her faith.  She is a Christian and was asked how she prepares for a show. Her answer was prayer, prayer to be a shining light for God, and to bring happiness. 

This is actually a really good prayer.  Imagine if this advent and always we asked God everyday to help us to be more like Him, and to bring His peace, love and hope to others, imagine if we spent time with Him trying to learn more about Him, and asking Him to help us to walk in his straight paths ! Then we could be showing the Kingdom coming by the way that we do our bit to spread the kingdom of God in our lives. 

We can do no better in our advent preparations than to ask God for the strength to be as Jesus to others, loving them, caring for them, offering them hope… 

John the Baptist disrupted life, Jesus disrupted it even more with His gospel of peace, justice, mercy, love and righteousness. This is the life to which we are called. We will be ready for Jesus by becoming more and more like Him. This is what advent is about, repenting, starting again so we are ready to meet Jesus. We will prepare ourselves by becoming more like Him. 

So may we be ready to prepare the way of the Lord by showing more and more of Him in our lives and in the ways that we live. AMEN