Third Sunday of Advent

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Last week, I went back home to London for a week off before Christmas. As I got off the train at Victoria the one thing that hit me was that everyone seemed to be in a rush. There was little patience and even if you stopped for a brief second to catch your breath there was a tuts from someone behind you who seemed to rushing somewhere quite important to them. Then one of the days I ventured into Oxford Circus and again I was not surprised to see people rushing from shop to shop buying Christmas presents. The busy society seems to exemplify itself during the lead up to Christmas. For many people this is what Advent means to people. It is a time of being very busy. And yet we are asked to do something different. We are asked to look at what it means to be Christian what Jesus means to us and who this man is for us today 2000 years after his birth.
John asked the question about who was this man Jesus was he really the one who was to come.  Jesus tells John’s followers to say exactly what he had been sent to do. Most of all it seems that Jesus through his healing and preaching ministry has been sent to give the good news to the poor. This is our own task. It is to give the good news to the poor: To stop the busyness of our daily lives and the preparation of Christmas and to recognise the marginalized of our society.
We need to recognize the poor in our society and by this we are preaching and acting out the work of Christ and bringing the good news to those whom we meet.
So this advent is a good opportunity to ask the question that John asked and turn it around. Who is the Jesus that we believe in? Who is the Jesus that we proclaim. Is it a comfortable unchallenging Christ? Or does he challenge us to change our lives and preach with what we say and do the Gospel. We can be so focused on ourselves we often forget those around us. And so the season of Advent is a good time to look and focus on others around us. To stop and take a look at the world and where we can preach a Christ who is to come.
But, and here is a warning, if you find yourselves saying rushing and making ourselves stressed and ill with preparing for Christmas then maybe it’s time to slow down take stock and notice the world around us especially those most in need at this time of the year. 

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