Friday, December 16, 2011

Now a Word From Our Sponsor

Zechariah 7:8-8:8
Just in time for Christmas, the prophet Zechariah has a not-so-subtle reminder of what our relationship to God is all about. "Thus says the Lord of hosts: Render true judgments, show kindness and mercy to one another; do not oppress the widow, the orphan, the alien, or the poor; and do not devise evil in your hearts against one another. But they refused to listen, and turned a stubborn shoulder, and stopped their ears in order not to hear. They made their hearts adamant in order not to hear the law and the words that the Lord of hosts had sent by his spirit through the former prophets" (Zechariah 7:9-12a). If we hold these words alongside the words of John the Baptist we begin to see the issues that Jesus Christ was sent to address, the claims that God was making in the stable in Bethlehem.

Right now, and just for a moment, reflect on how our global culture treats the poor and the disenfranchised in our midst. Then take another moment to consider how the message of Christmas speaks to the least and the lonely, those longing for the truth. Are there things that we can do better? Are there people for whom we can show more compassion? I suspect that there are. If we have in any way stopped up our ears to God's word, or allowed the sounds of our culture to drown it out, then Advent is the time to start paying attention again.

Now back to your regular holiday activities.

Prayer: Lord God, help us to hear and respond to your voice and your voice alone, during Advent and throughout the year. In the name of the one whose return we await. Amen.

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