Let's live like we believe
It's time to start thinking about Christmas. This Sunday marking the first Sunday in Advent.
This Sunday is supposed to be a Sunday to start thinking about Jesus being born into our world and also to meditate on his coming again in glory.
When I think about that - I am excited. Because it is a promise of a better world.
*We won't have to worry about wars (like we all have this week as tensions rose between North and South Korea).
*We won't suffer natural disasters (like the flooding in various parts of Thailand and the region).
*We won't have military dictatorships (like in neighboring Burma).
*There will be no more poverty and hunger (like we've seen in Somalia and various parts of Africa).
*Family violence will be a thing of the past (so I won't have to witness a father beating his daughter as I walk home from Carrefour)
*Racism will cease and desist (so I can stop apologizing to my African brothers and sisters for the discriminations they suffer).
I could go on and on. Scripture talks about a day when traditional enemies will get along. The lion and the lamb and so on.
This brings to mind a great story about BT Barnum. At the start of his career, Barnum displayed an exhibit entitled “The Happy Family,” which consisted of a lion, a tiger, a panther ... and a baby lamb. People flocked to see it, and Barnum was asked whether he planned to keep the exhibit. “The display will become a permanent feature,” he is quoted as saying, “if the supply of lambs holds out.”
The world is not as it should be. It is not as it WILL be. But this Christmas - you and I have the opportunity to move it in the right direction. We can't save all the lambs, but I bet we could each help one.
Jesus WILL come back. In the meantime, we have a choice. Are we going to live like He is coming or are we going to live like we don't believe?
This Sunday is supposed to be a Sunday to start thinking about Jesus being born into our world and also to meditate on his coming again in glory.
When I think about that - I am excited. Because it is a promise of a better world.
*We won't have to worry about wars (like we all have this week as tensions rose between North and South Korea).
*We won't suffer natural disasters (like the flooding in various parts of Thailand and the region).
*We won't have military dictatorships (like in neighboring Burma).
*There will be no more poverty and hunger (like we've seen in Somalia and various parts of Africa).
*Family violence will be a thing of the past (so I won't have to witness a father beating his daughter as I walk home from Carrefour)
*Racism will cease and desist (so I can stop apologizing to my African brothers and sisters for the discriminations they suffer).
I could go on and on. Scripture talks about a day when traditional enemies will get along. The lion and the lamb and so on.
This brings to mind a great story about BT Barnum. At the start of his career, Barnum displayed an exhibit entitled “The Happy Family,” which consisted of a lion, a tiger, a panther ... and a baby lamb. People flocked to see it, and Barnum was asked whether he planned to keep the exhibit. “The display will become a permanent feature,” he is quoted as saying, “if the supply of lambs holds out.”
The world is not as it should be. It is not as it WILL be. But this Christmas - you and I have the opportunity to move it in the right direction. We can't save all the lambs, but I bet we could each help one.
Jesus WILL come back. In the meantime, we have a choice. Are we going to live like He is coming or are we going to live like we don't believe?
