TO WELCOME AND BE WELCOMED AS CHRIST
May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to think in harmony with one another, in keeping with Christ Jesus, that with one accord you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Welcome one another, then, as Christ welcomed you, for the glory of God. - Rm. 15:5-7
Christmas cookie exchanges, Friendsgivings, holiday pageants, and adopt a family programs …. Our porches are crowded with Amazon packages and our inboxes with Christmas greetings and ads for doorbuster deals. During the holiday season, we are presented with many opportunities to gather (virtually and in real life) in communities of friends, family, and faith. The Sunday readings can feel like a sharp contrast to the merriment of these gatherings. The sobering tone is actually a reminder that we need this joyful time with community to face the tall order that Christ calls us to with his coming. We are invited to welcome (and be welcomed) as Christ does.
John the Baptist warns of the coming Savior, urging people to repent and be ready. Each day we meet John the Baptist in the migrants at the border, the homeless on the street corner, and the fractured relationships in our own lives. For some of us, our own children, (mirroring back our weaknesses and imperfections to us with annoying accuracy) are that voice of John the Baptist challenging us to do better. The modern day “John the Baptists” that we encounter remind us that the true joy of the season is not in superficial, “feel-good” sentiment, but in the joy of Christ's Church, striving to make the Kingdom alive in our midst. We are preoccupied with Christmas things, but are we just as preoccupied with why Christ came?
What paths have we made straight? In the face of injustice, are we caught up in despair?
Jen Coito