“Be the change.” This phase keeps coming back to me, particularly with what is going on in the world. “Be the change” was the theme of the past youth gathering and was really taken to heart by our young people. They found the words empowering. Of course, “Be the change” has a direct connection with the season of Advent, the season in which we find ourselves. In Advent, we await the coming celebration of the birth of Jesus, but more significantly, we await the coming of the Kingdom of God. Our waiting, as the scripture makes clear, is not to be passive. It is active. We are to be ready. We are not to be caught sleeping. In other words, we are to be about the Kingdom’s business as we await the coming of Christ. What’s the Kingdom’s business? We are to be about the business of hope, peace, justice, reconciliation, and love.
Of course, the temptation in this world is to wait for someone else to do the work that needs to be done. We wonder why the world is the way it is. We wonder about the division, hatred, and violence. We wonder who will step up and step into the brokenness. Who will be that person? The Gospel invites us to answer that call. “Be the change.” Don’t wait for someone. The truth is that the same Spirit that was poured into Peter, Paul, Martin Luther, Mother Theresa, and every other person who has made a difference in this world has been poured into you and me through the water of our baptism. By God’s grace, we are children of the Kingdom.
Over the past weeks, in the midst of all the news that breaks our hearts, I have witnessed the children of the Kingdom go to work. I have marveled at the individual acts of kindness and grace. I have seen people reach out to others and stand with them. I have heard people raise their voice and speak out against words that would seek to divide. Indeed, I have witnessed people doing the Kingdom’s business. And the good news is that every one of those acts is a light of hope. Every one of those acts is a sign of God at work. Every one of those acts makes a difference. “Be the change.” That is the call of Advent. As we await the coming Kingdom of God, let us be about the Kingdom’s business. We will not sleep. We will not be caught unawares. We will live out the Gospel. We will be ready. We will “be the change.”
Peace,
Pastor Summer
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