An anonymous little Johnnie joke:
One night his mother told little Johnnie to go out to the back porch and bring in the broom. He said, “Mama, I’m afraid to go out there. It’s dark.” His mother smiled reassuringly. “You don’t have to be afraid of the dark, Johnnie,” she said. “Jesus is always there. He’ll protect you”.
Little Johnnie looked at his mother and asked, “Are you sure Jesus is out there?”
“Yes, I’m sure,” she said. “He’s everywhere, and he’s always ready to help you when you need him.”
Little Johnnie thought about it for a minute, went back to the door, and cracked it open just a little. Peering out into the darkness, he called, “Jesus? Would you please hand me the broom?”
Last weekend, the key word that we heard from scripture was watch.
Do you realize that most of us pray when it is dark outside? There’s a greater sense that not only that is something greater than us out there, but we are more in tuned with who we are when we are alone.
Our scripture reading for this weekend of Advent presents us with a pretty simple focus as well… it screams for us to be hopeful!!!!!
In our stillness, our darkness, in our prayers we know that our God hears us — that Jesus is present. Always. He is with us. He will hand us that broom and whatever we truly need!
Our first reading from Isaiah gives us reassurance that the message from God is that of comfort — that He will make the mountains lower and the valleys level; He will do whatever it takes for His people to return to Him.
We must agree that if we are with Him, then that means we are in the promised land. We must not loose focus on who He is! He’s not the promised land; He is God. We must not only be thankful, but we must also worship Him.
So many people get confused on this one point: we are blessed by God, but we don’t take the place of God! We need Him — always, now, forever! Those who have no dependency on God, fall down the slippery slope of self-destruction.
So, what are we hoping for?
Hope is more than optimism. Hope endures even in impossible situations.
Can you see Jesus everywhere?
Can you see him in the consecrated bread and wine?
You are about to receive Him in the Eucharist, whether here in our church, or in your hearts at home… receive Him!
Be a hope-filled people! Yes, He is here with us now, and yes, He will be with us until the end of time.
Be HOPEFUL!