Just a word...Third Sunday of Advent...December 17, 2023

Who here today is feeling joyful?  Joy is a precious commodity these days, not frequently found amid all the sadness, war and unrest that abounds.  And yet, our scripture message today is “Rejoice!”  The Light is coming, and is already here.  Okay, but where?  Where is this light in which we can discern the awareness of God, our true selves, all humanity and all creation?

 Our readings today remind me of a story of unknown origin, though it has been attributed to M. Scott Peck, among others.  It is the tale of a monastery that had fallen on tough times.  The abbot was distraught that the numbers were falling, the monks were quarreling, and the villagers no longer came to visit and walk the grounds.  Nearby the monastery there was a rabbi who walked the woods; he was thought to be wise.  The abbot went in search of the rabbi and when the two met, before speaking, they both wept.  The abbot then asked the rabbi for direction in trying to revive the monastery.  The rabbi said five words: “The Messiah is among you.”

Puzzling over these words, the abbot returned to the monastery and summoned the monks, who asked what the rabbi had said.  “The Messiah is among you,” the abbot replied.  The monks talked among themselves...which of us?  Could it be Brother Andrew?  Or Brother John?  Or the abbot?  They began to treat the others with renewed respect, looking at and listening to one other more closely, hoping to hear a word or see a reflection of the Messiah. In time, new monks joined the monastery and the people in the surrounding towns returned to visit and to seek spiritual counsel.

The truth of this story lies not in whether one of the monks was actually the Messiah, but rather in the hearts that were transformed through the process of paying more attention.  A new level of awareness had developed among them, one that enabled them to see and hear more clearly the messages that God unceasingly sends.  Light had conquered the darkness once again.

John Denver, in versions with and without the Muppets, sings a Christmas song that echoes the truth of the Rabbi’s story:

It’s in every one of us, to be wise.

Find your heart, open up both your eyes.

We can all know everything, without ever knowing why.

It’s in everyone of us, to be wise.

There is no substitute for paying attention, for by doing so, we glean glimpses of the Messiah who is to come, and who is already among us.  Paying attention has the potential to transform hearts, others and our own, setting up the possibility of eventually transforming our world into a clearer reflection of the kingdom of God, one that reflects the Light of the Messiah.  And isn’t that a reason for joy?