IS 40:1-11
PS 96:1-2, 3 AND 10AC, 11-12, 13
MT 18: 12-14
When
my siblings and I were younger, we had a plastic nativity set that my mom would
set up in the window sill on the landing of our stairs. In order to teach us about
anticipation, she would hide baby Jesus somewhere new every year, some place
that no matter how high or low we looked (and we did look) we could not find
him. But rest assured, every Christmas morning, on our way down stairs to open
presents (likely at 5am), there was Baby Jesus, swaddled in cloth, tucked into
his manger.
Fast
forward fifteen years later, and I am still like my 6-year-old self, eagerly
awaiting the arrival of Jesus. We are instructed to spend this time “preparing
the way of the Lord”, but we should not stop at the comfort of our own
homes/apartments. In Isaiah, we are instructed to go shout at the tops of
mountains that God is coming! We are instructed to be translucent in order that
God’s light can shine through us and lead others to Him. Like the one lost
sheep in the gospel, I have at times felt alone and misplaced by God; had it
not been for my Shephard shining through my friends and mentors at the time, I
may not have found home. We do not have to physically shout from the steps of
the clock tower or down from the St. Louis Arch to proclaim that joy that Jesus
Christ is coming, but we can let God’s light shine through us exceptionally
bright this season. We live in a diverse city, and we are blessed with
opportunity to study at SLU but also to return that grace through our actions.
Next time someone stops you asking for money, offer to buy them a meal or a cup
of coffee, maybe they are feeling like that lost sheep, and your small token of
love and light could bring them the Joy of God this Advent season.
Simone Romero is a senior physical therapy major from Houston, Texas.
No comments:
Post a Comment