Saturday of the Third Week of Advent Dec.23rd

Saturday of the Third Week of Advent
December 23, 2006


“The Lord shows sinners the way.”
Psalm 25:8

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So, you ask me how I am doing? And I say, “Blessed.” Blessed by the baby that we celebrate the birth of on December 25th every year. Infinitely blessed that he is The Savior of the world. Blessed that he is saving a sinner like me. Unspeakably blessed by the faith of believers like you. I get a front row seat in seeing Jesus pour out his salvation in sinner after sinner. Knocked down by seeing the power of God at work through the truth that, “The Lord shows sinners the way.” Psalm 25:8

Blessed by a man who shines Jesus with his being. It is the eternal smile in his current pain and what he is facing. Seeing the undeniable JOY of his heart when you look into his eyes. In his late 50’s, he is a former heroine addict and health care worker. He cannot move his head from side to side because his neck is stiff like concrete. The humiliation of not being able to control bodily functions is very hard for him to cope with. The role reversal of being cared for by people that he used to care for. The Parkinson’s brings neurological, mental and physical deterioration. He has three to five years to live. He tells me that he has computed the average age of the patients in the facility and it is 84.6 years old. He beams JOY because he says Jesus has forgiven him. He just wants to share Jesus with everyone in the facility. Glowingly, he talks about if Jesus can raise people from the dead, and he can, that is he full of power and can do anything. He shares how he came back from the dead- that he was in and out of life and death for 7 hours and he came back to tell us about the one who is on the other side who raises us from the dead. With deep affection and inspiration, he talks about how his father, a big man over 200 pounds, just lets God fill him with love. His dad radiates love. Think about his man that I share with you. Dying. Degenerating. Deteriorating. And full of JOY! Wanting everyone to know Jesus.

The baby to be born in two days is Our Savior. He is the Lamb of God who takes away every sin from every sinner for all of time. He comes to us in the middle of our sin, pain, degeneration, humiliation, deterioration and dying and shows us the way.

Good News!

Love is spelled T-I-M-E,
Fr. John