>>It is a very powerful message and reminder, so many of the signs everywhere we go today say, ‘Wear your mask, stay 6 feet apart, and make sure you wash your hands.’

You get tired of maybe seeing it, but the message is powerful and it’s a practical message that we see everywhere keeping us all healthy and safe. Today we’re reminded of another powerful message that comes from John the Baptist. It’s the message he proclaimed and it was not an easy one.

The message was two-fold. First, he preached a message of repentance. And then, he made it clear to all of his followers that he was not the one that they have been waiting for. He says: one mightier than I, is coming after me. I am not worthy to loosen the straps on his sandals. John’s message was challenging to the people at the time. It was a blunt message and there was truth in his message.

We hear many of those messages around us today– ‘wear your mask’ ‘stay 6 feet apart’ ‘wash your hands’ –a powerful message. And we need to hear that today as we go through our advent season because it’s a challenge.

It’s challenging coming up with ways to safely celebrate advent and prepare for this Christmas. Some of our usual gatherings are not happening or they’ve been modified for our current circumstances. And we’re all doing the best that we can to hold our traditions and the desire to be with family and friends.

And what I want us to think about today is this: these things are important and they’re nice, they’ve been part of our advent traditions; but ultimately what we hear in John’s message today is what advent is truly about.

We are called to be like those John originally invited out to the desert – to be changed, to be made whole, to be challenged and inspired, to be better people. And that’s what advent is about. No matter the challenges we face, especially as we continue to live within this pandemic, this is why we set these four weeks aside year, after year, after year. God is trying to get to us once again. To break into our hearts and our lives and it’s up to us to make sure that God can do precisely that.

But sometimes selfishness gets in the way, our egos, or bitterness, or despair, or lack of compassion, or mercy, or generosity- these things can get in the way. But John reminds us on this second weekend of advent that God is always trying to break into our hearts and into our lives.

The question we need to ask ourselves is what do we need to let go of to make sure that God can do precisely that– break into our lives and break into our hearts.