A Time For Preparation.

Homily for Second Sunday of Advent

4^th December 2022

This Sunday’s theme is all about preparation. That’s a tough one in today’s world. We are usually up against the clock, last minute jobs needing to be done often coming in from the unexpected. The unplanned things disrupt our good intentions.

Finally, December has arrived. Christmas is three weeks away. Where did the year go? It seems like yesterday we were celebrating the New Year. But here we are again. Another rush to get all the work done before the holidays.

It was late Summer I realised this was going to be a cold and tough Winter. So, I planned to have a wood stove installed in my office cabin. What I hadn’t planned for was having to take out a wall to open the cabin up. It was hard to find someone to help and I didn’t know if I was capable. I knew I couldn’t do it on my own.

A lot of what was in the cabin had to be moved to other places. Where? In the end, I had to put flooring into the loft above the garage before I could do anything, and things seemed to get complicated. Thankfully, my son came down to help me with both jobs, the flooring and taking out the wall, but each job was weeks apart. I had to move everything else on my own.

It all seemed a bit overwhelming. But as I have heard before, how do you eat an elephant? The answer is one bite at a time. By breaking all the tasks down into small bits, I was able, with some help, to get the preparation done.

The cold nights started to come in. I had to wrap up with multiple layers. The expected date of installation was delayed. Everybody seemed to want a wood burner to save on electric heating. We were also worried about how high the bills were going to be. It seemed we couldn’t plan for those.

When you take on a project, the ideas you have in your head seem great, but it is only when you start to write things down or draw things out, make measurements and price things that you begin to see the true cost of labour and money. Are we prepared for the undertaking?

This second week of Advent is all about preparation, so we can see what needs to be done. Small jobs become big jobs because of the unforeseen. We must make bigger changes than we expect. And at that point, we can easily lose heart.

Our world seems to be more about how fast you can get things done, yet there is still not enough time. Joseph and Mary’s lives were disrupted when they were forced to go to Bethlehem because of the census Caesar Augustus had ordered. They only had time to prepare so much, but they expected to find no place to stay. Yet they were provided for, even though it was a stable full of animals.

John the Baptist was sent to prepare the way for Jesus, to baptise the people with the waters of repentance, knowing Jesus would come afterwards to baptise with the Holy Spirit. Yet, John was not prepared to see the Pharisees and Sadducees, those he called Vipers. But the unexpected brings opportunities. If those vipers were prepared to confess their sins and bear good fruit, they too could receive the promise of God’s eternal salvation.

There is always hope. The second reading encourages us not to give up. Not to lose heart. If we can find a way to treat others as Jesus treats us, with love and kindness, we will see the same fruit in them. Their kindness will come to us. We should be tolerant. We can get annoyed with others and that annoyance will spread. So, we are called to temper ourselves and be forgiving. Often, it is our self we must forgive the most. Are we the wolf or the lamb? The panther or the kid? If we can be willing to offer peace, we may be surprised to find the wolf is just a puppy and the panther is just a kitten, lashing out because they have been hurt. Are we prepared for the unexpected?

Our projects also can seem overwhelming, but we are not to give up. We may struggle but we can always stop for a moment to re-assess, take stock of what is going on and find a new path to help us complete things. We must have faith. Worrying won’t help as my dad always used to tell me.

As I wrote the final lines of this homily, the fire gave warmth throughout the cabin. I can write away without shivering and I have done as much preparation as I can. The project is over, and the stress has gone. Now I must place my trust in Jesus that all is ready for winter and that I will be given the strength to cope with the unforeseen. All I can do now is give praise to the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit for getting me through.  Amen.

 

 

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