A Journey Through Advent: Thursday, Dec. 16, 2021
by the Rev. Kevin McGrane, Priest in Charge
Trinity Episcopal Church, St. James
Today's readings: Psalm 30; Isaiah 54:1-10; John 5:33-36
Many years ago, I spent some time with a Quaker community. Every Sunday, their Meeting for Worship sat in silence, waiting for someone to be moved by the Holy Spirit to speak.
In a pew at the back of the building sat a regular attendee. By his unkempt appearance and his smell, I concluded that he was homeless.
One day, after 45 minutes of silence, this old fellow slowly rows to his feet to speak. He said softly:
“If you don’t find the face of God in the very next person you meet, then where do you expect to find the face of God?” And he sat down.
It was the best sermon I ever heard there, and I never forgot it.
This man perfectly represented Jesus’ message about prophets. Jesus tells us that God’s prophets are not found in palaces but in the wilderness of life, be it the wilderness of the countryside or the wilderness of the 21st-century cities.
Perhaps, instead of looking for God in the well-spoken or charismatic, we simply need to look for God in the face of the very next person we meet. It seems that’s what Jesus is asking us to do.
Tags: A Journey Through Advent