Advent I 2015

"Be on guard so that your hearts are not weighed down” … Luke 21:36

 

Over the past couple of weeks the world has seemed to be turned upside down. : bombings in Paris and Beirut leaving hundreds of lives lost and many more lives changed; cries from politicians at home and abroad seeking to close borders to people fleeing oppression because of  fear that some of them may be seeking to do us harm; armed guards meeting commuters at the ferry terminal and coast guard patrol boats with machine gun toting gunners standing on the bow escorting the ferries across the bay; NY City police practicing in the subway system for a terrorist attack, and a record number of officers patrolling the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.  The list of increased security and heightened awareness of the new worldwide threats to the way we have been living our lives is causing many normal folks to become more and more conscious of the real fragility of life, and the realization that the new normal is not at all what normal ought to look like. The hearts of many are indeed weighed down at this point, and many are unable to see how that feeling can be shaken off. The news from most of the usual providers is bleak,  threatening and just plain old scary. And our political leaders appear to be of no help.  Most are spending their time criticizing others for what they claim is faulty and unpatriotic thinking.  Too many are wrapping themselves in the cloak of patriotism and clearly not thinking the current situations through. Rhetoric and bravado will certainly not get us anywhere. And if you really think about it, this is only one of many things we are thinking about this time of year.

This is the time of year when we are bombarded by commercial encouragement to spend, spend, spend on gifts and other memory building events, like lunching with Santa or traveling to a designated Christmas destination for a holiday va-ca with the kids and extended familia.  Do you know that Americans spent over $650 Billion on Christmas related items in 2014? Of that about $1.2 Billion was spent on Christmas trees, and 1.9 billion Christmas Cards were sent last year to people across the United States. Multiply that by the cost of postage. The average American consumer is expecting to receive no fewer than 12 holiday gifts. These numbers are mind boggling. It seems we as a society are wasting and spending more money than is even remotely necessary in celebrating the birth of a child born in a stable in the Middle East to wandering parents who were unwelcomed at the owner’s inn. Perhaps we need to think about how we have weighed down our own hearts at this time of year.

So, in order to just kind of counter those statistics, the Episcopal Church, under the auspices of the United Thank Offering and the Episcopal Migration Ministry has put forth a very modest Advent Challenge. Deemed Advent: Journey from Gratitude to Hope, the United Thank Offering board is challenging Episcopalians to support refugee welcome in the United States.   Sandra Squires, President of the United Thank Offering board has said “Jesus was part of a refugee family, we should be able to relate to the upheaval of today’s refugees through our love of him.” They are asking those of us in the pews and the congregations to donate to the UTO indicating our donations are to be given to the Episcopal Migration Ministries.  This is an arm of the Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society, that has welcomed over 5,000 refugees to more than 30 communities across the United States. These folks arrive here having fled from the most violent and war-torn places on earth. With just a few months of support to get started, refugees become productive, resilient members of our society and economy.

The UTO will match the first $30,000 in donations made to the fund with the indication UTO-EEM in the memo line.  Donation need to be received by the end of December to qualify for this matching grant.

What a simple and convenient way to share our many blessings with others.  I think I can do without a new sweater or scarf from my children or grandchildren, and ask them instead to donate to this campaign. Here is the website where donations can be made: https://episcopalchurch.thankyou4caring.org/