Hello Bridesburg, Hello World

This is the initial entry of what I hope to be a regular series of posts on happenings at Emanuel United Church of Christ, located on Fillmore Street in the Bridesburg section of Philadelphia. (Website: www.emanuelphila.org) Before this blog goes on any further - everyone is invited to join us in worship Sundays at 10 a.m.

The gospel reading for December 7 is from Mark's gospel, which begins with the words, "The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God." And then the story moves quickly to John the Baptist, that strange character we encounter preaching in the wilderness, telling his listeners to look for the coming of someone who was even greater than John. John preached a gospel of repentance - a bit of church lingo meaning "change". John was telling his listeners that the way they were living their lives would not bring peace with God, reconciliation with neighbor, or health and wholeness in their own lives. Presumably his listeners already knew that the status quo wasn't working, which is why they heard John's words gladly. They were seeking for something beyond what they knew, for something more.

Our Old Testament reading is from Isaiah 40, which begins with the words, "Comfort ye" - but continue with words about change - "every valley shall be exalted, every hill brought low...". Isaiah, and John the Baptist, offer a strange sort of comfort. They bring a challenge - things must change; we ourselves must change. But for people stuck in a place of pain and grief, comfort comes from the idea that things *can* change, that we *can* change, that we don't have to be stuck in a world of hurt.

For the writer of Mark's gospel, good news began with the message of John the Baptist. And this is how good news begins for us. Perhaps we're experiencing family struggles, or facing illness or the loss of a job. We're feeling depressed, anxious, perhaps overwhelmed. And then someone - a family member, a friend - spends time with us, shares advice, gives us hope. For us, moments like this can be the beginning of good news.

During this Advent season, many of our neighbors are struggling. The economy is dismal, with many local employers eliminating positions and city government cutting services. Many of our neighbors are stressed. We can offer our neighbor a kind word or a helping hand, or maybe just our presence. Who knows what effect a random word of kindness or act of caring may have? Maybe for our neighbors, our words or actions can be the beginning of good news.