Christmas Appeal 2015 - Sermon
Use Readings for Advent 2: Malachi 3:1-4, Luke 1:68-79, Luke 3:1-6
Get Ready. Something is going to happen. The noise is getting louder. Traffic is
busier. Children more demanding. Advent is here, but there is no time to wait. We
are heading towards Christmas and that’s all that counts.
But is it? Are there other things we are waiting for? If our focus is on Christmas, we
miss the stories of faith pointing to the “not-yet”. Christmas is coming but is not here.
We must wait and prepare. In Malachi’s words (the name means ‘my messenger’),
“Prepare the way before me” which is echoed in John the Baptist’s words “Prepare
the Way of the Lord”. The joy of Christmas does not come without work.
I suspect we see John the Baptist as a rough character – someone who lived in the
wild and was not afraid to say what he thought. He hovered on the edge of the
community and for some perhaps appeared more like a madman than an upright
community member. Jesus on the other hand seemed much more part of the
community – he was someone who people invited to weddings and who read at the
synagogue – a little more respectable I would suggest.
In this morning’s readings though, the focus is on John. John as the unexpected son
of Zechariah and Elizabeth. John as the prophet and harbinger of a better world.
John as the man that through the centuries reminds us that we should not settle for
second best, but must seek the truth and the right way.
In what is known as the “Benedictus” we hear the words of Zechariah who has
rediscovered his voice(1:64) after affirming Elizabeth’s name for the new born baby.
Imagine the joy of being able to speak again. It is out of profound silence that he
speaks these words of praise and prophecy. His son will be no ordinary boy. He
has an important role to play in the world that is “not yet”. In the final verse his
purpose is clear: to give light to those in darkness and the shadow of death and to
create a path of peace.
It is this latter direction that I want to focus on – creating the way of peace or in the
Zechariah’s words “Guide our feet into the way of peace”.
These words could so easily be the words of the young Sudanese refugee the star of
this year’s Christmas Appeal, Help Rebuild Lives. We do not know her name.
Christian World Service
PO Box 22652, Christchurch 8140
0800 74 7372 christmasappeal.org.nz
Christmas Appeal 2015 - Sermon
She has walked across the border from Sudan to South Sudan. The drive for peace
and security has driven her from her home to seek safety – like almost 60 million
others. We do not know what happened to her on the way, but she is living in a
refugee camp in the north of South Sudan – parts of which are a war zone.
Her determination has kept her going. In the camp she attends the open air
classroom run by ACT Alliance (Action by Churches Together). Each day the
students carry their brick seats on their shoulders so they have something to sit on.
With an education, there will be more opportunities and so she works hard.
Giselle is another young student who is determined to make peace happen. On the
other side of the world in rural Nicaragua she has begun training as a Peace
Community Monitor. In the isolated rural community where she lives, there are no
community services. Everything that happens comes from within – the families
survive on what they grow – corn, beans, pineapple and yucca. There is nothing to
spare and every year a few dozen people head south to Costa Rica in search of
work on the orange or banana plantations, or other low paid work.
So when Christian World Service partner, the Council of Churches in Nicaragua or
CEPAD, offered her the chance to train as a mentor along with two others, the fifteen
year old jumped at the opportunity. The three want to help young people, especially
those struggling with substance abuse, domestic violence, low self-esteem and
depression.
For Giselle the opportunity is very personal. During the week she attends high school
in Nueva Guinea, 15 kilometres away. Coming home each weekend, she noticed
changes happening in her family. She was particularly concerned about her younger
brother who was getting into trouble.
Locked in a cycle of grinding poverty there is little for young people to do for
recreation, so the temptations are great. Along with Marcos and Lea the other
mentors, Giselle is looking at starting a sports programme and recreational centre.
After two sessions the training has been helpful. “I am learning how to be a good
listener, and I have realised that my brother more than anything just needs someone
to try to understand him,” she says.
“I want the kids to feel like a community and respect each other,” says Giselle.
Giving young people time to talk and play will help release some of the frustration
they carry. “People see alcohol as a refuge because they don’t feel they have
anything else to turn to,” she adds.
Christian World Service
PO Box 22652, Christchurch 8140
0800 74 7372 christmasappeal.org.nz
Christmas Appeal 2015 - Sermon
Giselle joined the training because she wanted change in her family, but after the
first sessions says, “I’m seeing how these skills will enable me to help the whole
community.”
This year’s Christmas Appeal invites us to help rebuild lives. Your gift will make the
world of difference to people like Giselle determined to make their communities
better. With the help of CEPAD who has set up similar programmes in other rural
communities, Giselle will learn some counselling and other skills to help stop
violence in her community as well as receive on going support. Running soccer
leagues and providing safe places for young people are less tangible than building a
water tank or setting up a business, but they may be as important. Making sure
people are valued and have a place in their community is a foundation for peace.
“Prepare the way of the Lord,” said John the Baptist. CEPAD is doing that work with
young people, making sure they have what it takes to look forward in hope. Step by
step the “not yet” comes closer, in communities that have the skills and resources
they need to make sure their voices are heard and needs met.
Guide our Feet in the Way of Peace.
In Jesus’ Name we pray
Amen
Christian World Service
PO Box 22652, Christchurch 8140
0800 74 7372 christmasappeal.org.nz