The third Monday in advent
Monday, December 13, 2010
Isaiah 35:8 8A highway shall be there,
and it shall be called the Holy Way;
the unclean shall not travel on it,
but it shall be for God's people;
no traveler, not even fools, shall go astray.
No traveler, not even fools, shall go astray. Some contemporary translations read, “Not even fools will get lost.” This reading for the Third Sunday in Advent was meant to give the people of God in Isaiah’s day and in our day hope in a difficult time. Hope is a gift from God. But in addition to giving hope, this text makes me smile.
I am “geographically challenged”. I get lost is big rooms. Recently on a trip to Philadelphia with friends I volunteered to park the car while other entered the Franklin Institute. Upon exiting the car with our friends, Carolyn remarked, “Are we actually trusting him to park the car? He’ll get lost and he’ll never find us and we’ll never find the car.” Guess what? I did get lost but I found them and we eventually found the car.
It has nothing to do with Isaiah’s original meaning or its meaning to us today buy this text makes me smile. It makes me laugh at myself. The ability to smile and to laugh at one’s self, like hope, is a gift from God too.
SO WHAT makes you smile and when have you laughed at yourself?
Stir up your power, O Lord and come. Come to us and give us joy today. AMEN
I can understand your issues. Mine is quite similar. I'm a little indecisive at times and parking is no exception. I'll drive around and get more and more frustrated until I find a good parking space. If I would just take one to begin with, I'd end up saving a lot of time and aggravation.
ReplyDeleteLooking at the situation later, makes it seem petty though, and it brings a smile and laugh, not only to me, but my family, when we're out somewhere and I'm trying to find a parking spot.
PS - The laugh and smile come on a little later, not at the time...
As you can see by the above post, I get to smile and laugh with my husband on similar issues. In general, I think those situations where life gives you lemons, and you make lemonade are the ones that you just smile and laugh about.
ReplyDeleteRemember when you were Pastor Dale and I was Vicar Heidi and there was a Christmas party somewhere and I was riding w/ someone (can't remember who -- Carolyn? Joel?) and when we FINALLY made it there after getting lost following (at least, I believe/d so) YOUR directions, you said, "You were supposed to turn RIGHT!" (or whichever direction it was) and I said, "You said LEFT!" (or whatever the opposite was) and you said, "No, I said RIGHT!" and we went on and on until you said, "ONE of us HAS to be wrong!!" (I still say it was you!! :) ha ha!! [This is a JOKE!] )
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