Signs Of Love In Our World

Isn’t that how God came to earth at Christmas through the natural process of child birth? God continues to act today in the same way, through the simple down to earth events in life. God acts through events, through people, through numerous ways which are to many to name. God’s hand is all around us, but we needs eyes to see it and a faith to accept it.

Paul reminds us of God’s actions in his letter to the Phillipians when he says, "Let all men know your forbearance. The Lord is at hand. Have no anxiety about anything."

Yes, have no anxiety about anything . . whatever is a burden or worry turn it over to God in prayer and then somehow it will work out. It will work out according to God’s timetable, and God’s way and in that we need to have faith and patience. We need to have the confidence that God will indeed act for our own benefit, our own good.

And that brings us to the final part of this sermon a question which needs to be answered. In our gospel lesson John the Baptist has been telling people about the coming of the Lord in their lives and then the people ask him What then shall we do? What is our response to the Lord’s coming?

God is coming, has come and will continue to come in our lives. In a few short weeks we will experience that great coming again in the Christmas event, what shall we do? How shall we respond?

An old story which you might have heard tells us very clearly what our response to God’s coming shall be.

It is a poem by Edwin Markham , "How the Great Guest Came."

"A old cobbler named Conrad had a dream that the Lord was coming to visit him. So he washed the walls of his small shop and his shelves until they shined. He decorated his shop with holly and fir. He put milk and honey on his table to offer to his special guest. He sat down and waited.

As he was waiting, he saw a poor barefoot beggar walking in the rain outside his door. He felt sorry for the man and invited him and gave him a pair of shoes. His clean floor was now dirty from the rain and mud.

As he was about to clean it up, he noticed an old lady who was bent over carrying a heavy load of firewood. He invited her in to sit and rest, shared some of his food with her and walked with her, helping carry some of the wood.

When he returned to his shop, he thought of all that needed to be done. He began to clean again and hoped he had tome to find more food. Just then a knock at the door. He answered hurriedly and it was a small child crying lost and cold. He picked up the child, dried the tears, gave her something to drink, the cup of milk and walked her to her home down the street and around the corner.

He hurried back to the shop. He was too tired now to clean or find more food but he still waited. Evening came and he began to wonder if the Lord had forgot.

Then he heard a soft voice break the silence in that shop, ’Lift up your heart, for I kept my word. Three times I came to your friendly door, Three times my shadow was on your floor. I was the beggar with bruised feet; I was the woman you gave to eat, I was the lost child on that homeless street."