Advent Town: The Second Sunday of Advent
Homily for the Second Sunday of Advent
(Revised Draft - Audio version available on the St. Al's web site)
We all know the symbols of Christmas:
stars, Christmas trees, poinsettias, candy canes, etc.
But the season of Advent has symbols of its own:
Deserts abloomin’.
Mountains made low.
And highways made straight.
Today, St. John the Baptist shouts out a mightycommand:
“Make straight the way of the Lord.”
Let’s focus on St. John’s commandment a minute.
and think about a road that he’s talking about.
Let’s imagine that road.
And let’s give that road a name.
Let’s call that road “US Route 22.”
Picture a road named Route 22
as it curves through the blue hills of Kentucky
on down to a county seat called Advent Town.
And let’s you and me go for a Sunday drive on Route 22
You know, some of those roads in Kentucky are mighty old.
Some of them fit snug as a on the trampled ground of buffalo paths.
Some of those roads were Indian trails.
Some were cut through the mountains by the Army Corps of Engineers.
Roads are interesting things.
Roads carry lots of memories:
Buffalo hooves and moccasins.
Work boots and bare-foot boys.
White-bellied snakes.
Goodyear Radials and bicycle tires smeared with tar.
Route 22 carries lots of memories and lots of secrets.
And today it carries you to a community called Advent Town.
Now, the secrets you discover in Advent Town won’t surprise you.
They’re the same dreams, regrets and fears
that all people carry in their hearts and in their pasts.
The citizens of Advent Town won’t surprise you, either.
They’re ordinary people,
their lives a mix of routine work,
small-town talk
and the near occasion of sin.
The only thing that may surprise you
is how much Route 22,
with its pot-holes and sharp turns,
transforms into a highway for our God upon its approach to Advent Town.
Advent Town, you see, is an unusual place.
You won’t find prophets preaching on Courthouse Square,
but you might encounter a woman named Clara Foster
whose Rising Sun Rooming House
puts the words of such prophets into practice
as she rents her rooms to social outcasts and misfits.
You won’t find Santa stocking his sleigh for nighttime flight,
but you will meet seven-year-old Carmen Gomez
whose father lives in fear of deportation.
Ordinary people
with ordinary lives
and Christmas on the way.
That’s what you find in Advent Town.
If you need help cutting down a Christmas tree,
contact Ted Goubeaux.
He makes custom furniture
and is sure to have an extra saw in his shop.
Ted’s come a long way in his struggle for sobriety.
Ted’s dad, Hank, lives in the nursing home on the edge of town.
In Hank’s opinion, Ted’s a hard guy to talk to, a hard son to reach.
Jim Feldkamp works at the grain elevator.
Now, Jim’s a man of faith
but, in the dead of night with his wife lying beside him
exhausted from chemo, he’s a man of fear.
Then there’s seventeen-year-old Shelby Brannon
who writes letters to the editor
and wants to join the Sisters of St. Francis.
Yes, Route 22 takes you to Advent Town
and straight into the lives of these citizens.
Their stories carry a familiar ring.
Like the story of the grandmother
who lives in a condo here in Cincinnati on Bridgetown Road,
like the story of the teller at National City Bank down the street,
like the story of a high school kid in the St. Al’s Youth Group…
these lives, like our own,
are full pot-holes and sharp turns.
I’m speaking here of the lives of the people you encounter on the street,
the people who work next to you in the office,
and the people you hold in your arms
and the people you love your heart…
all these people are tramping the road alongside us.
And it takes a brave heart
and a strong soul
to walk this road that winds through this life of ours.
There are some rough stretches on this road.
Some days, it might look an a alley full of trash
more than a highway or an interstate.
But the road that John the Baptist talks about today
is the road called Faith
and this road takes us to through small towns and big cities
and into the lives of God’s people.
And my point it this:
the more we engage the lives of those we meet on the road
the closer we get to the heart of God.
God is our destination.
Heaven is our one goal.
The road to God runs true.
And the truths you discover on this road of faith this Advent
will set you free…
free to worship Christ
in spirit and in truth this Christmas.
(First Draft)
A voice cries out in the desert,
"Make straight the way of the Lor,
clear him a straight path…
the windings shall be made straight,
the rough ways smooth."
The season of Advent carries lots of symbols,
it’s chock full of compelling images:
Deserts abloomin’.
Mountains made low.
Highways made straight.
Today, John the Baptist shouts out a might command:
“Make straight the way of the Lord.”
Well, let’s think about that minute.
Let’s think about a road that leads to the heart of God.
And let’s give that road a name.
Let’s call that road “US Route 2.”
Let’s you and me take a Sunday drive on Route 2
as it curves through the hills of Kentucky to a county seat called Advent Town.
And you, some of those roads in Kentucky are mighty old.
Some of them fit snug as a on the trampled ground of buffalo paths.
Some of those roads were Indian trails.
Some were cut through the mountains by the Army Corps of Engineers.
Buffalo hooves and moccasins.
Work boots and bare-foot boys.
White-bellied snakes.
Goodyear Radials and bicycle tires smeared with tar.
Route Two carries lots of secrets
and today it carries you to a county seat called Advent Town.
Now listen to this:
the secrets you discover in Advent Town won’t surprise you.
They’re the same dreams, regrets and fears
that all people carry in their hearts and in their pasts.
The citizens of Advent Town won’t surprise you, either.
They’re ordinary people,
their lives a mix of routine work,
small-town talk
and the near occasion of sin.
The only thing that may surprise you
is how much Route Two,
with its pot-holes and sharp turns,
transforms into a highway for our God upon its approach to Advent Town.
Advent Town, you see, is a lot like every town.
You won’t find prophets preaching on Courthouse Square,
but you might encounter a woman named Clara Foster
whose Rising Sun Rooming House
puts the words of such prophets into practice.
You won’t find Santa stocking his sleigh for nighttime flight,
but you will meet seven-year-old Carmen Gomez
whose father lives in fear of deportation.
Ordinary people
with ordinary lives
and Christmas on the way.
If you need help cutting down a Christmas tree,
contact Ted Goubeaux.
He makes custom furniture
and is sure to have an extra saw in his shop.
Ted’s come a long way in his struggle for sobriety.
His dad, Hank, lives in the nursing home on the edge of town.
In Hank’s opinion, Ted’s a hard guy to reach.
Jim Feldkamp works at the grain elevator.
Now, Jim’s a man of faith
but, in the dead of night with his wife lying beside him
exhausted from chemo, he’s a man of fear.
Then there’s seventeen-year-old Shelby Brannon
who writes letters to the editor
and wants to join the Sisters of St. Francis.
Route Two takes you to Advent Town
and straight into the lives of these citizens.
Their stories, like the stories of the grandmother
who lives in a condo on Bridgetown Road,
like the story of the teller at National City Bank down the street,
like the story of a high school kid in the St. Al’s Youth Group…
are full pot-holes and sharp turns
but into the lives of the people you encounter on the street
and the people you hold in your arms
and the people you love your heart…
all these people are tramping along a road
alongside us.
And it takes a brave heart
and a strong soul
to walk this road that winds through this life of ours.
There are some rough stretches on this road.
Some days, it might look an a alley full of trash
more than a highway or an interstate,
but the road that John the Baptist talks about
is the road called Faith
and this road takes us to through small towns and big cities
and into the lives of God’s people.
And the more we engage the lives of those we meet on the road
the closer we get to the heart of God.
And God is our destination.
Heaven is our one goal.
The road to God runs true.
And the truth you discover on this road
will set you free…
free to worship in truth this Christmas.
(Revised Draft - Audio version available on the St. Al's web site)
We all know the symbols of Christmas:
stars, Christmas trees, poinsettias, candy canes, etc.
But the season of Advent has symbols of its own:
Deserts abloomin’.
Mountains made low.
And highways made straight.
Today, St. John the Baptist shouts out a mightycommand:
“Make straight the way of the Lord.”
Let’s focus on St. John’s commandment a minute.
and think about a road that he’s talking about.
Let’s imagine that road.
And let’s give that road a name.
Let’s call that road “US Route 22.”
Picture a road named Route 22
as it curves through the blue hills of Kentucky
on down to a county seat called Advent Town.
And let’s you and me go for a Sunday drive on Route 22
You know, some of those roads in Kentucky are mighty old.
Some of them fit snug as a on the trampled ground of buffalo paths.
Some of those roads were Indian trails.
Some were cut through the mountains by the Army Corps of Engineers.
Roads are interesting things.
Roads carry lots of memories:
Buffalo hooves and moccasins.
Work boots and bare-foot boys.
White-bellied snakes.
Goodyear Radials and bicycle tires smeared with tar.
Route 22 carries lots of memories and lots of secrets.
And today it carries you to a community called Advent Town.
Now, the secrets you discover in Advent Town won’t surprise you.
They’re the same dreams, regrets and fears
that all people carry in their hearts and in their pasts.
The citizens of Advent Town won’t surprise you, either.
They’re ordinary people,
their lives a mix of routine work,
small-town talk
and the near occasion of sin.
The only thing that may surprise you
is how much Route 22,
with its pot-holes and sharp turns,
transforms into a highway for our God upon its approach to Advent Town.
Advent Town, you see, is an unusual place.
You won’t find prophets preaching on Courthouse Square,
but you might encounter a woman named Clara Foster
whose Rising Sun Rooming House
puts the words of such prophets into practice
as she rents her rooms to social outcasts and misfits.
You won’t find Santa stocking his sleigh for nighttime flight,
but you will meet seven-year-old Carmen Gomez
whose father lives in fear of deportation.
Ordinary people
with ordinary lives
and Christmas on the way.
That’s what you find in Advent Town.
If you need help cutting down a Christmas tree,
contact Ted Goubeaux.
He makes custom furniture
and is sure to have an extra saw in his shop.
Ted’s come a long way in his struggle for sobriety.
Ted’s dad, Hank, lives in the nursing home on the edge of town.
In Hank’s opinion, Ted’s a hard guy to talk to, a hard son to reach.
Jim Feldkamp works at the grain elevator.
Now, Jim’s a man of faith
but, in the dead of night with his wife lying beside him
exhausted from chemo, he’s a man of fear.
Then there’s seventeen-year-old Shelby Brannon
who writes letters to the editor
and wants to join the Sisters of St. Francis.
Yes, Route 22 takes you to Advent Town
and straight into the lives of these citizens.
Their stories carry a familiar ring.
Like the story of the grandmother
who lives in a condo here in Cincinnati on Bridgetown Road,
like the story of the teller at National City Bank down the street,
like the story of a high school kid in the St. Al’s Youth Group…
these lives, like our own,
are full pot-holes and sharp turns.
I’m speaking here of the lives of the people you encounter on the street,
the people who work next to you in the office,
and the people you hold in your arms
and the people you love your heart…
all these people are tramping the road alongside us.
And it takes a brave heart
and a strong soul
to walk this road that winds through this life of ours.
There are some rough stretches on this road.
Some days, it might look an a alley full of trash
more than a highway or an interstate.
But the road that John the Baptist talks about today
is the road called Faith
and this road takes us to through small towns and big cities
and into the lives of God’s people.
And my point it this:
the more we engage the lives of those we meet on the road
the closer we get to the heart of God.
God is our destination.
Heaven is our one goal.
The road to God runs true.
And the truths you discover on this road of faith this Advent
will set you free…
free to worship Christ
in spirit and in truth this Christmas.
(First Draft)
A voice cries out in the desert,
"Make straight the way of the Lor,
clear him a straight path…
the windings shall be made straight,
the rough ways smooth."
The season of Advent carries lots of symbols,
it’s chock full of compelling images:
Deserts abloomin’.
Mountains made low.
Highways made straight.
Today, John the Baptist shouts out a might command:
“Make straight the way of the Lord.”
Well, let’s think about that minute.
Let’s think about a road that leads to the heart of God.
And let’s give that road a name.
Let’s call that road “US Route 2.”
Let’s you and me take a Sunday drive on Route 2
as it curves through the hills of Kentucky to a county seat called Advent Town.
And you, some of those roads in Kentucky are mighty old.
Some of them fit snug as a on the trampled ground of buffalo paths.
Some of those roads were Indian trails.
Some were cut through the mountains by the Army Corps of Engineers.
Buffalo hooves and moccasins.
Work boots and bare-foot boys.
White-bellied snakes.
Goodyear Radials and bicycle tires smeared with tar.
Route Two carries lots of secrets
and today it carries you to a county seat called Advent Town.
Now listen to this:
the secrets you discover in Advent Town won’t surprise you.
They’re the same dreams, regrets and fears
that all people carry in their hearts and in their pasts.
The citizens of Advent Town won’t surprise you, either.
They’re ordinary people,
their lives a mix of routine work,
small-town talk
and the near occasion of sin.
The only thing that may surprise you
is how much Route Two,
with its pot-holes and sharp turns,
transforms into a highway for our God upon its approach to Advent Town.
Advent Town, you see, is a lot like every town.
You won’t find prophets preaching on Courthouse Square,
but you might encounter a woman named Clara Foster
whose Rising Sun Rooming House
puts the words of such prophets into practice.
You won’t find Santa stocking his sleigh for nighttime flight,
but you will meet seven-year-old Carmen Gomez
whose father lives in fear of deportation.
Ordinary people
with ordinary lives
and Christmas on the way.
If you need help cutting down a Christmas tree,
contact Ted Goubeaux.
He makes custom furniture
and is sure to have an extra saw in his shop.
Ted’s come a long way in his struggle for sobriety.
His dad, Hank, lives in the nursing home on the edge of town.
In Hank’s opinion, Ted’s a hard guy to reach.
Jim Feldkamp works at the grain elevator.
Now, Jim’s a man of faith
but, in the dead of night with his wife lying beside him
exhausted from chemo, he’s a man of fear.
Then there’s seventeen-year-old Shelby Brannon
who writes letters to the editor
and wants to join the Sisters of St. Francis.
Route Two takes you to Advent Town
and straight into the lives of these citizens.
Their stories, like the stories of the grandmother
who lives in a condo on Bridgetown Road,
like the story of the teller at National City Bank down the street,
like the story of a high school kid in the St. Al’s Youth Group…
are full pot-holes and sharp turns
but into the lives of the people you encounter on the street
and the people you hold in your arms
and the people you love your heart…
all these people are tramping along a road
alongside us.
And it takes a brave heart
and a strong soul
to walk this road that winds through this life of ours.
There are some rough stretches on this road.
Some days, it might look an a alley full of trash
more than a highway or an interstate,
but the road that John the Baptist talks about
is the road called Faith
and this road takes us to through small towns and big cities
and into the lives of God’s people.
And the more we engage the lives of those we meet on the road
the closer we get to the heart of God.
And God is our destination.
Heaven is our one goal.
The road to God runs true.
And the truth you discover on this road
will set you free…
free to worship in truth this Christmas.
posted by BlueCollarPreacher at 9:29 AM
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