When opportunity knocks, seize it

		Living the Scriptures  with St. Paul University  Catholic Center  Marshall Cook

A shaggy looking fellow with a beard and long hair comes to your door one afternoon a few weeks before Christmas and tells you he has some good news for you. You're more than a little suspicious, right?

Another "sweepstakes" you may have already won, perhaps. A deal on some seafront property in Florida. Maybe a way to melt off those excess pounds while you sleep.

You'd love to chat, of course, but you're really REALLY busy, what with the Christmas shopping yet to do, the presents to wrap and get in the mail, and the batches of cookies to bake.

Third Sunday of Advent (Dec. 14, 2003) Zeph 3:14-18a Is 12:2-3, 4, 5-6 Phil 4:4-7 Lk 3:10-18

You don't have time to chat with unkempt door-to-door salespeople. And this guy looks as if he's been eating a steady diet of bugs and smells as if he hasn't bathed in way too long.

Before you can politely close the door on his face, however, this wild-eyed fellow, who says his name is John, tells you that his message isn't just good news; it's The Good News, and it comes from God.

He tells you that someone wonderful is coming after him, bringing nothing less than the Kingdom of God! And, if you act now, He's prepared to offer you a place in this Kingdom!

How much is it all going to cost you, you ask. Not one penny, John tells you. This Kingdom isn't about money at all.

You figure it's all too good to be true, but you decide you might as well hear him out. Just what must you do, you ask, to enter into this magic Kingdom.

Not much, John assures you. Just give the shirt off your back to anyone who needs it. Share your food with the hungry. Stop cheating and lying. And no more griping about how poorly you are paid; you don't begin to understand how lucky, how blessed you really are.

Do these things, John says, and the One who is coming will gather you up like wheat into His barn.

And if you don't?

You will burn in unquenchable fire! How about it? Ready to shake hands on the deal?

	Reflection questions • Would you recognize John the Baptist if he came to your door? (What would he likely look like today?) • How can you tell the difference between the con artists and the One "selling" salvation? • John warned us to prepare for the One who was coming after him. What can you do today to get ready?

This is essentially the offer John the Baptist makes us in Luke 3:10-18. He tells us to repent and change our way of living, so we can be ready when Jesus comes for us. No wonder so few were ready to join John out in the dessert for a supper of honey and locust.

We're so lucky. Just look how Jesus has sweetened the deal in the last 2,000 years. We have the testimony of the saints and our fellow believers, the support of a worshipping community, the edification of the Scriptures, the nourishment of the Body and Blood of the Christ, and the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

When we open ourselves up to all this, the deal becomes irresistible. May we all realize this Advent season just what the Savior offers us and how little He asks in return. It really is Good News!

Marshall J. Cook, a member of St. Paul University Catholic Center, is a professor for the University of Wisconsin-Madison Division of Continuing Studies. St. Paul's Web site is www.stpaulscc.org

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