Daily Advent Reflections may be found here
Luke 3:15-18
As the people were filled with expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Messiah, John answered all of them by saying, “I baptise you with water; but one who is more powerful than I is coming; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandals. He will baptise you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”
So, with many other exhortations, he proclaimed the good news to the people.
Good news
doesn’t always look
or sound
as we might imagine
Sometimes
good news is disguised as harsh words
delivered with love and integrity
Sometimes
the winnowing fork
of good news
gouges our hearts
opens old wounds
we thought were healed
Sometimes
good news
is the unpalatable truth
we need to hear
and how we respond
is what gives it the potential
to be good news
Sometimes
our role is as the bearer of good news
Sometimes
our role is as hearer of good news
Always, our role
is to allow the good news
to change lives -
our own and others
and to carefully handle
with love and compassion
the brokenness we encounter
along the way.
