Second Monday of Advent (2014 Year B)

Today's readings

This morning I received a link to a sermon from yesterday that spoke of everything I have been struggling with as far as both the scriptures (especially this week's readings) and the current news. Not surprisingly, it was about both.
The sermon is "Prepare Him Room" by Reverend Robin Bartlett. It is more important than anything I have to say today.

Having been to sick or injured to do most of my usual activities this past year, I have been spending a lot of time doing what I can. One of the more useful things I can do has been making hats for people who need them. I have lost count of how many hats I have made for the Egan Warming Center (but you can see a bunch of them here.) Now that my hand is working better, I'm also making some fleece ones, both for Egan and for an upcoming children's winter clothing drive. I figure that if you have to go to the warming shelter and need a hat, you REALLY need a hat, so right now I'm mostly making them for Egan. I spent a lot of time today cutting out fleece hats (they sew up fastest in bunches.) I am grateful that I can do something for others, even when I am dependant in so many other ways. For me, spending my time this way is what I can do as fellowship.

This may sound like a meander but is brought to you by today's New Testament reading, which also mentions fellowship:

⁴¹ So those who welcomed his message were baptized, and that day about three thousand persons were added. ⁴² They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. - Acts 2:41-42

 I find it important to remember that as followers of God, we should all sit down in equality and eat. Maybe not always literally eat, but our basic human needs are the same and we should share and treat one another the same. That's hard. Christianity is hard. I am bad at it. But I can choose to strive to do better.

I don't invite the homeless guy who lives in my neighborhood into my house. But I talk to him like a fellow human. And I make hats. Mostly I make hats. Today, it's what I can do.