To set the stage, I need you to think about the signs along an
interstate highway – like on I-64. If you get on the highway headed West –
what will the sign FACING you say? St.
Louis… and obviously, if
you head east, the signs facing you would say Louisville. In other words – the signs tell you where you’re
going, right?
Many years ago, a group of us were driving to New York to a ski
resort. Yeah – I know –
we could have just gone to Paoli, but well – they actually have SNOW in New
York. We left on a Friday right after
work and drove until the early hours of the morning. We got somewhere near the Ohio-Pennsylvania
border when we stopped for gas. It was
foggy, because of the snow melting in the area – and it was dark –
and we weren’t familiar with the area.
So – whoever was driving got turned around in the dark and ended
up getting on the ramp headed in the wrong direction. Most of us were half- asleep, so it wasn’t
until 15 minutes later that somebody looked behind us at a sign on the other
side of the highway and noticed the signs said Erie, PA….wait a
minute…that’s where WE’RE
supposed to be headed. That’s
when we noticed the signs on our side said ‘Cleveland, OH’ and Syracuse, NY.
Not much you can do when there’s no off-ramps – we had
to keep driving as fast as we could in the wrong direction to find a way to get
back on track. For 22 miles, we drove
the wrong way – wishing to find an off-ramp.
All of us at times find ourselves headed in the wrong direction,
don’t we?…. Imagine our lives as a highway. One way leads to heaven and the other way
leads to …well….the other place.
When we’re young, we rode with our parents and
grandparents on this road to heaven.
They showed us how to live. They
showed us how to read the signs. They
were responsible for keeping us pointed in the right direction. Then – we got our own driver’s
license… kinda like Confirmation… we got to drive ourselves –
which means WE get to choose which direction we want to travel. Often – we might see the off-ramps and take
an excursion to see what else is out there and completely lose sight of the
highway to heaven. I’d
venture to say this probably describes many of us here… we got
the right upbringing, but when it came to making our religion our own, many of
us took the off-ramp, and headed in the wrong direction. Many never returned. Many of us keep driving in that wrong
direction thinking “someday” we’re going to have to get turned around…someday
we’ll get our lives back on track.
Problem is - whenever we get pointed in the wrong direction, it’s
hard to get turned around. Often
something in our lives seems to force us to push on and on. Every day just brings us more of the same –
work, kids, responsibilities – they keep us too busy to even THINK
about making any changes to our lives.
We can’t find an off-ramp. That’s what Advent is for us: an off-ramp. The Church in her wisdom gives us a brand-new
start – like a chance to re-boot and start over. These four weeks are an invitation to get off
the rat-race; to look at where we are, where we’ve been, and most importantly –
where we are headed. If we would just
stop and READ THE SIGNS, we can SEE where our lives are leading. The signs along the highway TELL us. If we don’t like where we’re
going, perhaps it’s time to turn around.
See – Jesus talks about ‘there
will be signs’ – these are signs of the coming of the
Kingdom of God. These signs are all
around us even now …seriously... God puts signs all around
us to guide us back to the highway to heaven… thing is – they’re
all facing away from heaven – just like the signs for Louisville
only point West…. so
unless we turn to look TOWARD heaven, we won’t be able to read the signs.
Normally in Advent, one of the first words we hear is “Repent”. I’m going to impress you with my vast
knowledge of the Greek language… ok – maybe the only word I know in
Greek: Metanoia. That’s the word in the New Testament which
is translated as ‘repent’.
Metanoia is more than we typically think of when we think of ‘Repent’. It is a COMPLETE CHANGE OF MIND…. You might say – it is to turn completely around –
to go the other direction.
This is what we’re called to do in Advent. Pull off the road – look at
the map – look at where we’ve been and where we are headed….
And when we realize just how far off course we are, we can metanoia…
turn around… and get back on the highway to heaven.
How can we keep ourselves going in the right direction? This is where Psalm 25 comes in: Your
ways, O LORD, make known to me; teach me your paths, guide me in your truth and
teach me.
God has given us the
directions… he even came down here and died on the cross to point us in
the right direction. Pray this psalm
often – in every situation – God show me which way to go. God teach me what I need to know. Keep me pointed in the right direction. Open my eyes to read all the signs you place around me….even
the ones behind me.
