The other day, in the morning hours, while I was preparing this message, my phone rang. From the caller ID I saw our neighbor’s name.  Immediately, what came to mind was that she was again in the bus station in need of a ride home, just like what happened a couple of months ago.  I took her call anyway and to my surprise—and shame—she called to tell me that she’s coming over to bring me a cake!  She baked it herself and wanted to share it with Santy and me. I learned that I am not as kind and generous as I thought.

But there is something else that I learned, at least about myself: I’m more ready to help if the timing is right, meaning, if it fits with my schedule. If she had called and asked for help, I still would’ve done it, but I would have done it begrudgingly because it didn’t fit in my schedule.  I was busy preparing this message, while all along, I knew what Jesus Our Savior would have done if He were in my shoes: He would have dropped whatever it was He was doing and helped her. 

The Gospel of Mark is the Gospel of Jesus, at work and on the go. At first glance it seems like Our Blessed Lord just responds to whatever need that comes His way.  But that is not so; He responds to needs based on a guiding principle of His ministry which is His Father’s will.  Whatever His Father’s will is, that He will do. And one of them is “people over anything else.”  He always prioritizes on the spiritual needs of those He serves, and He always follows love.  Wherever the need for salvation is and wherever love leads, He will follow.

God sent His Son Jesus to the world because this is where the need for salvation is and because this is where His love leads Him to.  So, always follow this principle: Go where the need for salvation is and follow love, wherever it takes us.  Christmas—the birth of Jesus—is where these two meet: Our need for salvation and God’s love.

Pastor Paul