Wait a minute! Christmas is coming. What about Silent night, Holy night, All is calm, All is bright?" Instead we hear "...nations will be in anguish...the roaring and tossing of the sea...People will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world...the heavenly bodies will be shaken." Ho, ho, ho! Where is Santa when we need him? So why in the world would the church choose a Gospel lesson such as this to begin Advent and our preparation for the coming of the Christ child?

Good reason. The sad truth that all of us who are old enough knows is we do not live in a "Santa Claus" world. Turn on the news or pick up the paper. This week we were treated to the headline saying, "Violence forces Bethlehem to cancel Christmas plans."(1) The AP dispatch reads,

Bethlehem's city fathers …