Isaiah and St Paul tell their communities to hold on and wait in joyful hope for the coming of Jesus despite their circumstances. Yet, many people are trying to find reasons to rejoice in what seems a crazy and ever-changing world. Our reality is distorted by a constant inundation of bad news. It seems that where we look it seems that the bad guys are winning – something that John would also have felt before his death. No doubt many of us feel the same way. Jesus’ followers were drowning in bad news as we are today and some were reviled, ridiculed, persecuted and sidelined. There seems little reason to rejoice in the face of human suffering. 

We are invited to proclaim a hope to our world by addressing issues of justice, peace, and genuine human development for all God's people despite war and terrorism, an ongoing pandemic, poverty and injustice, dishonesty and manipulation of the truth and propaganda, political expediency, and the harsh effects of climate change. The stories of Advent are meant to shape how we are called to be as followers of Christ as the truth teller, the God-bearer the forbearing elder, the righteous ‘mensch’ and the faithful questioner. In playing these roles, we must also look to the other players around us in a community of supporting roles to one another.