Shaken - 6th Day of Advent

Many things come to mind with the word "shaken", but for our purposes here, the Bible tells us that the world, even the very heavens must be shaken before the Son of Man appears in the clouds.*  Shaken appears to be synonymous with "change", and change can be good or bad, but many eminent psychologists and philosophers believe that no change can occur without a significant emotional event.  Events that touch our hearts, minds and spirits would likely qualify - but here, we're actually looking for events that change not just one person, but the whole world.

In this time of Advent, we know what event we anticipate, but have you ever really thought about how the birth of one child really did change the course of the world?  This wasn't a world connected by the Internet and telephones or even the Pony Express.  It was a world of disparate places and peoples - and yet Christianity, over 2000 years later reaches to every corner of the world, is the most widespread and populous religion on the planet.  The child we are waiting for changed the world, which is an absolutely huge thing to contemplate.

So for today's meditation, think about how that child, born two millennium past, has changed or shaken your world.  And how much more might your world change if you decided to be part of the change that shakes up the world?

Activity for the Day:   Gather up loose change around your house (doing laundry always helps me in that task), and donate it to the Salvation Army, local Food Bank or ERD.  Think about the alternative meaning for "change" as you do so - and how this might be helping to change someone else's world for the better.


*Matthew 24:28-30; Mark 13:24-26; Luke 21:25-27