Advent is a time of waiting for Christ. We wait to celebrate His first coming at Christmas, and we wait for His second coming in judgment. Most of us are more interested in the first Advent than the second, but the second one will affect us more than we think. The first Advent is far past, and for us it is mostly an exercise in sentimentality. We love the songs and the shepherds, the Holy Family and the angels, the gifts and the glitter. We love what we have made it, not what it actually was, a time of great turmoil caused by an empire-wide census, and an unpredictable old dying King. There was turmoil for Mary and Joseph who weren't sure when or where the baby would be born. It was a time of turmoil, but it was also a time that called for courage.

         Even before this time, another couple faced a courageous point in life. Zechariah and Elizabeth, probably in their late 50's, had just born their first child! Zechariah, made speechless at the news, finally spoke, and praised God at what he had in mind for their son. Elizabeth was almost shameless in her joy, blushing with pride, showing off her newborn, yet knowing the struggle that lay ahead of them at the raising of a baby at such an age. It would be a time of courage that could only come from the Lord.

         Thirty years later, the two old parents long gone, their son John had become a prophet baptizing in the wilderness, a man of courage preaching a challenge to all: "Repent or perish! Change your ways or face judgment!" For John the Baptist, it was a time of great courage, courage from the Lord.

         At about the same time, the child born in Bethlehem's stable had become a man and a Rabbi. He taught a small band of dozen followers who wanted to become like Him. He proclaimed the kingdom of God and healed and performed miracles and incurred the wrath of the religious leaders for criticizing their shallow practices. Rabbi Yeshua ha Nosari would eventually be put to death for his beliefs and practices, but He never flagged in His ministry to bring hope to the downtrodden, healing to the sick, and salvation to the world. It was a time of courage from the Lord.

         What is courage? Is it a quality of spirit that enables us to face danger or pain without fear? Is it the ability to do the right thing despite great opposition? Is courage the strength to face danger or to take on extreme challenges? Or is courage merely doing WHAT needs to be done WHEN it needs to be done?

         One morning after a tremendous downpour, Ray Blankenship of Andover, Ohio, was gazing out the window at the water roaring through. It had been a violent storm, raining several inches in only an hour. Suddenly he saw a small child being swept under. Blankenship knew that nearby the ditch disappeared into a storm sewer, so he dashed out the door in his bare feet, trying to get ahead of the floundering child. Unable to grab the child, he jumped into the deep, churning water, surfaced and caught the child's arm. The man and child tumbled wildly end over end toward the gaping storm sewer, when Blankenship finally caught hold of a rock along the bank. He clung to it desperately, one arm holding the rock, the other holding the child, with the tremendous force of the flood waters trying to tear them both away. "If I can just hang on until help comes," he recalled thinking. He did better than that. By the time rescue squad arrived, Blankenship had somehow pulled the child out of the water to safety. For his courage, he was awarded the Coast Guard's Silver Lifesaving Medal. The award was fitting, for this brave man was at even greater risk than people knew. Ray Blankenship could not swim.

         So, what is courage? The Bible tells us of one man's courage. "During the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John, son of Zechariah, in the desert. He went into all the country around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins." (Luke 3:2-3)

         We who are used to freedom of speech can't imagine the courage it took for John to speak the Word of God to people when such powerful priests controlled things in Jerusalem. John's message spared no one! He said they were all sinners, and all were in need of repentance. Maybe that's why the prophets preached in the wilderness. They could get away with saying more out there where they were harder to find, harder to control. It took longer for the authorities to find them in the desert. But the Bible had said that even the promised Messiah would come preaching in the desert. Both John the Baptist and Jesus of Nazareth came preaching the same word of courage, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near!" (Matthew 3:2, 4:17)

         Courage always comes with fear, at least a little fear. Captain Eddy Rickenbacker, WWI flying ace who flew crude airplanes made of canvas, wire and wood, who every time he got into a plane never knew if it would fall apart in flight, once said, "Courage is doing what you're afraid to do. There can be no courage unless you're scared."

         And, of course, the courageous always have their critics. The philosopher-poet Ralph Waldo Emerson once wrote, "Whatever you do, you need courage. Whatever course you decide upon, there is always someone to tell you that you are wrong." People told Jesus He was wrong in His teaching. They told John he was wrong for speaking against King Herod. John's courage led to his execution by beheading. Jesus died on the cross. If you are a person of courage, not only is there someone to tell you you're wrong, there may be someone willing and able to kill you for it.

         What is courage? It's doing what needs to be done, when it is needed. Courage can show itself at least three ways: 1) Speaking the truth when it's unpopular, 2) Doing the right and avoiding the wrong, 3) Trusting God when no one else will. It can mean putting your life in danger to help someone who needs it. Soldiers know this well. Ray Blankenship did just that, without even thinking. Courage does what needs to be done and never considers it courage, just life.

         I have a friend, David, who has bone cancer. He lives each day with the hope that this terrible disease can be defeated. David is a pastor, who, despite all the pain, experimental treatments, nausea and daily weariness, still preaches and teaches. Last spring I told him of my plans to retire, and then sort of apologized that I was pulling away from ministry when he is struggling so hard to carry on. He said to me, "No - you do what you want - you've earned it. And despite this cancer, I am doing what I want - sharing the Gospel of hope as long as I have left."

         John the Baptist told his message from God as long as he could to people who did not always want to hear it. He did the right thing, and as far as possible, avoided the wrong. He trusted God when most others deserted him. John was a man of courage, and so Jesus said of him, "This is the man about whom it is written: 'I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you.' I tell you, among those born of women there is no one greater than John." (Luke 7:26-28)

         Courage is a gift from God. He gives it when we need it. Today it takes courage just to believe in God. Atheism is becoming popular. All kinds of "wise" people are saying God is outmoded, that Christianity is the cause of most of history's ills. But atheists have always been full of courage when Christianity is on the ropes. It takes no courage to kick a man when he is down. It takes greater courage to lift him up, especially when the critics are calling for his defeat.

         Misislav Rostipovich, famous Russian cellist, was living in Paris when he heard of the coup by Soviet hard-liners to topple the fledgling presidency of Boris Yeltsin. Rostipovich knew he was a wanted man in Russia, but instead of going underground, he boldly returned there and joined Yeltsin in the Russian Federation Building. As he entered, he was handed a Kalashnikov automatic rifle, but he refused it. Instead, the venerable old musician sat next to an open window and played the cello for all to hear, whether inside or outside. And because of his great courage, the siege was eventually broken.

         Christianity is under siege. The coming days will be difficult. These days call for courage, to do the right even when all others do not. May we ever have courage to trust in Jesus when others will not. May we resist those who deny God, who belittle the Christian faith. May we always try to do what is right, even if criticized. Christ went to the cross for us: perhaps now we must go to the cross for Him. Amen

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