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Advent 2

Stories
Second Sunday of Advent - C
Luke 3:1-6
John Steward
Lectionary Tales for the Pulpit
Series II, Cycle C
While Khrushchev was Premier of the Soviet Union, he came out against his predecessor Joseph Stalin and his abuses of power. As he was giving his speech denouncing Stalin, someone in the Congress Hall shouted, "Where were you, Comrade Khrushchev, when all these innocent people were being slaughtered?"

At that moment there was total silence as everyone wondered what would happen next. Khrushchev stopped speaking and began looking around the hall. He said, "Will the man who said that kindly stand up?"

No one stood up. Everyone was frozen in his seat.
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This story begins with gift -- with blessed gift -- with miraculous, blessed giftedness. And I will even tell you now the theme of the story: if you keep your eye on the giftedness of everything, then you yourself can be a gift, you can be a giver, rather than a hoarder.
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