Third Sunday of Advent

After this Jesus and his disciples went into the Judean countryside, and he
spent some time there with them and baptized. John also was baptizing at
Aenon near Salim because water was abundant there; and people kept coming
and were being baptized- John, of course, had not yet been thrown into
prison. Now a discussion about purification arose between John's disciples
and a Jew. They came to John and said to him, 'Rabbi, the one who was with
you across the Jordan, to whom you testified, here he is baptizing, and all
are going to him.' John answered, 'No one can receive anything except what
has been given from heaven. You yourselves are my witnesses that I said,
"I am not the Messiah,* but I have been sent ahead of him." He who has the
bride is the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears
him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom's voice. For this reason my joy has
been fulfilled. He must increase, but I must decrease.'  (John 3:22-30)

       best man

after the party,
he got up the
next morning,
straightening furniture up,
putting the bottles in the
recycling bin,
carrying the trash to
the curb;
then (for the 3rd time),
he yelled up the stairs,
'Pete, Andy, Jack, Jimmy,
it's time to get up; the
limo will be here to
take you to pick
up your tuxes;
get the others moving!'

early that evening,
after checking out the crowd,
he went back to the
room just off the
sanctuary,
and dusting the lint off
Jesus' shoulders and
checking his tie
once last time,
he took him by the hand,
looked him in the eye and
whispered,
"don't forget to smile
as she comes down
the aisle. you
don't want her turning
to you in 2000 years, asking,
why didn't you smile
at me on our wedding
day?'"

and as the organ
swelled with the
march,
he stepped back
into the shadows,
grinning broadly
as the tears ran down his
cheeks.

© 2012 Thom M. Shuman