In the steep hills of northeastern Tennessee there is Frozen Head State Park. Nestled in Morgan County, situated between the county seat Wartburg and the community of Petros, it is the location of the unusual endurance event known as the Barkley Marathon. The competition has taken place since 1986, and it consists of five twenty-mile segments, each one-third on-trail and two-thirds off-trial. The dates of the race are not published. Applicants who are approved are notified of when to report and assemble at midnight the first night. There they learn that a big conch will be blown sometime from then until the following noon, signalling that the race will commence one hour thereafter.
The time-span of the competition is a mere sixty hours. The off-trail segments ensure that not a few hikers will get lost and that various hazards may be encountered. Those who participate must decide whether to sleep and how much sleep to take. Some do not sleep at all for the duration, to improve their chances of success. Since this gruelling activity began thirty-one years ago, 15 people have finished to claim the coveted distinction of a Barkley Marathon victor. The gentleman who directs the program goes by the moniker Lazarus, and warns potential applicants that "it won't turn out as you planned."
This true story encompasses what we need to hear in this Advent season of preparation for annual remembrance of the birth of Jesus: be awake, be aware, and be prepared for the unexpected. Most of us will be kept busy with holiday shopping, family activities, community activities and parties. Christians need to see beyond the glitz and busyness of consumerism and self-absorption, to stay awake and aware of a world suffering violence, oppression, injustice, and starvation. We've a world waiting for real, radical change at the hands of us who are called to be servants and transformation agents in the spirit of the One we await.
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