The story is told of a wise old Jewish rabbi who was informed that some say that the Messiah has already come. He made no answer but went to the window, opened it, and looked out into the world. After a moment he turned and sadly shook his head. If the Messiah had in fact come, things would have been different, but nothing had changed. When we Christians look out at our world we experience moments of joy and wonder, but their duration is short lived and their poignancy is intensified by their unexpectedness. They are an irruption into an existence of meaningless boredom.