Homily 4^th Sunday of Advent

Readings: MI 5:1-4A  HEB 10:5-10 LK 1:39-45

As we come closer to the end of Advent we now reflect more directly on the birth of Jesus Christ. Many of us here though are thinking more about what Santa may be leaving under the tree for us or others. We find greatness in giving big gifts and things we may not be able to afford and will be paying off until next year when we do it again. Our freedom is tied to what we can personally do, not what God would like us to do.

While we may be more generous to the needy at this time of year it will be easy in about a month to forget about them. We are after all living our lives, many of us never seeing those who need the basics. Not because we avoid them, but because we are too busy with our own lives to think about them. We are using our freedom to pursue the goals we have set for ourselves.

Our goals are tied to what we would consider greatness, whether that be the biggest house, the nicest car, the promotion at work or the advanced degree. But what if those goals were not the definition of greatness and freedom that God is asking of us.

We see in the readings today some of what God considers greatness and freedom.  Micah tells us that the savior will be born in Bethlehem, a town that did not even make the clans of Judah. He then goes on to tell his listeners that this savior will set a goal of being a shepherd. This was the least likely profession that one would espouse to in this time. Shepherds tended to be dirty, away from home and smell like the animals in their care.

What he was trying to make people understand was that this great teacher and savior was going to begin in a humble manner so that he could shepherd his flock so all could understand what he was teaching. Jesus becomes that shepherd for us, from a humble birth in Bethlehem, to a retreat to Egypt, to Jerusalem and the Cross he shows us the path of true greatness and freedom. He did all this to let God be present in human form to those he taught so they would understand.

While there are still many who do not believe in Christ or God, there are many that do. Those that do believe are called as Jesus was to show the face of God to the world. We see the reminder of this in the letter to the Hebrews;

 

“Then he says, :Behold, I come to do your will.”
He takes away the first to establish the second.
By this “will,” we have been consecrated
through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.” (1)

He is called to do God’s will and we who receive his Body and Blood are called to do God’s will, not our own. This is the freedom we should be hoping for. The freedom to let God work through us. We are united to Christ in this through his Body and Blood.

In submitting himself to letting God work through Him Christ understood that he would not necessarily be praised, just as those of faith can be ridiculed and put down today. The Pharisee and the leaders of the Jewish faith had followed their goals at that time and in doing so were not doing God’s will but their own in seeking power, wealth and prestige. We see this today with most of our elected officials always looking to do what will allow them to gain power and prestige.

So how do we do Gods will? We hear the wonderful visitation story in Luke where Mary, while pregnant with Jesus goes to assist her cousin during her pregnancy. She is pregnant with John the Baptist, who we have heard the last couple of weeks telling of the Messiah that is coming and those around him need to repent and be baptized with water.

John knows even in the womb that Jesus is the one, the Holy one of God sent to do his will. He leaps in Elizabeth’s womb when Mary arrives.

 

“And how does this happen to me,
that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears,
the infant in my womb leaped for joy.
Blessed are you who believed
that what was spoken to you by the Lord
would be fulfilled.” (2)

Elizabeth and John understand what we should have been preparing for during this Advent season. Jesus is coming to save us all and we need to be present in order to do his will. He does not ask us to do this without his help, which is why we partake in the sacraments freely.

We all have the ability to do as Mary said at the time of the Annunciation, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.” (3) This is actually the verse just before the Gospel we heard today.

So, if today we hear his voice, let us not harden our hearts, but open them to do His will. Then as we celebrate Christmas in a more open manner, we will be ready to be an instrument of God here and now. Showing those around us what true freedom and greatness are really about. There is still time, only about 36 hours, to prepare ourselves for that freedom and joy.

 

 

 

References;

1: Hebrews 10: 9-10

2: Luke 1: 43-45

3: Luke 1: 38

We hear today, as we always do on the second Sunday of Advent, John the Baptist proclaiming the Messiah. We can feel the joy in the Baptist as he is saying to us the God will be sending a Redeemer. While the redeemer we hear about may not be the man of power and might in this world the Israelites were expecting.

When we listen to Baruch we hear:   God is leading Israel in joy by the light of his glory, with his mercy and justice for company. The Redeemer will bring joy, mercy and justice. Jesus teaches us how to live in joy with mercy and justice by his humility and poverty. This is not the kind of redemption for which people hope.

In the letter to the Philippians we hear the same theme. The one who began the good work in you will continue this until the day when Christ returns. That good work that was begun in us is faith, not power and might. We have faith in a God who loves us so much he sent His Son to free us from sin.

So how do we build this faith during this Advent season. We are given some hints in the passage from Luke; “during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the desert.”

John went to a place of peace and silence where he would be able to hear God. In today’s society we have very few places where we can go and be silent. There are still some places though where we can go. Do we choose to find those places or are we too entangled with the hustle and bustle of the season?

When we find these places, we can help ourselves by also being silent and just listening. While we may not hear God proclaiming anything loudly to us that does not mean he is not communicating with us. We need to remember that God came in the soft breeze not the big wind to Elijah. This is why we need the stillness of a peaceful quiet place to listen for his voice.

During this season of Advent, we are called to prepare for the coming birth of Christ Jesus. While we know this occasion has occurred already, we are to celebrate it once again when Christmas comes.

Our God loves us and promises everlasting life in the world to come. In this life He only promises us suffering and trials—with a deep inner joy and peace if we live in faith. Advent reminds us to purify ourselves from all that is not of God. John the Baptist points the way for us in Advent: purify, repent, forgiveness. Yet we know that this message is to prepare us for the coming of One who loves us beyond all we can imagine and who wants us to share His life forever.

Do we have that deep and abiding faith that is necessary for this salvation? This is the time along with Lent being another where we have an opportunity to prepare ourselves to endure whatever suffering we have to learn more about the path we are supposed to walk.

With faith we can determine who we say Jesus is. Do we want a Redeemer and what kind of Redeemer do I want? Who do I say Jesus is to me right now?

We in this building today may be here for a variety of different reasons, habit, obligation, searching for an answer. Regardless of the reason we all need to be able to answer those questions.

Depending on where we are in our lives the reason can vary between all three of the reasons I just mentioned. We should want, especially at this time of year, to be searching for an answer. This is the best time to prepare as we are coming up to a joyous occasion in the Church year. Christmas is not just about presents and parties, it is about us wanting Christ to be more personally involved in our lives.

We can do this only through preparations for this happening. In order for us to have a personal relationship with Christ we need to make time for him. We all have friends that we make time for whenever they need us. Christ is the friend that will make time for us whenever we need him. We need to be able to reach out not only in our suffering, but in our joy as well.

We hear John the Baptist proclaim;

A voice of one crying out in the desert:
“Prepare the way of the Lord,
make straight his paths.
Every valley shall be filled
and every mountain and hill shall be made low.
The winding roads shall be made straight,
and the rough ways made smooth,
and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.”

Do we do our best to prepare His way? Do we share our faith with those around us, both the ones we like and the ones we don’t? We do not need to proclaim from the rafters that we believe in Christ, but we need to live our lives as if we believe. This will allow us to show a calmness under stress. It will also show through us in the joyful way that we lead our lives.

When we prepare ourselves for a relationship with Christ, we get to show the world through our actions and demeanor what it means to be a people of faith.

As we continue our journey through Advent getting closer to Christmas, we can prepare ourselves and those around for us for the Redeemer who came to free us from Sin.

When we partake shortly in the Eucharist our Redeemer will become one with us again and we can use his strength to help us through whatever struggle we are encountering. When we have this faith, Christmas comes and goes and the way we treat others does not change just because the season changes. Let us grow in our faith this Advent so that we can prepare the way of the Lord.