I. INTRO
A. I remember my first Christmas as a priest – over 40 years ago –
a small country chapel in the Santa Cruz Mountains (150 people). It
was great.
B. I can still picture it – the church was dark – people walked in
with candles in their hands. Everyone wanted to light their
candles from a special Christmas candle near the altar.
C. As the people came forward they sang familiar carols.
I knew these people – Some had tears in their eyes –
Some of these people had a very hard year…..like some of you may
have had this year.
1. a young family who lost a child at birth
2. several families who had gone through a painful divorce
3. a teenage boy who had been battling his drug addition
4. 3 or 4 people who had lost their job
5. a new widow after 50 years of marriage
6. 2 or 3 people diagnosed with cancer
7. on and on – they and many others came…singing, and
seeking, the LIGHT of CHRIST II. As I watched this Christmas procession – I experienced a very holy
and powerful moment. These people – regular people like you and me –
in that small remote chapel – some way connected with the ENDURING
PROMISE OF GOD- THE PROMISE OF GOD……
A. Emmanuel – God with us – and the entire world – in the
person and spirit of JESUS – especially where it is darkest in
our lives – that amid the human condition – stresses –
tragedies – problems – we all face at different times – there
is HOPE – no matter how many September 11’s we
experience – there is PEACE. There is a LIGHT to lead us to
a new day. Our scripture says it best – “the people who
walked in darkness have seen a great light”………THE
ENDURING PROMISE OF GOD, EMMANUEL.
III. In this group of people was a wonderful teenager – Tom was a
special kid.
Tom was fourteen years old and big for his age – physically. But
mentally he was about four-educationally impaired. Nevertheless
he had faithfully attended religious education classes for years and
knew that Jesus was his Savior and friend.
In the Christmas pageant Tom had only one line. He was the innkeeper, and all he had to say was “There is no room” when Mary
and Joseph came to the inn looking for a place to stay. Tom practiced his line for weeks, until he could open the door,
listen to Joseph’s request, and then in a strong voice proclaim
“There is no room.”
The night of the pageant came. Everyone was dressed in their
authentic costumes. One young girl played the pregnant Mary. Her
face was glowing with joy. A lad dressed as Joseph tried to look
mature and responsible.
The two came down the aisle of the church and knocked at
the door of the “inn.” Tom swung the door open, and on cue
responded, “There is no room.”
But at that point Tom didn’t understand that it was a play. As
Mary and Joseph turned to walk away, tears ran down his face.
Suddenly he called out to them – “Wait! Don’t go! You can have my
room!”…….“Wait! Don’t go! You can have my room!”
THE ENDURING PROMISE OF GOD – EMMANUEL WITH US
-God with us in the person of JESUS ……
-God with us in the person of TOM the teenager’s welcoming……
-God with us in the person to your right and left on Christmas
2021….
-God with us in the people of your FAMILY- look at them often and appreciate them. Accept the JESUS in them…Embrace them with
Love – Each in your own way – Don’t take them for granted. IV. Let me close with a beautiful poem because to me it lays out the
real challenge of Christmas.
“When the song of the angels is stilled,
when the star in the sky is gone,
when the kings and princes are home,
when the shepherds are back with the flocks,
the work of Christmas begins:
“to find the lost,
to heal the broken,
to feed the hungry,
to release the prisoner,
to rebuild the nations,
to bring peace among brothers and sister and family,
to make music with the heart.”
I pray we take this challenge to heart. I pray we live it – each in our own
way. Merry Christmas 2021!
Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category
Christmas 2021 12-25-2021
Saturday, December 25th, 2021Fourteen 12-19-2021
Thursday, December 16th, 2021Mom picks up her 14-year-old daughter at school after soccer
practice.
Fourteen – that turbulent threshold between childhood and young
adult. It’s a tough age – for everyone. The once always happy child
often disappears in a state of isolated sullenness – and snaps at any
attempt to bring her back.
“Mom and Dad, you just don’t understand!”
So, Mom, being a wise Mom, keeps it light: How was your day?
“OK.” How did the math test go? “I think I did all right”. When’s
your next game? “Friday.”
Things are quiet for a while on the ride home. At one point, she
turns up the volume on the car stereo, “I like this song” she says, and
starts to sing along.
Mom knows that the next four years will go by in an instant: Next
year, high school. The year after that, she’ll get her license. In three
years, she’ll be looking at colleges. And then there will be a boyfriend
or three along the way If she’s scared, she’ll never let on. If she needs help, she’ll never
come right out and ask. Mom understands that. It would shock her
daughter to realize that her Mom was once 14 herself – and still
remembers what it was like.
So, Mom patiently is there for her 14-year-old, waiting to catch her
when she falls, to nudge her forward when she hesitates, to help pick up
the pieces when things fall apart. Mom answers any question with
gentleness but honesty, patiently but firmly explains the boundaries and
why they are there, affirms her daughter’s good decisions and has her re-
consider her bad ones.
And Mom takes satisfaction in knowing that there will come a time
when her daughter will do the same when her own daughter is
fourteen…..
In Mary and Elizabeth’s meeting in today’s Gospel, in the car rides
Mom and her 14-year-old travel together, in our own interactions with
others, the Spirit of God is present in the healing, comfort and support
we can extend to one another in such moments. Some of our “visitations” can be wonderful, affirming moments of grace – and some
can be difficult and challenging struggles to find acceptance and understanding. In the light and hope of this holy season, may we “make
haste” to bring reconciling peace and healing justice in our meetings
with one another, in which the grace of God enables us to see one
another with the eyes of God.
Remember You Always Walk With God 12-12-2021
Sunday, December 12th, 2021A few weeks before Christmas, a woman who lived in a New York
apartment building found a greeting card taped to her door. “Merry
Christmas from the custodial staff”, it said.
“How nice”, she said to herself and promptly forgot about it. A
week later she came home to find another card taped to her door. It was
the same message, “Merry Christmas from the custodial staff”. But this
time stamped right in the middle in big red letters, were the words,
“Second Notice”!
Many of us are terribly forgetful. We immerse ourselves in our
daily tasks of life as we must. We can forget almost anything: birthdays,
anniversaries, appointments, our bank balance, our glasses. You name
it, we forget it. We make lists so we won’t forget and then we forget the
list.
But our forgetfulness isn’t limited just to the little things. We
forget the big things as well; who our real friends are, what really
matters in life, who loves us, who needs us, what we were made for. We just forget.
I believe that is why we need to gather here – week after week; to
help each other remember who we are, remember what really matters,
and remember that we aren’t walking this long road alone. We’re
walking it with the Lord who is right at our side.
And what is this Lord like who walks at our side? Does God walk
with us as a critic? A police officer? A judge? Or maybe just an
impartial observer? In fact the Lord is none of the above.
The Lord walks with us as a partner and mentor who wants to see
us succeed and who understands that it’s going to take us a while. Now
what more could we ask? How can we not celebrate and rejoice as
today’s liturgy urges us. How can we not be confident and hopeful and
put all fears behind us. After all, God is with us and for us!
And there’s still more. Having God walking with us as partner and
mentor gives us the opportunity to be in close conversation hourly. With
simple words like, “Well, Lord, what do you think about this?” Or,
“Lord can you help me see this clearly?” Or simply, “Help, Lord, I can’t do this one alone.” Those are the kinds of words that partners and friends speak very often.
All of that is what we have to come together here to remember.
First, remember to rejoice and forget all your fears because God is with
us. And second, remember to listen to and talk to God about the real
stuff of our lives because God cares more than anyone else…and God
knows the way home.
I would like to close by sharing with you my idea of what God’s
special Christmas card would say to each one of us;
“Remember what you’ve seen me do”, says Jesus. “…the blind
see, cripples walk, lepers are cured, the deaf hear, and dead men raised
to life”. If you’ll let me, I’ll do the same for you”, he says. “I’ll heal
what is sick in your spirit, if you’ll let me”.
“I’ll open your eyes and your ears so that you’ll know what really
matters so you’ll know that happiness and peace are available to you
everyday, even on the worst days. I’ll show you that and let you
experience that, if you’ll let me.
“I will not insulate you from adversity, challenge, or pain. But I will always see you through them, and never let you come to ultimate harm. I’ll take you by the hand, and raise you up; I’ll help you to walk
and I’ll walk with you until your journey is complete, if you’ll let me.
“All that is my promise to you, my solemn pledge. And I will not
take it back”, says the Lord. We have a lot to rejoice about today!
Don’t we!!
