{"id":1552,"date":"2024-12-18T04:26:33","date_gmt":"2024-12-18T04:26:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sundaygospeltalk.com\/wp\/?p=1552"},"modified":"2024-12-20T04:04:47","modified_gmt":"2024-12-20T04:04:47","slug":"advent-4-year-c","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sundaygospeltalk.com\/wp\/advent-4-year-c\/","title":{"rendered":"Advent 4 Year C"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Luke 1:39-45 (46-55)<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even though this Advent Gospel begins with the words In those days, <\/em>I can\u2019t help but be struck by how relevant such a short piece of the Good News can be in these days. . . right here on the Fourth Sunday of Advent just four days before the eve of the incarnation of God into human flesh, and just as importantly, into the human existential condition. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Which one of us today, male or female, would be unable to relate to the feelings of stress and anxiety within Mary as she makes her sojourn in the wilderness? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Who reading this message has never felt fear and trepidation deep in the soul as Mary must have felt in her heart as she made her way through the barren wilderness to Elizabeth\u2019s home?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Would it not be Good News for the good people of our churches to learn that even the chosen one of God. . . Mary of Nazareth. . . could find herself emotionally needy at times, having to travel through the barrenness of uncertainty from time to time?  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Would it not be Good News to learn that even when we make these awe-filled and sometimes terrifying treks through what may, at the time, seem like wastelands of apprehension and dread, that Mary\u2019s God is walking just one step ahead of us, helping to clear away some of the hazards and whispering reassurances ever so quietly?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I made the mistake of turning into a talk radio station last time I was driving into town, and I heard the blowhard on the other end stating with the authority of a Pharisee that the reason we face violence in some of our schools is because we have taken God out of our schools!<\/u><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

And here I thought we were through with that nonsense.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I can\u2019t believe that anyone who calls themselves Christian, but especially those who claim to be ordained officials of God, would ever dare to say that we can take God out of anything! I find such audacity incomprehensible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then along comes the Gospel about God in the desert with Mary, and it reminds us that God isn\u2019t PUT anywhere by anyone either.   But that God will chose, every single time, to walk with us even into the unfriendly deserts of life . . . even in the worst times of terror and grief. . . especially in those times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A husband once announced to his wife that he was going to change his religion, to which the wife responded by saying, You mean you\u2019re no longer going to believe that you\u2019re God?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even though the God of Creation has been incredibly generous to us, there are just some powers that we have been denied.  We cannot tell God where to go! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Well, Mary does finally make it to her destination, and I think it\u2019s worthy to note that she didn\u2019t seek out her fellow Nazarenes; she went to a trusted relation.  Mary and Elizabeth must have had a close family relationship for Mary to make this trip. This wasn\u2019t a time to reach out to casual neighborhood friends.  It was one of those times when you need to reach out to family.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s a lot of talk about Family Values<\/em> these days, but Mary shows us that to have family values, you need to value family! We live in a unique age where some people will publicly pour out their hearts on Facebook<\/u><\/em>, and Twitter<\/u><\/em> when often, very nearby, or a phone call away, are the people who really care about them!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Social media is a wonderful way to connect and share, but I hope it doesn\u2019t come to the point that the only way I\u2019ll be able to find out about intimate problems in my family is by checking my smart phone every hour or so.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mary of Nazareth and her cousin Elizabeth remind us this week that family bonds are also an incredible gift from God. I can\u2019t help but be reminded that in Christ, churches also form families we call parishes. <\/em>It seems that right now we are in a culture where fewer and fewer people appreciate the gift of parish family bonds.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Therefore, as we approach Christmas, it is my prayer that you and I can help more of God\u2019s people to come to value and trust the time-tested church families that you and I have found so necessary to life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The existential thoughts I have shared with you concerning this week\u2019s Gospel are worthy of being preached, but I would be negligent if I didn\u2019t also consider today\u2019s Gospel in the larger context of Luke\u2019s Gospel, especially the first chapter where we find some very, shall we say, different<\/em><\/strong> occurrences:   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

An angel from heaven appearing in the home of a peasant girl with news. . .that would startle the world. The introduction to the Doctrine of the Virgin Birth; dreams that give encyclopedic directions on parenting to a soon-to-be father. A new mother, Elizabeth, who today would make it into the Guinness Book of World Records <\/em>because of her age.  Angels sent from heaven to mute Zechariah, the father of Elizabeth\u2019s child.  Why?  Because he doesn\u2019t seem to be able to believe all that is going on in the world around him. And finally, we find the yet to be born, John the Baptist, leaping in the womb when Mary greets Elizabeth.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s as if Luke is saying, Look, even the unborn understand what\u2019s behind all of this!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is a lot to digest all in just one chapter of one Gospel. One of my favorite cartoons shows a priest in the pulpit with a Bible open in his hands.  He has obviously just read some peculiar scriptures, and he looks up at his congregation and says, These are among the verses that I would interpret as humor.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I can relate to that priest. Above everything else, St. Luke was trying to stress the Advent message that Christmas didn\u2019t just happen, but through it all there was INTENTION. Christmas wasn\u2019t some kind of transcendent afterthought, and, as incredible as it may seem, God actually knew what he was doing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Everybody needs to know that there is a plan. . . some kind of vision that is guiding everything. Jesus is the living sacrament of that Vision; he is the Vision that became flesh. Luke understood that need. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The angel said to Mary, <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Most High will come over you.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In other words, God has a plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Angel appeared to Joseph after his dream and said, Joseph, Son of David, do not fear to take Mary for your wife. . .<\/em> God has a plan. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another angel said to Zechariah in the temple, Fear not Zechariah, the Lord has heard your prayer. . .  <\/em>God has a plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And the crowning moment is when John leaps in his mother\u2019s womb in anticipation of what is ahead!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s as if Luke is saying, Look, three Angels and a leaping unborn baby can\u2019t all be wrong!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

God has intention for each of us this Christmas.  And even though this Fourth Sunday of Advent is only a little more than a few days away from the celebration of the event that changed human history, it isn\u2019t too late to discern God\u2019s plan for us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Has this past week possibly turned out to be a little busier than you even thought it would be? Well, just maybe we can take the next  few hours and spend even just a little part of it with Mary in the wilderness, anticipating the ways that we will soon reach out to our families.  Maybe we can use just part of the time we have left to arrange and re-arrange the straw in the manger of our hearts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And when the Christ is born there, let us pray that because of the way we live our lives in the New Year. . . the Christ Child will join his distant cousin and leap for Joy!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

May God bless you in unexpected ways this Christmas!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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