Conceiving of the Holy

Advent 4, 20 Dec 2020

Lk 1:26-38

John the Baptist

Many Christians throughout the world are celebrating the last Sunday of Advent, a season of preparing ourselves spiritually for the coming of the Christ.

John the Baptist has led the way through Advent calling us to repent and prepare our hearts to be baptized by Him who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.

When we deepen our spiritual living, we realize that everything we do is about Christ and not about us. “He must increase, I must decrease.”

Remember Jesus saying “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life”: your life is not about you, you are about life. In other words: 

Your life is not about you, you are about Christ.

The Church’s ministry is about Jesus’ Kingdom of Love, and about drawing us and all those around us into that freedom and love.

Mary, the Mother of God, has something to teach us about drawing others into God’s kingdom of freedom and love.

Mary and You and Me and the Annunciation

Listening: “Hail full of grace! The Lord is with you”

Pondering: “she pondered what sort of greeting this might be”

Consenting: “May it be done to me according to your word.”

Receiving: “The Holy Spirit will come upon you.”

Conceiving: “you will conceive in your womb”

Christ and His Kingdom of Love: “of his kingdom there will be no end”

Mary shows us the way for deep spiritual living, she shows us the way to the feast of Christmas.

Christmas

When we spiritually give birth to God who is Love in our lives, the people around us know it by how non-judgemental and compassionate we are to others and how loving we are in our everyday ordinary lives and activities. 

With Mary, let us say “yes” to the word of the angel.

Let us become pregnant with the holy.

Let us embody God’s compassion and love and joy. 

God is with us. Emmanuel.

Advent Witnessing

Advent 3, Yr. B, Dec 13, 2020

John 1:6-8, 19-28

The first Sunday of Advent we spoke about “watch, stay awake, because you do not know when the Master is coming.”

Last Sunday we spoke about “in the wilderness, prepare the way of the Lord,” our need to create space within us in order to experience the coming of the Holy Spirit.

Today, the third Sunday of Advent, we are going to reflect on the witness of John the Baptist and our need to tell others about Christ.

John’s Witness 

v.7 “John came as a witness to speak for the Light” (a voice crying in the wilderness).

v.19 “this is how John appeared as a witness…[pointing to Christ]”

John’s witness is by pointing beyond himself to Christ

“he must increase and I must decrease.”

“I baptize with water, but there stands among you the one who is coming after me; and I am not fit to undo his sandal strap. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

“behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world”

All of what John did pointed to Jesus!

John wanted others to know

John’s life and witness is “preparing the way of the Lord” by pointing the crowds to Christ. John wanted others to know.

Our Advent preparations, indeed our life and witness in preparing the way of the Lord is to point beyond ourselves to Jesus who shows us the Christ life, the life of unitive Love.

All of us need a Saviour, all of us need someone who can show us the way to the deeper life of God. All of us, in our Christian context, need Jesus.

The mission of the Christian church, in loving our neighbour and creation, is to witness to the way of Jesus!

In this context of preparing ourselves and others for the coming of the Christ…

How does your life and witness point beyond itself to the Love that is Christ?

What are you saying that is a witness to the Love that is Christ?

What are you doing in your life that is a witness to the Love that is Christ? 

Conclusion

In the midst of all the numbing business of the secular world around us, let us learn to be spiritually still and to slow down, to know Christ within us and amongst us and AS us.

May Christ come to us as we love and serve others.

May Christ come to others through us.