Sunday Homily

Most of the Christmas stories we know and love: the scenes pictured on Christmas cards, and sung in carols, the shepherds, the kings, the angels, the star: they’re all found in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke. John tells the Christmas story as well, but it is from a different perspective. John describes the arrival of The Word.

From day one, Jesus was a burden to almost everyone he came in contact with. In some form or another along the way, Jesus burdened Joseph, Mary, the Roman Empire, even the innkeepers. Preparation for Christmas is often a burden- there are the practical difficulties of shopping, cooking, etc., but for others, it brings a bigger burden or fear for the bad memories or experiences it creates.

But Mary and Joseph, prompted by the angel Gabriel’s greeting to Joseph, “do not be afraid”, cooperated with God’s plan to receive Jesus as grace, despite the challenge and burden it seemed. Under the influence of grace and truth, what often seems like a burden or threat becomes a blessing, a source of joy and healing

We long for meaning. We long for our lives to matter. Wondering whether our lives have an impact or make any difference is the worst place to be. How depressing is it to feel like our lives don’t matter, that life is but a walking shadow, full of sound and fury signifying nothing.

The truth of Christmas, the truth Jesus shared with John the Baptist is that all our energy and efforts fi nd their fulfi llment in the person of Jesus Christ. Our lives can have a great impact and make a tremendous difference by preparing others to meet Jesus.

Grace is a free gift; we are free to accept it or reject it. God does not force us to love him. That means we need to cooperate with Grace. John the Baptist combines grace and truth into one word: “Repent”. As a result of his message: many “were being baptized by him in the Jordan River as they acknowledged their sins”. John the Baptist shows that grace and truth is not an “either/or”; it’s a “both/and.” In other words, grace and truth cooperate with each other, and so we need to cooperate with grace and truth. We need to acknowledge the truth of our sinfulness, and then move on to trust the grace of God’s mercy

Advent is a time when grace and truth enters the world in a special way: the arrival of Jesus. Many people struggle balancing grace with truth. We tend to be good at emphasizing one but not the other. Truth without grace isn’t actually truth… it’s about being right. Grace without truth isn’t really grace… it’s enabling or lawless.

In this series, we hope to move from thinking about grace and truth as an “either/or” to a “both/and” attitude. In the persons of John the Baptist, Mary, Joseph, and most perfectly, Jesus, we witness examples of living in both grace and truth. In each week’s readings, we will identify the grace, identify the truth, and then bring them together to bear on our decisions and actions so that we might experience Christ more fully at Christmas.

Jesus is the King. He is the King of Grace. He is the King of Grace and the message of the cross is not that you have to try and be good enough on you’re your own power or merits to get into heaven or to enter Paradise, but that Christ has done that for you. Everyone of us is like the thief, Dismas, on the cross. At times we have failed. We all fall short of our standards, much less God’s standards. And yet God accepts you. This is the Good News!

Jesus predicted the destruction of the Temple which was the center of their society. It was a symbol of Judaism and everything they knew and believed. Yet, it was going to come down. Jesus told the disciples not to fear, but to persevere and they would secure their lives. Our faith is not in the current systems or structures but in the God who loves us and provides for us. Often we fear change around us because it signifies a loss of control or loss of what is comfortable.

One of our greatest fears is a fear of death. While this world has its own trials and tribulations and is often a valley of tears, Jesus assures us that there is a resurrection from the dead and that death is not the end but the beginning of something more. In this message, we will explore our fear of death and how the promise of resurrection can help us overcome our fears.

In this message, we look at the life of Zacchaeus. Zacchaeus lived alone and as an outcast because of his love for money. Our attachment to “stuff” can come out of a fear that we won’t have enough, and so like Zacchaeus our fear of not having enough money can separate us from God and others. In this message we will look at some of our fears about money and how to overcome them by trusting in God and his provision.