In many ways, the Church has been down. It is time to get up and serve.

Don't listen to demons, even when they speak the truth. Why? Because it teaches you to trust demons. We should remember that. Don't invite evil to form your conscience or that of your children because that teaches them that evil can be trusted. And it can not.

In Jesus' own words, His mission is not just about turning from something. It is not just about rejecting sin. No, it is also about accepting something. It is about accepting the good news.

Saying no to good is hard. God gave us good things to be enjoyed in their proper context, and God gives every good thing. But even good things can become terrible when instead of serving to point us towards the greatest, they become the ultimate objective.

Through baptism, God came to you. He brought his life to you. He adopted you. He made you part of his family. And more, he gave his life to you and wants to draw you into his. He has invited you to share in his life. He wants you to be like him.

It might be a leap, but you might say that these Magi were the scientists of their day. Scientists study what is happening in nature, they observe, and they deduce from their observations. That, it seems to me, is what the magi did as well.

This week in the Gospel of Luke, an angel writes the first part of the Hail Mary, and God not so subtly lets us know what he is all about.

Being a "good person" is not enough. What it means to be good or nice changes wildly.

Are there sins that keep coming back? Have you accepted that God can break the bonds of those sins? Next time you are confronted with a habitual sin, or even find yourself in the midst of it, stop, and out loud rebuke it. "Jesus blood has paid the price for my freedom. His blood has severed my chains. I am a slave to this no more." And then spend a moment are two in worship. I guarantee that if you cooperate with the Spirit in this way, sin you thought you might never overcome, will lose power in your life. Your baptism accomplished something. Live in that.

As much as I am over 2020, I still need AdventAdvent. I don't get to skip it. Jesus reminds us in Mark 13:33-37 that when he comes again, it will be unexpected. He literally says,

"Be watchful! Be alert! You do not know when the time will come."