Friends, the Scriptures this week continue the message of “shining our own particular lights,” and we know, if we are listening to the Scriptures, not only is this call, “to shine our lights” for this week, but since Christmastime, we have been told, that we will do this best, by keeping our eyes, “on the glow” coming from our brother Jesus.  And part of what Jesus makes clearly known in the glow around him is that we are loved by our God—that is the only message we really need to get in Jesus entering into our human existence. 

   My friends, I am quite aware that many of my homilies speak about the “why” of Jesus’ coming.  And that is precisely because I want each of us to hear again and again this true reason—because we are loved —and I want to say it again and again, until the notion that his coming was just that of “reparation for our sins,” and this mean-spirited, controlling idea is a thing of the past. 

   I long for the day when I can hear Christians say, “Can you believe what people used to think, that Jesus became human just because an “Almighty” God needed to be appeased!” “How ridiculous!” “Who ever thought of such a thing?”

   Friends, this may shock some of you, but if this teaching weren’t indeed untrue, why would Jesus have ever told such stories about his Abba God as that of the Prodigal Child or the Good Shepherd who left the 99 to go in search of the one lost? The Prodigal, we must remember is all about a selfish kid who went off, squandered the family fortune on riotous living and when eventually had nothing left and was starving, returned to a loving parent who when that returning kid was within clear sight, ran to embrace and welcome this lost one home. 

   Unfortunately, so much of the preaching around Jesus’ coming into humanity is emphasized by men, and soon, with the coming of Lent, we will hear more of the same.  I say, “men” because they are the only ones who have been given “permission” to do this awesome task, and they tend to concentrate on this archaic notion of a mean-spirited God, that has really done so much damage in our Church, as opposed to that of one who loves us beyond all imagination. 

   Isaiah says clearly in today’s 1^st reading that the People of God have had “the yoke that has burdened them…removed.” Additionally, he tells them that, “their reason for gloom is gone…because they have seen a great light.” 

   Further, the prophecy of Isaiah and the gospel selection from Matthew, are united through the lands of Zebulun and Naphtali, mentioned in both, showing us the continuous love of our God through the prophets of old until the prophet Jesus, our brother came and confirmed through his life and ministry, the “great light” that he truly was then, and now, for all who, from time to time, “walk in darkness.”

   And Paul’s letter to the Corinthians today, gives us our call… [we are sent], “to preach [this] gospel” [of light and love]. Paul goes on to be more specific… “you must not quarrel.”

   This reminds me of what a friend shared this week, of a way that she was recently, “blessed.” She was talking with an acquaintance who held differing views from her own and rather than have that conversation turn argumentative, she went into it making the decision that even if she disagreed, she would simply try and listen.  This she did, and at the end, even though she still disagreed, she felt that perhaps, a door had been opened for more in the future. 

   My friends, this “standing in the glow” of our brother Jesus will not for the most part be easy, but we must always try to see the truth and get to the message intended.  If we get caught up in the surface message that, Jesus came to die for our failings, looking no further, then we will miss the deeper message that Jesus wants us to get—that we are loved and because we are, we have the responsibility to love others in return.

   And what might that look like in our daily lives? The gospel from Matthew today tells us that Jesus moved among the people, curing all their illnesses.  Will anyone after we are gone, be able to say that of us—that we cured the illnesses we found in life?  Granted, what we may “cure” will look different than what it did for Jesus, but to be able “to listen” as my friend, in the above example did, will indeed “cure” more than a physical affliction! 

   We should always look beyond the words on the pages of Scripture to their deeper meanings. Jesus, in today’s gospel found men who worked daily to harvest a catch of fish from the sea.  His call to each one of them was that they now become “fishers” of the people in their village and beyond. 

   In my reflections for this homily, I looked back at what the Spirit gave me in the past that might still be meaningful today and found some comments from Chief Justice John Roberts at the beginning of Donald Trump’s first impeachment trial that seem to speak to this issue of “standing in Jesus’ glow,” speaking and doing what is needed whether ultimately in our own personal best interests or not.  His direction to the Congress people at the outset was that they try, “to be their best selves, if they expected to be heard by others.”

   Think back to the example I shared earlier about my friend attempting to truly listen to someone that she disagreed with. In the end, we can’t expect that others will listen to us if we don’t afford them the same. 

   In today’s 2^nd reading to the Corinthians, Paul is taking “counsel” it would seem, from Chloe and “members of her household.”  Paul is following Jesus’ example too, “of conversing with women and allowing himself to be influenced by them.  And what of men in our Church today? Isn’t it time that they do the same?  Jesus and Paul, in their times did shine the light on inequality as they found it, and can those who wish to lead in our Church today, do any less? 

   Another issue most present to us in our day would be that of racism, and I am not speaking of individual “racist” acts, but the “cultural racism “out of which white people in this country live, and probably for the most part, are unaware of.  And if you are thinking, “Oh, that is not me,” it might be good, for each of us to consider, why our prisons are still filled with mostly black brothers and sisters, living with far greater sentences for similar crimes than their white counterparts, why COVID struck black folk with a much greater vengeance than it did white folk, and the examples continue. 

   The fact that racism is deep in the culture to the point that we are often unaware of it, can be the only explanation for why white Catholic Sisters’ congregations, nearly across the board, for many years, denied entrance of black women into their convents, to pursue their God-given calls. And if black women were allowed entrance, they were treated abominably, giving them the lowliest and most undesirable tasks.  This is all well documented in the 2022 book, Subversive Habits by Shannen Dee Williams. 

   As I always say, to all of us, this Christian living is no easy thing, but keeping our eyes on Jesus should give us great hope in not being afraid, knowing that we do not do it alone.  That is why I had us sing today, “You are my light and my salvation, of whom should I be afraid?” Singing these words seems to go straight to our hearts, instead of our heads, which I think we have to allow, if their true meaning is ultimately to make its mark. 

   Jim Wallis, creator, and editor of Sojourner Magazine says this a bit differently, but I think makes the same point. We need to “let Jesus into our boat” he says, when all of what we are called to do seems too great. 

   I am part of an Interfaith Council here in Winona and when COVID hit back in 2020, we stopped meeting in person, and reverted as so many groups did to Zoom meetings, and with time, those fell away too.  Coming this spring, this Interfaith Group will be meeting again, doing the work of our brother Jesus, who prayed before he died, “that all would be one, a really universal prayer, and along with the work of all other religious and spiritual groups, who show us together, the most complete face of our loving God. 

   Along these lines, your pastor has been invited to give the homily tomorrow for the Unitarians here in town.  They asked me to speak to one of their principles—that of “acceptance of others.”  So, my friends, we continue on being our best for ourselves and all others.  Amen? Amen!

Friends, am I alone, or does it seem that time just goes faster and faster?  Here we are at Ordinary Time once again—a series of weeks of our Church Year that takes up nearly 2/3 of that time.  As I always say, Ordinary Time is full of its own challenges, even though it doesn’t encompass a special theme like Advent, Christmas, Lent, and Eastertime. 

   All of today’s readings are about “call,” and by that we mean, “our individual calls” as Jesus’ followers, to “shine our lights,” to basically, be our best in this world, for ourselves and for others.  Now, this may seem like a simple message, but for any of us who have ever tried, we know that it takes work, patience, and long-suffering, at times, to find that balance in giving to others without giving ourselves away, totally.

   For many of us, we might have some old messaging about “giving totally” and that this is a good worth striving for.  This old messaging was often devoid though, of “caring for ourselves”—someone, in fact, that we must consider when giving to others—a cup never filled eventually runs dry—so, BALANCE, my friends. Remember that even Jesus went off occasionally, to be alone, to pray and no doubt, just to rest.

   Let’s look then to today’s Scriptures to see the wisdom that our brother, Jesus, lived by.  The prophet Isaiah tells us in the 1^st reading that it is God’s wish, basically, that we will be “light” to the nations.  And he also goes on to say that this doesn’t just mean, [restoring] “the tribes of Jacob” …evangelizing as it were, but God wants The Word of God, “to reach…the ends of the earth.” 

   Now to me, this means that there will have to be “actions” to go along with the “words,” or the words won’t mean that much. I find it interesting that in the past several years in our Catholic church, there has been much talk about “evangelizing” or in everyday parlance, “getting more people into the seats,” not realizing that perhaps it’s the “message” or lack of, that is keeping them away.  The words of the psalmist today seem to speak to this: “Here I am, I come to do your will.” 

   This reminds me of a phrase that was common among the first of the Roman Catholic women priests in this country, me included— “Here I am, I am ready!”  I even made a set of banners for my ordination liturgy with these words affixed because that was my stance then, as it is today, nearly 15 years later—to be present and “ready” to do the work God is calling me to.  In fact, my friends, it needs to be the work of us all—to present ourselves, and to be ready, to do God’s will in our world. 

   This is further affirmed in Paul’s letter to the Corinthians where he says, [we are] “called by God’s will to be an apostle of Jesus, [the] Christ.” And in John’s gospel, we hear the testimony of the Baptist, that indeed. “Jesus” is the one that we are to follow. 

   I think that it is interesting that even John, the Baptist doesn’t, at first, recognize Jesus, “as the One.”  This tells me that as we live out our lives, trying “to see Jesus” in our world, we may not, at first, recognize him either, and will have to be patient with ourselves, asking our brother, Jesus, to help us, “see what he sees” in those we encounter from day to day—seeing past the imperfect human qualities, to the best that is there.

   John only knows Jesus when he saw, “the Spirit descend upon him in the form of a dove,” as he was told would be the sign. We too will have to get past the surface designations; skin color, gender, sexual orientation, age, religion and more, to see Jesus within, and that should be our prayer, asking our heavenly brother to help us get past all that can get in the way of seeing clearly. 

   I would like to share now, a good story, as we all like a good story! This is one I heard recently that speaks well to seeing beyond what might initially, meet-the-eye—and perhaps throw caution-to-the-wind, in order to do the right thing.

   Steve Hartman of CBS News, known for finding good stories, shared this one recently.  It seems a family—mom and dad and four children arrived from Ghana to make their way in this country. One day, the dad heard some beautiful music and tracked it to the attic of the home they were renting to find his young son playing on an old keyboard he found there.  The wonder was, the boy had never had a lesson and yet was producing some very exquisite music! 

   The boy’s dad, wanting to encourage what he was hearing, bought him a bigger/better keyboard to play on.  This remarkable story made it to the news where another man heard it and interestingly enough, was a piano tuner.  This set of circumstances, the boy musician would call a miracle, as he did later when Steve Hartman interviewed him about his magnificent ability to play.  The piano tuner was so taken with the boy, whose talents he recognized to be of “Mozart quality,” that he threw caution to the wind and used his family inheritance of $15,000 to gift the boy with a grand piano.

   The boy was beyond joy as he expressed his gratitude.  The boy’s father expressed tears of wonderment that a total stranger could show such generosity! It seems that these “strangers’” families will be united forever as the piano tuner said he will tune the piano every month, “as long as he lives” and has arranged too for piano lessons for the boy.  Talk about shining one’s light! 

   My friends, not all of us will be called to such generosity, or at least, in the same way, but we will each be called to, “shine our own particular light” in some way.  We can’t just talk about the titles we claim for ourselves—that of “Christian, human,” whatever it might be—we have to act! 

   Today, the words of the psalmist are indeed good ones to reflect on as we move into a new Church Year with Ordinary Time: “Here I am, I come to do your will.”  The psalmist’s words remind me of Barack Obama’s words in a speech after he left the White House, indicating that, to his mind, his work wasn’t over, that there was still so much to do, not only for him, but for all of us! He said simply to his audience, “We all need to lace up our shoes, put our feet on the ground, and get going!

   Another interesting way to look at this life task is through the words of one of my favorite authors, Anna Quindlen, in her A Short Guide to a Happy Life. She speaks knowingly of the wisdom she has gained over the years, as she realized that “she is no longer the center of the universe,” simply stating that, in raising three good children, being a faithful friend to her good husband, and to her other good friends and acquaintances, it is only important that she, “show up, listen, and try to laugh.” 

   The clarion calls of the psalmist, of Isaiah, Paul, Jesus, Barack Obama, and of Anna Quindlen, are there for each of us today, asking that we answer, “Here I am, [I am ready!] to do your will—whatever that might be!  Amen? Amen!  

   My friends, this feast officially marks the end of the 12 Days of Christmas, and it officially came on Friday of this past week.  Our Church wisely, I believe, usually moves significant feasts to Sundays so as us common folk don’t miss their significance, being that most of “the faithful” don’t attend Mass on a weekday, as a rule.  So, we might ask, what is so special about the Feast of the Epiphany so as to raise it to the importance of a Sunday?  Sit back and I will tell you! 

   The word, “epiphany” comes from the Greek, meaning, “manifestation.”  In everyday parlance, we might say, “Epiphany,” or as most of us think of this feast, “The Coming of the Three Kings,” is an “aha” moment.  Further, we might say, “aha” moments are about when, “we finally get it!”  But we can leave that idea for a moment and see what the Scriptures tell us. 

   Isaiah gives us the familiar words that we hear each year at this time, “Arise, shine, your light has come!”  We all know from our earliest religious training that the “light” Isaiah speaks of, is our brother and companion for our human journey, Jesus, who became the “Christ” for all believers—across the board.  It is important for us the understand that “Christ” is not Jesus’ last name, but a concept much bigger for a God who includes us all, beyond religion. 

   Paul in his letter to the Ephesians, basically tells them the very message that we at All Are One believe, and proclaim by our very name, that, “everyone is welcome!”  Paul’s exact words are, “the Gentiles are heirs, as are we!”

   The gospel from Matthew tells the story of three, apparently, “wise men,” who traveled a great distance and ultimately had an “aha” moment in the stable in Bethlehem.  We don’t know by anything definite in the written Scriptures, why these men set out on such a journey, but we have to believe that they were people of faith, much like each of us as we say our own “yeses” to things that we don’t totally understand.  Besides being astrologers, they may have also been students of Scripture in whatever ways holy texts were available at the time and from within, simply heard that, “they should arise.”  They seemed too, to have a sense that, “manifestations in the heavens” (the Star) often had a counter part on earth (the birth of Jesus). 

   But, for whatever reason, they did arise and go, thinking perhaps, as we do today, “we need to check this out!”  Earlier, I spoke of these wise men having an “aha” moment in the stable in Bethlehem—they went looking for a king and found one—only what they found, caused them to reconsider what “kingliness” is really all about.  They found that a true king, queen, or leader shows that character not in the “who”—their lineage, but in the “how” they act in the world.  What an “aha” moment this must have been for them!

   In the first reading today from Isaiah the prophet, after encouraging the people to “arise,” gives them a second command, Scripture scholar, Diane Bergant says.  That second command was to “shine,” or in other words, act upon what you have come to know.  Prophetically, Isaiah gives us our marching words, “though night still covers the earth and darkness the peoples…

   My friends, Jesus our light has come, has shown us the way—how we must act so as to dispel the “night” and the “darkness.”  In this New Year, 2023, so new—so young, we only need listen to the news to agree that the “night” and the “darkness” haven’t yet been dispelled.  Just as the Wise Men witnessed something so great, so astounding at the simple, lowly crib in Bethlehem, we too must, through our attention to Scripture and in our own personal prayer, discover that our life here is about so very many, “aha” moments if we can open our eyes and ears wide enough to recognize them.  Some of the “aha” moments for me this past week are the following:

• The International Group of Roman Catholic Women Bishops, placed an ad in the New York Times decrying recent comments in the America magazine by Pope Francis, that basically, “the door to women’s ordination is closed.”  We can applaud these women for acting on their well-formed consciences (something the Church tells us to do) to speak truth to a blatant lie formulated by men seeking power instead of love within our Church.  Pope Francis needs an “aha” moment in this regard. 
• The condition of a young, 24-year-old Buffalo Bills football player, by the name of, Damar Hamlin, is being watched and prayed for by many in our nation.  This past week, during a game, he collapsed on the field suffering a cardiac arrest.  He had to be resuscitated then and there and has been fighting for his life ever since.  After several days of being totally sedated so that his body could mend, he is now making steady progress.  My reason for mentioning him here is not because of his prowess on the field, but for his good work off the field, using his status and position to assist the lives of children who have less, as was once his case.  Damar apparently had an “aha” moment on his way to fame. 

• For nearly a week the new 118^th Congress, have struggled to elect a new speaker. It has been contentious and has blocked the work of the people because a small, but significant number of the members have forgotten, if they ever knew, why the people sent them there in the first place.  The group that was blocking action, while finally electing their speaker after 15 unprecedented votes, are, in my mind, still in need of a collective, “aha” moment in order to truly do the work of the people, going forward. 
• This past week also marked the death of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI.  I believe he was on the cusp of his “aha” moment during the years of the Second Vatican Council when he was known for his more liberal thinking with regard to proposed changes within the Church.  Unfortunately, he got “lost in the weeds” in the shadow of the long pontificate of John Paul II. 

   My purpose here friends, is not to speak against others, but to remind us all that, being a Christian is no, as they say, “walk in the park.”  Following Jesus will take the best we have to give—and no doubt, many “aha” moments throughout our lives.

   So, as we officially close the Christmas Season with our liturgy here today, it would be good to spend some moments, “at the crib” in our personal lives, contemplating its true messages.  Primarily, we “should get” the concept of our loving God wanting “to be one-with-us—wanting to be close.  As we then, in future liturgies move through this new Church Year, let us strive to keep our eyes on the one, Jesus, our brother, for whom being a “Christian” is really all about!  Each new Church Year calls us again to this one task and this one task alone—trying to emulate his life in our own.

   We shouldn’t allow ourselves “to get lost in the weeds” as the holdouts in Congress demonstrated so well this past week, and as Pope Benedict XVI too, demonstrated in his papacy.  We all, must keep going back to the source, our brother Jesus, trying to model our lives after his. 

   There are those in our Church, if they could have their way, would have us go back to pre-Vatican II times, to a time when much of Church life was pretty, “black and white”—do 1-2-3 and heaven would be assured.  Sister Joan Chittister, a prophet in our times, is known for proclaiming— “we need to go back further” [past the rules and regulations] “to the memory of Jesus of Nazareth.”  Now that would be a collective, “aha” moment!  Amen? Amen!

   My friends, with each new year, we are blessed with a fresh opportunity to look at our lives, being as honest as we can, admitting what has worked, what has not, and then deciding what we may want to change, by way of course correction, toward becoming our best selves –someone who will make our own personal life better as well as the lives of all that we touch in 2023.

   In my younger years, I called these proposed changes, as you probably did too, “New Year’s resolutions,” and in those years, I often times, let them go by the wayside before January was over. 

   At this point in my life, the changes that I am talking about are smaller, more doable ones, perhaps.  They are about “focus”—trying to be present to the moment –where I am and who I am with.  They are about respecting others and their opinions—working on being more kind, having more mercy in regard to others and their feelings, being conscious of truth and truth-telling, and being aware of the consequences when I am not. 

   I think most of us have been in the situation of “the elephant in the living room,” the topic we are all aware of, but no one wants to bring up for fear of hurting others, friends, and family, yet it is a constant, unwelcome guest.  Maybe 2023 might be the year that we can address this issue with the idea of bringing in more “light” as Michelle Obama speaks of in her new memoir, The Light We Carry.

   The readings for this first Sunday in the New Year, 2023 are encouraging in this regard.  We are told in both of the first two readings from Numbers and Galatians that we are “children of [our loving] God,” who wants an intimate relationship with us. 

   Paul instructs us to call God, “Abba,” meaning, “Loving Parent.”  This loving God is understanding and merciful toward our human condition, the psalmist says.  This God is all about “blessing” us, giving us a second chance, to become all that each of us was meant to be— “a light in our world.” 

   Often times, we are like Mary, Jesus’ mother, and ours, by extension, if we choose.  She calls us “to treasure all things and reflect on them, in our hearts.”  In our busy lives, we can sometimes get, “too busy” and miss opportunities to be that unique “light” that only we can be in any situation, the light that our brother Jesus asks us to be.

   The older I get, the more I realize that life is short, and thus, so precious.  I am compelled to “speak the truth,” as kindly, but firmly, as I can, especially to “considered,” powers-that-be.  It is the very least that can be expected of “God’s children,” of followers of our brother, Jesus.  Will this always be easy?  No, it will not! –but it is still the right thing to do! 

   Today’s feast is of Mary, Jesus’ mother.  She can be our mother too, or our sister, whichever relationship we might choose.  She has much to teach us about resiliency, and patience in dealing with what life brings.  Her “yes” in faith to a life which she had no actual idea about, going in, and all that it would bring, mirrors our lives too.  The Scriptures tell us that, “she treasured all… [that she didn’t understand] and reflected on [these things] in her heart.” 

   If we were to resolve in the New Year, to “reflect” in our hearts, all that is going on around us, at least, some of the time, this would be a great step toward becoming our best selves—toward “shining” our own, particular light. 

   As I said above, we might also consider our relationship with Mary, as a sister—a good, big sister who has had many wonderful, life experiences to share with us, if we are truly willing to delve into her life.  We can then take what we have learned from her and apply it to our own lives, pondering perhaps the wisdom of the elders among us, while they are still here. 

   Unfortunately, our knowledge of this strong woman of faith, may have been watered down over the years, by Church fathers who apparently have no need for, nor desire, for women who are strong, and who have been gifted by our God, with ideas and abilities to make our Church better, stronger, and something that the next generation truly wants to be part of! I believe Roy Bourgeois said this best, “Who are we, as men, to say that our call from God is authentic, but God’s call to women is not?” (Roy was a member of Maryknoll and served as a priest for 40 years until he was expelled for participating in a woman’s ordination). 

   Thus my friends, we have a new year upon us, a bright and shining opportunity to see and hear and ponder life as it comes to us—always keeping the examples of Mary and her son Jesus in the foreground so as to be the best we can be, for ourselves, and for others.  Amen? Amen!

   My friends, in the nearly 15 years of my priestly ministry, I have come each year to the Christmas Season wanting to share a story that uplifts and makes very plain the true meaning of this miraculous season—the great action of our God for each of us.  Only twice have I come across stories that are spot-on in depicting what Emmanuel, “God- with-us” really means. 

   I’ve shared both stories several times over the years, because a really, good story can be heard and appreciated more than once! Both stories that I am referring to are about men who learned God’s true intention in the Incarnation through the experience of their own lives. 

   One man had the job of shining shoes on a street corner of his hometown and always wished for more of this world’s material goods.  Through what we might call, “a Christmas miracle,” he had the opportunity to obtain several wishes granted him to experience not only material riches, but power and control over others—over everything really, or so he thought. 

   Not a believer in any higher power, nor a praying man, he discovered one day, as he was seemingly “ruling over everything,” that many of his subjects were praying “to God,” and not wanting anyone to be higher than himself, he made his final wish and that was to be like God if God were to appear on earth, and “miraculously” found himself back at his shoe-shine-stand. Not in power, but in lowliness the Scriptures say. 

   The other story is similar in that an unbelieving man who could never quite get his “head around” the Christmas story—that of God coming to earth, “to be one-with-us,” discovered one night, as he tried to save a flock of geese who got lost in a storm, and get them to shelter, the true meaning of the Incarnation. It seems that the geese were afraid of the man trying to shoo them into the safety of his barn, and only when he disguised himself and took on the “look” of the geese, walking as they did, flapping his made-up wings, would the geese begin to follow him to safety. 

   Too many times friends, over the span of our lives, well-meaning tellers of the Christmas story have tried to explain it from their heads—theologically, instead of from the heart, where the message originated in the first place, and have caused the message, the story, to stop there.  An angry God, needing to be appeased, sent his own son to die for the failings of humankind.  Such a story I think leads us all to “beat our breasts,” feeling guilty and not really very joyful. 

   Yet the Scriptures throughout Advent and Christmas time speak of joy—the joy of a young woman, Mary, who said her “yes” in faith to the God of Love in her heart.  The joy, no doubt, of her partner, Joseph when he learned that he too was called to be part of the Incarnation.  The joy of an older woman, Elizabeth, who recognized the presence of God within her younger relative and proclaimed that joy, “How [is it] that this should happen to me…that the mother of my [God] should come to me?” 

   And yes, there are those Scripture passages, like the reading from Titus that Elliot did for us tonight so wonderfully, that still cling to the idea of Jesus’ coming being all about “salvation…to redeem us.”  It is important when we hear such readings to go that step deeper that I always encourage for us to get to Jesus’ true message.  The “salvation” that has always been offered is NOT about “redeeming us,” but “showing us the way,” to be our best selves.  “A light,” Scriptures say, “shining in [our] darkness.”

   Jesus was incarnated among us, looking, and acting like us, just as in the story of the geese, so that we could more easily, and clearly, hear and trust and believe how much God loves us. 

   Even though Church fathers try to lift up Jesus’ “kingliness,” his “sacrificing” for us, which cuts into the joy of this blessed season; we would do well to listen to the words of the “mothers” in this season instead, who exult in the “fruit” of their wombs and their ability to share this simple, yet so precious gift of life with our world.  And incidentally, this is the work of Christmas—sharing the Good News that God is, truly, “with us.” 

   That our God would love us so much to become poor, simple, and one-with-us, in order that we could have a clear example of how best to live our one, amazing life, is cause for the greatest joy, really, in my mind.  The power and control that the shoe-shine man sought in his life, only to find out in the end, were not what would make him happy, no doubt caused a “sea-change” in him if he was able to wrap his heart, rather than his head around the concept. 

   The Christmas story, friends, if we really delve into it, asks us too, like the shoe-shine man, to consider a God, not of power and control over us, but one who loves us in an over-the-top way, simply because, WE ARE, and for no other reason.  Choosing to become one-with-us in our simple, poor, and imperfect humanity so that we would not miss this point—of God’s profound love, or ever be afraid of this life force within us, is a cause for great joy! 

   The joy that we instinctively feel at this time of year, as we reach out to others, within our families and among our friends, is the true mark of “God-with-us,” whether we be Christians or of any other religious group.  Our God, who is love, is always, “chasing after us,” as one Scripture translation tells us, wanting to be part of our lives, in all the rejoicing and sorrowing times, and asks us to reach out in the same way in order that people could truly see the face of our loving God and in that way, know that they are loved and cared for too.  The truth of it is friends, most of us only know that we have a God of love, if they experience that love through us.  This is the work of Christmas and should continue all throughout the year.  May we each know God’s wonderful love now and always—and that is our challenge, to make sure that anyone and everyone we encounter knows that they are loved—through us! Amen?  Amen!