Fourth Sunday of Advent
Lk 1:26-38
December 24, 2023

A woman leaving church on the Third Sunday of Advent was wearing what has become known as a “Christmas sweater.” Her sweater, unlike many I’ve seen, was anything but “ugly” or silly. There was a gold star shooting across the front, and artistically placed was a single word: BELIEVE!

So, as she passed by me, I commented: Beautiful sweater!

She stopped, and with a very serious look on her face, replied that she loved it the moment she saw it. She said: I knew I had to have it!

Then she went on to say that she almost stopped wearing it because she had come to see that “BELIEVE!” …unbelievable as it might seem…is sending the wrong message.

From TV commercials, seasonal movies, and TV shows, and from less tasteful “Christmas sweaters” she has seen people wearing, she suddenly realized the word “BELIEVE!” has somehow, tragically, become a call to “BELIEVE” in Santa, and elves on shelves, and romance during snowstorms, etc. etc. etc.

But, before moving on, and with a note of determination in her voice, she said: I know what I BELIEVE, and I will keep wearing this sweater. And, of course, she was referring to the REAL REASON for this SEASON.

WE BELIEVE that God is pure, unconditional, and infinite LOVE.

WE BELIEVE that God sent Jesus Christ into this world so that God might see and love in each and every one of us what God sees and loves in Jesus. And so…

WE BELIEVE that when we live as Jesus taught us to live…IN PEACE, JUSTICE, and LOVE…it is then that we are most pleasing to God, Whose will it is that the entire universe exist in a spirit of PEACE, JUSTICE, and LOVE.

We are bringing to an end a year marred by countless tragic and LOVELESS acts. The prospects for the upcoming year, in terms of giving TO and receiving love FROM one another, WHAT CHRIST GIVES TO US…PEACE, JUSTICE, and LOVE…are not encouraging.

However, all that can change…and change quickly…if we try even harder to LIVE WHAT WE BELIEVE not just during the Christmas Season…but every day of the year.

LIVE JESUS!

And in spite of what others might BELIEVE or not…or how they may or may not live…YOU will help to keep the Spirit of this Holy Night alive all year long.