4th Week of Advent

The readings from Scripture for the next seven days will be wondrous as they tell of dreams and visions, angels and prophets, of hopes fulfilled and promises kept. Peoples the world over will respond accordingly with songs of joy, lights on trees and skyscrapers and

homes. Many wondrous things will happen, born of the spirit of Christmas. Hurts will be forgiven. Love will be renewed. People will hold each other close in joy and even in sorrow, for there will be those who will know loss this Christmas. But they, too, will hopefully be given a measure of the love is born of Christmas.

In the gospel this morning, a young woman is troubled by the visit of an angel, an angel who tells her that she will bear a son by the power of God. And she is told that her much older cousin, long barren, is also to bear a son. For, as the angel says, nothing is impossible with God.

Humanity has a hard time believing in impossible things. In spite of all the wonders that surround us every day, things that we have all become quite used to and that our grandparents would have deemed impossible, we tend to draw a firm line when it comes to believing in the impossible.

I do not think God respects our lines very much. We tend to draw many of them, between each other, between us and God. The finger of God touches a womb and there is life – and from that womb, we live as well. All lines are erased with tenderness and with impossible
ramifications – for the line between life and death is also done away with.

We take comfort in the words of this Gospel and rightfully so. But there are millions who are far beyond range of these words. They will never hear them. They will never read them. They will never ponder them. Yet I like to think that I see the erasing of lines in their lives, too.
Homily for the Fourth Sunday of Advent
Fr. Behrens, Monastery of the Holy Spirit
Conyers, GA