Know The Lord Will Come

Know That the Lord Will Come

A Reflection for the Vigil of Christmas Dec. 24thExodus 16:6-7, Psalm 2: 7-12, Romans 1:1-6, Matthew 1:18-21

By Rev. Robert Johnnene OFAMission Saints Sergius and Bacchus

www.missionstsergius.org

“This day you will know that the Lord shall come to save us and in the morning you shall see His glory” Exodus 16:6-7“And she shall bring forth a son and you shall call his name Jesus, for He shall save all people from their sins” Matthew 1:21

The two passages above are affirmation as to why the celebration of Christmas is to be joyful and filled with rejoicing. Monday we will hear the proclamation of the angels to the shepherds “Fear not, for I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to ALL the People; for this day is born to you a savior, who is Christ the Lord” Luke 2: 10

If ever any have had doubts as to why Jesus came to earth, the above proclamations should resound with crystal clarity. Jesus came to save ALL the people of the earth not just a select few. Jesus came to save us from our sins and gain for us eternal salvation.These gospel passages acknowledge two very important things we need to reflect upon.First, they acknowledge that we are all sinners, God knew that and sent His only begotten son to earth for the purpose of saving us from those sins. Christ took on human form and lived among us to show us the way and to teach us the truth of God. Jesus came, not as a great and powerful king or warrior, but as a simple baby born not in a palace but a humble stable with a bed of straw and the breath of the animals to keep Him warm. The first people to whom the Good News of salvation was proclaimed were not the rich and powerful but simple shepherds tending their flocks on the hillside. God’s message could not be any clearer if He had written it in the heavens for all to see. Power, money, fame, material things are not important but the love and respect for all God’s creation is. God provides individuals with those things to be shared with those who have not. The Magi, kings from different points of the globe brought gifts to honor the little infant Jesus that were considered to be of great worth and precious to the people of that time. This was another message to us that we need to share our wealth and goods with the poor. Christ emphasized this on many occasions in His preaching.Our world today seems to be more interested in the material things of this life and not too many are focusing on the hereafter. There is so much that we can do today to offer God our thanks for sending His only begotten son here to earth to save us. We can begin by speaking out against the genocide that is occurring in some parts of the world. We can try to understand the diversity that God created in this world and try to embrace it as having been God’s will. We can speak out against the senseless killing that is taking place all over the globe, not only in the war torn countries but here at home. These words taken from the Psalms is a warning to us we need to consider seriously, “Take warning, O you judges of the earth. Worship the LORD with reverence, and rejoice with trembling. Do homage to the Son that the Father not become angry and you perish in the way, for His wrath may soon be kindled. How blessed are all who take refuge in Him!” Psalm 2:10-12On this last day of Advent, as we prepare to celebrate the birth of Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, let us look deeply within ourselves and determine how we are presenting ourselves before God and Christ. Are we being prejudiced toward others because they are different than we are? Do we offer back to God some of the gifts he has provided to us by being generous to the poor and needy? Do we respect all of God’s children and forgive those who have caused us unhappiness by their words or actions? Do we set aside time every day for giving praise and thanksgiving to God for all He has done for us. Do we turn to God for help in overcome our weaknesses? In short, have we made room in our busy lives for God in our life?When tomorrow comes, what will our gift to the infant Jesus be? Will we present Him with ourselves in a manner consistent with the teachings He gave us or will we just go on about our merry way doing everything as we have without regard for how God might look upon it. God’s love and mercy is unlimited and infinite. It is there for All regardless of their race, creed or sexual orientation as long as everyone has made a prominent place in their life for God and strives to live their life in a decent and respectful way according to how Jesus taught us.One of my favorite preachers who never received proper recognition by the church, I believe, taught that “The family that prays together, stays together” Bishop Fulton J. Sheen (1895 - 1979) others of his quotes we might also consider “Love is a mutual self-giving that ends in self-recovery.” “There are 200 million poor in the world who would gladly take the vow of poverty if they could eat, dress and have a home like I do”. "It is not a unity of religion we seek but a union of religious people. We may not be able to meet in the same pew, but we can meet together on our knees as Christians." Remember, Without Christ there would not be a Christmas to celebrate and no Santa, or gifts or glorious decorations and feasts. I am going to close this reflection with another quote from Oren Arnold “Christmas gift suggestions:To your enemy, forgiveness. To an opponent, tolerance. To a friend, your heart. To a customer, service. To all, charity. To every child, a good example. To yourself, respect.”May the peace of Christ proclaimed by the angels on the night He was born, invade the hearts and minds of all the leaders of the world nations, Religious denominations and government institutions and individual people so that the promise of Christmas is realized for all. AMEN