Homily: Fourth Sunday Advent, Cycle B, 2023
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Deacon Jim Knipper reflects on the significance of the abbreviated Advent season, emphasizing the need for introspection, dialogue, and active participation in addressing societal issues. He highlights the importance of naming individuals in need and the necessity of open conversations over superficial media exchanges. Ultimately, he calls for a commitment to recognizing Christ’s presence in ongoing struggles and celebrating love amid brokenness as a pathway to healing and transformation.
Homily: Fourth Sunday Advent, Cycle B, 2023
- 1. 1 Deacon Jim Knipper 24 December 2023 4th Sunday Advent Princeton, NJ Unlike last year where we enjoyed four full weeks of Advent, this year the calendar dates fall in such a way allowing us only three weeks for Advent to fully unfold. Pulling from the readings of these past few weeks, the days leading up to Christmas have been a period of time for us to stay awake, to be alert, all the while listening and waiting and making straight our paths. It has been an opportunity to take the time to look inward – to take notice of what needs to personally change in order to be prepared for the celebration of the birth of the Christ. So, what has your Advent been like during these past three weeks? What, perhaps have you been seeing…or feeling or doing differently? For me, it has been spending more time with my family, in particular my grandchildren…and taking some time looking at all I have in my life to rejoice about…especially the young voices that bring forth joy, light and love. But not all voices we hear are joyful. For many this is not the “most wonderful time of the year.” A report just came out indicating that 1 in every 8 people or 12% of our US population are homeless – the highest ever recorded. Thus, it would seem that the voices of those who are financially, physically, socially, and spiritually depleted continue to grow. Indeed, the readings of this Advent have been filled with numerous voices crying out – some we may have found uplifting and others unpleasant. But faced with these and other challenges, I think today’s Gospel gives us three points which may lead us to a better understanding of what we are called to do moving from this briefest 4th week of Advent into Christmas and the New Year. First: did you notice the amount instances that names are used in today’s Gospel passage? Throughout the year our Gospels have been filled with stories of Jesus healing and forgiving – but most often nameless – like the woman at the well, the 10 lepers, etc. But within just a few lines of Luke’s Gospel today we hear nearly a dozen different names of people and places. The angel Gabriel, sent by God to Nazareth in the Galilee, to Joseph, in the house of David to a virgin whose name was Mary, who will bear a son and name him Jesus…and so on. You see, when a story is really important, it is necessary to clearly identify the situation and name the names. Think of some of the names of people in your life that you might have heard from or heard about this Advent – those in need, those who are sick, those who have died, those who perhaps you have not seen since before the pandemic? What about the names of over 500,000 people who have died in Ukraine, Palestine and Israel? It is said it would take one person nearly ten days, nonstop, to read each name aloud. So, what names need to be called out and brought forward in your life? Names to be remembered, to be prayed for, to be recognized….and names to give thanks for? That brings me to the second nuance in the Gospel: dialogue. If you go back and reread the Gospel, you will find it is all dialogue – serious dialogue about a young teenage girl, not married and being told she is pregnant… and who will bear a son whose kingdom will have no end. It was all face to face listening and speaking….no texting, emailing, tweeting, istagramming. No divisive rumors or assumptions or notions. It is something I think we all need to examine in our lives and frankly as a country.
- 2. 2 Deacon Jim Knipper We need to stop grasping at the various media snippets and gossip and then rushing to our communication outlets, fanning the flames of impassionate and most often inaccurate fodder. Rather, we need to learn to have constructive dialogue, face to face with another person, with the first step being to simply listen to the other. I fear we are losing this basic skill of having a meaningful, honest conversation where both parties are heard. John the Baptist said he came to testify to the Light…well the Light is shining on you and me and we can no longer hide the light under a basket. Part of Advent is about bringing new light into the darkness…and we can no longer bury our heads and avoid these issues. And lastly, Advent is not necessarily all about looking internally and focused on just yourself – it is about actively preparing the way. For the past two weeks we heard the Gospel accounts of John the Baptist baptizing with water as he was making straight the path and preparing for the Lord. But the action in today’s Gospel was the few words spoken by Mary: “Yes. Let it be done to me.” It wasn’t: “I’ll get back to you” or “I’m really too busy” or “It’s not my problem.” Upon hearing the angel’s proclamation of her pregnancy, she had to be shocked, astonished, frightened, maybe even embarrassed. But she had the faith and the courage to say – yes. You see – God is in it all – or as St. Paul wrote to the Corinthians – “God will be all in all.” God can and will use everything, absolutely everything – for we are both weed and wheat. And actually…it is God who is doing the waiting. Waiting for us to say ‘Yes’ to things in our life. Yes, to naming what needs to be called out…Yes, to have open and honest dialogue…Yes, to make the changes that are needed in our lives…and in our society. Advent calls us to be conscious, awake, alert. Advent calls us to be open to how Christ comes to us every day. Advent calls for our participation by opening our eyes to our own brokenness and that of humanity. For Christ is there…just waiting and wanting our active participation. And here is the kicker…while the liturgical calendar may say that Advent ends this afternoon…Advent never really ends. For Christ is always and forever coming and we are forever being called to vocally, physically, and mentally…cry out…in order to make straight the paths in our lives and in society. We must refuse to allow suffering and injustice to silence us but rather force ourselves to reecho God’s love. But the presence of so much pain in our lives and in our country does not diminish our need to celebrate. Actually, it makes it more necessary – it is how change happens – how wounds are healed. My friend, author and artist Jan Richardson, defines ‘celebration’ as “a means to practice our willingness to see the presence of love in the midst of brokenness and to ask how God might work through us to put the broken pieces together again.” So, in a very, very short time we will once again celebrate what began with Mary’s – yes – the birth of her son Jesus the Christ. And using the words from my favorite carol…let us pray that our soul will feel its worth…that the chains within our society will be broken and oppression will cease…as we joyously echo the thrill of hope that perhaps our weary world will, indeed “see the presence of love in the midst of brokenness” leading to new voices, new light, and new paths that will one day allow all people to equally rejoice.