Fourth Sunday of Advent Christmas Eve Dec. 24th

Fourth Sunday of Advent Christmas Eve

December 24, 2006

“Thus says the Lord: You, Bethlehem-Ephrathah too small among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel.”

Micah 5:1

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Fr. John's Web site: Web site- www.uareloved.com

Ever had a bad headache like a migraine? Migraines are amazing and amazingly painful. I used to get cluster migraines. I would usually get about 5-7 of them within a two week period. They would last anywhere from five to fifteen hours. Talk about pain. Usually within about five minutes warning, I would have a full blown migraine and the pain was often severe enough that I would be vomiting(sorry bout that detail). I even ended up going to the emergency room several times to get help for the intense pain.

And this incredible pain that put an earthquake on my whole body was caused a microscopic, unseen to the natural eye, nerve. How could something so small become so big?

Too small. Born in an unnoticed, backyard barn in Bethlehem. Raised in no-name Nazareth. There was no kingly or stately appearance about him, he looked just like any other man. An average-Joe carpenter who was born in such a small way and raised in a small town. How could something so small become so big?

But that is the work of God- he makes small big! You know the scriptures… “If you had faith the size of a mustard seed you could say to the mountain: Be thrown into the sea and it would.” Thousands of people converted at the power of the apostles preaching on the day of Pentecost. The lame walk, the blind see, sins are forgiven and the dead are raised to life. God making Big things through small people like you and me.

It is all about going small. Remembering we are no-names born in a backyard barn. We take after Jesus in seeking, being and living the small. We let the BIG (an acronym for Believing in God) come in to our small and move mountains, heal the lame and raise the dead. Yes, in our smallness, we go BIG! We pray and become the prayer of the Baptist, “He (Jesus) must increase and I must decrease.” John 3:30

Love is spelled T-I-M-E,

Fr. John