Fourth Sunday of Advent

God with Us

Our readings this weekend are about God sending signs, God’s calling us to holiness, and God’s assurances expressed in dreams. Can we ever doubt then that God-is-with-us, Emmanuel?

But wait! Think of Ahaz who didn’t ask for a sign, but God gave him one anyway! Has God given you signs that weren’t requested? Is it possible that you miss God’s plans? Why?

Perhaps we are too afraid to respond to God’s calls. If only we had the same assurance that God gave to Joseph in a dream! God was there for Joseph. God is with us still!

And what happens when we do answer God’s call? How are we changed? When do we encounter women who like Mary are pregnant and unable to provide all that is needed—food, healthcare, safety? Who are the “Joseph” figures in their lives? What does it mean to be mother and father?

Joseph was troubled and afraid. But God-with-us gave him assurances. What situations in our society does the Church seem still afraid to answer? And how might our witness, our trust that God is with us, change those situations?

The only way that Jesus could come into this world was by the “obedient faith” of very ordinary people like Mary and Joseph who were willing to do the unexpected when God called them. We are very ordinary people too. How do we overcome fear in order to act for justice—for the well-being of all of God’s creation?