SHARING THE LIGHT, REFLECTING-- FOURTH SUNDAY IN ADVENT (DECEMBER 21. 2008)

[Light the first three candles of the Advent wreath.]

After the angel came to Mary and told her that she would conceive the child in her womb and would call him Jesus, Mary said, "Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word." (Luke 1:38, NRSV)
And Mary sings her Song of Praise:
. . . My soul magnifies the Lord � he has scattered the proud
. . . He has brought down the powerful from their thrones
. . . He has lifted up the lowly
. . . He has filled the hungry
. . . He has provided for the poor ( Luke 1:46-55, NRSV)
We marvel at Mary, the mother of the Messiah, herself a single, teenaged mother, herself poor and powerless. But she understood that the baby she would call Jesus was sent, not just to her, but to the world�
. . . To the hungry. . . To the weak. . . To the very young and the very old. . . To those who suffer or are in pain

[Light the fourth candle of the Advent wreath.]

We light this fourth candle to remember Mary, the mother of Jesus. May the light of this candle also remind us that the light of Jesus shines in you.
Dear God, help us to care for the weak, the hungry, the young, poor and those who are in pain. Help us to share the light of Jesus that gives us hope and joy.
Come, Lord Jesus, come. Amen.