Second Sunday of Advent (B)

INTRO: Has this ever happened to you…..tree trimming!!!!??

Families get together; sip some beverages, listening to Christmas music, dividing up the duties of trimming the tree.

Suppose you are the one who gets to do the lights…..!!!

How many of you like to do the lights????
How many of you HAVE CERTAIN WAY TO DO THE LIGHTS???

So here I am…doing the lights….singing away and stringing away….ALL OF SUDDEN, I hear:

Um, JIM, don’t you want to GO AROUND THE TREE doing the lights, instead of up and down???

Uh, O – K – A – Y ????

So, I start going around the tree…moving that ladder a million times….going round and round…..and ALL OF A SUDDEN I hear:

Um, JIM…..could you put the lights INSIDE the tree more. Not just on the ends???? And could you attach them with that little clip!!!!!

HA HA HA

Ever happen to you?

ALL OF US are OPEN TO CRITICISM! 

Aren’t we? Is the criticism right? Was it fair? Should it have been done?

As far as criticizing goes: I would say what matters most, is HOW we say things, and for many times in these kinds of situations we SHOULD….THINK BEFORE WE SPEAK!

The Advent season calls us to a repentance of sorts, a bettering of ourselves and ONE IMPORTANT improvement is STOP CRITICIZING:
Your family
Your city
Your employer
Your government
Your neighbors

Let’s “get along” and improve the world with KINDNESS not using that LOUD FORCEFUL VOICE.

I remember my father … He would SCREAM, OUT LOUD at the football players watching those games, criticizing them to the tenth degree when they did something poorly …

“They get paid MILLIONS and should know how to play!!!”

John the Baptist came to bring to OUR world a CHANGE and it starts with each one of us embracing a changed personality in the image of Jesus Christ.

CONCLUSION

As I said… this is an Advent season of REPENTANCE / a SEASON OF CHANGING ourselves.

Think before we speak
And
USE SOFT KIND WORDS!
The change in the world will be astounding!