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    Christmas Eve Mass – December 24, 2018

      Christmas – Mass at Midnight (ABC)

      INTRO:​AHHHH  CHRISTMAS!  Merry Christmas everybody!

      Every year at Christmas, people everywhere are giving gifts (but I should say..for the most part people everywhere …….  we have to remember OUR WORLD DOES HAVE unbelievers and the indigent…. Let us BE MINDFUL OF THEM TONIGHT!  We pray …. May God protect those who have nothing and guide those who cannot believe in you!  AMEN!)

      Anyway…

      People are giving gifts to each other that typically are beautifully wrapped!

      HAND OUT A WRAPPED BOX ​​

      And

      Give it to someone and say:

      OPEN THIS AS FAST AS YOU CAN!!!

      -Some families… go at it!  Laughing, screaming, crying, ripping, thanking, and kissing… a bit of bedlam!

      -Some families… watch patiently as EACH ONE opens their gift so that ALL can see who got what!

      -Some families… share only three gifts, as this was the number of gifts that JESUS received from the “world” or in other words, from the 3 kings!

      In the end…………….

      There is PAPER all over in our living rooms, great rooms, family rooms, homes!  A happy mess!

      But it’s messy!!!!

      Can you take the MESS?  That’s the question as we celebrate Christmas Mass.

      I say … YES, I can take the mess…..

      And I am pretty obsessive compulsive!!!  Most of you know that… I am sure Jeff Mills and Joanne Urbank are shaking their heads!!

      Let me tell you… the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree… my father at almost 90 with Alzheimer’s is showing full well this nature… EXPLAIN:

      – Door to his room
      – Salt/pepper shakers, etc!!!

      But the mess I am talking about living with is all because of JESUS….  We are a Christian world in process, but not perfection.  Jesus has taught you and me the best way to live.

      JESUS was born into this world 2,018 years ago that had its own MESS and our world continues to have its own MESS today.  

      JESUS CHRIST was born into a land

      • where poverty reigned
      • where people were oppressed
      • Where prejudices between races were present and ugly.

      But, His birth 2,018 years ago helped us to begin to look at ourselves differently and to look at the world with redeemed hope:

      Because of HIM we learned and were gifted with beautiful charitable eyes to see that our land around us is NOT PERFECT,

      It is a bit messy…

      But…. We are the followers of JESUS who now look at all people as our brothers and sisters in this day and age:

      Of accommodating refugees,

      Immigrants,

      The impoverished

      Of acceptance of those who live life in an alternative lifestyle

      Or with a creed different than ours.

      We know that REFORM in the world, is needed, but we don’t give up.  We continue to live our lives, like Jesus, becoming considerate and accepting people and a messy world so as to make a better reformed world.

      Yes, JESUS’S birth does that to us.  

      CONCLUSION

      We come to this Christmas Mass to honor and give praise to the SAVIOR…. To the ONE who taught us how to live well in His image …. To receive Him in nourishment so that we can be led by Him to live better lives.

      Jesus did say…. In so many words…

      “The poor you will have always”

      Or

      The mess you will have always,

      But while we live

      We need HIM

      To lead our lives to live with the mess.

      Merry Christmas!

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