Christmas and advent
Advent is ending on a note of joy, with God’s promises through the ages about to be fulfilled. The Gospel from St. Luke presents a beautiful scene with Mary’s visit to her cousin Elizabeth. Elizabeth is pregnant with the last prophet of the old covenant, John, who leaps in her womb when Mary approaches. Elizabeth also knows that Mary is pregnant and cries out, “Blessed is the fruit of your womb!” God is always faithful to His promises, and in the birth of Jesus, which we are about to celebrate, the faithfulness of His love for all the human race will be made known. Of historical note, Elizabeth and Zechariah lived at Ein Karem, which is a place with a spring of fresh water that still flows today. Symbolically, the spring of God’s grace continues to flow in our lives today. Let the Fourth Sunday of Advent be joyful as we make our final preparations for Christmas, the Nativity of the Lord, and let them be days of flowing grace!
Christmas, The Nativity of the Lord, has several masses with various readings. Many parishes these days have a crush of the faithful attending Christmas Eve masses, especially if there is a children’s mass or masses. Christmas homilies are best kept short and to the point, no matter how inspired the preacher may feel! In this time of exchanging gifts, God has given us the greatest gift of all – Himself in the person of the newborn Jesus! Let us remember that all of life and every life is a gift and allow ourselves to experience and express deep gratitude from the heart. Merry Christmas!
Call to action: Christmas time is often accompanied by the rush to prepare and the crush of people who come to church for the celebrations. Some are regular parishioners, some are visiting family members and friends, and some are first-timers or the “occasional” churchgoers. The important thing is to make everyone feel welcome! Be sure to have greeters for your masses or to have the people greet each other warmly! Being introduced by name has a fantastic effect on people’s sense of belonging.
Pastoral Action Points
- There is still time to make sure that your pew engagement cards with your Text to Give phone number and GC SmartQR Code are ready. You can also make banners with your QR Code added or print the QR Code on your worship aid! You can remind visitors that they are welcome to make a gift using the Text to Give or QR Code, as well.
- The week between Christmas and New Year’s is often a time of recuperation, but it’s essential to say “thank you” to your donors, visitors, and guests within a few days. You can use your GC Smart Tools to send a thank you message within minutes! You can also encourage them to come to your Church again soon. You can learn more about this by contacting implementation@givecentral.org with your questions.
- You can also attend a special GiveCentral Christmas Giving Webinar on December 18 at 10 AM CST. Register here for the free webinar: https://us02web.zoom.us/
webinar/register/WN_fz2x- 2C9TXubBcb_OEXngg#/ registration
Last modified: December 26, 2024
