 Hello I want to share with you from a reading that happens during Advent almost every year during the season leading up to the celebration of the birth of Christ. It comes from the Gospel of St. Luke the first chapter beginning with a 46th verse it is called the magnificat and Mary said my soul magnifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior for He has looked with favor on the lowliness of His servant and surely from now on all generations will call me blessed for the mighty one has done great things for me and holy is his name his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation and he has shown strength with his arm and he scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts he has brought down the powerful from their thrones and lifted up the lowly he has filled the hungry with good things and sent the rich away empty he has helped his servant Israel in remembrance of his mercy according to the promise he made to our ancestors to Abraham and to his descendants forever truly I like and really appreciate this magnificat the song that Mary sings after she has met Elizabeth and after she has been visited by the angel telling her that she will carry God's child know that she as a human being is entrusted with this very good gift of God and for that she recognizes that she is blessed even though she comes from what many would call lowly origins even though she is just a peasant girl God has chosen her and acted favorably within her you know we use the word blessed so many times through the year we're blessed because of the things we have or something really good that happens to us but the truth is when God blesses people who dress blesses those who are the lowly those who are wanting those who live on the margins and God also calls those blessed who pays attention and ministers sacrificially to those who have little we will celebrate Christmas and many of us will have a wonderful celebration with families there will be those people who will not because they are alone that day there will be those who are continuing to struggle because of things that are happening in their own personal lives or even because of they lost a job or they've lost members of their family if you really want to be blessed this Christmas season which begins on the 25th day and continues for 12 days make it a part of your life that you will reach out to someone who who may not experience the kind of blessings that you sometimes call the things that happen to you but instead be the blessing that God wants you to be not only to those who are around you but also to the world it's a good way to start the year even to think about how you and I are going to live into this likeness of the image of God in which we're created how you and I have been blessed by the descendants of Abraham who prepared away how you and I have been blessed by this gift of Messiah and that it means not just for us individually but for the whole world and so this is a great time of celebration and I pray and hope that you have a wonderful Christmas Eve and Christmas day and my prayer for all of us is that we will continue and even more deeply bless those who not only need to hear the word of God but to experience God's favor and love from the very kindness and faithfulness of Christian people. Merry Christmas and may you be a blessing in this coming year. Amen.