Those who will admit to it are dating themselves if they can remember Perry Como’s hit song, "It’s Impossible."  The song starts out, “It's impossible, to tell the sun to leave the sky; It's just impossible. It's impossible, to ask a baby not to cry; It's just impossible.”

And for the fans of Lewis Carrol and Winne the Pooh there is always the humorous twist on the word when Pooh says, “People say nothing is impossible, but I do nothing every day.”

We could all come up with lots of quotes and phrases about the word impossible, but none could better illustrate its meaning than the famous words with which the angel Gabriel comforted a distraught Mary: “For nothing will be impossible with God.”

Just close your eyes and imagine the scene of Mary and Gabriel and how powerful those words must have been for Mary and the relief she must have felt knowing that God was in control, and that with God, nothing is impossible.

We, too, need comfort and reassurance in these most troubling of times. The virus continues, and while we are hopeful for the vaccine, its efficacy remains to be seen. So, meditating on Gabriel’s words of wisdom can, likewise, give us hope and strengthen our faith to face each day anew, knowing that with our God, nothing is impossible.

As we focus on Gabriel’s words, think back to when you were younger and someone you looked up to may have told you, “Well, that is just impossible. You better get that out of your head.” But now, with our faith much stronger, we know better. We know that with God at our side, our potential is unlimited, and whatever we focus our attention on can become reality.

That reality is not limited to personal growth or gaining control over our lives, but includes our potential to love others and to serve those in need – two actions which know no bounds. If we really want to do more for others and demonstrate our love and concern for them, we can, “For nothing will be impossible with God.”

Today, as we light the fourth candle on the Advent wreath and prepare for the joy of Christmas and the birth of our Savior that is soon to be upon us, let us realize the gift we received even before the birth of Jesus through the words of Gabriel: the gift of our unlimited potential as Christians to change the world and make it, and all who dwell in it, better.

“For nothing will be impossible with God.”