The Gospel of Luke 3:1-6
In the fifteenth year of the reign of Emperor Tiberius, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was ruler of Galilee, and his brother Philip ruler of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias ruler of Abilene, during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness. He went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah,
“The voice of one crying out in the wilderness:
‘Prepare the way of the Lord,
make his paths straight.
Every valley shall be filled,
and every mountain and hill shall be made low,
and the crooked shall be made straight,
and the rough ways made smooth;
and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.'”
Let us Pray:
As we reflect on the words from the Gospel of Luke, we are reminded of John the Baptist, who paved the way for the coming of Your Son, Jesus Christ.
Just as John called for repentance and prepared the hearts of the people, we ask You to prepare our hearts. Help us to turn away from sin and seek Your forgiveness. Make us ready to receive Your grace and truth.
Lord, smooth the rough places in our lives, and straighten our paths. Fill us with Your Spirit so that we may live in a manner that honors You.
May we, like John, bear witness to Your light and guide others to Your love and salvation. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.
Today we re-light the candle of HOPE. Now we light the candle for the second Sunday in Advent. This is the candle of PEACE. As we prepare for the coming of Jesus, we remember that Jesus is our hope and our peace. Today we need the words from the two first Sudays of Advent: Hope and Peace. We need to find the hope that our world will find peace, to do that we must believe in the gifts that our Lord represented. Hope, Peace
Joy and Love.
When you have company coming, that are important in your life, what do you do? You get prepared by cleaning and having things they like to eat and just prepare to pamper them. In this Gospel The King is coming, and He has sent a herald to announce His imminent arrival. The king, of course, is Jesus Christ and his herald is John. In this Gospel we are introduced to the ministry of John the Baptist, who was to prepare the way for Jesus.
John the Baptist is a central figure in the Gospel of Luke. So, who is this guy? He is one who comes out of the wilderness, preparing the way of the Lord! One who brings people through water to a new life. Jesus said he was like Elijah, but he was also like Moses, or like Joshua. He did this by preaching in the wilderness, where he attracted great crowds. This is curious because the wilderness is not where the people were. They were in the cities. But spiritually, morally, and politically, they were in the wilderness. John was calling people to repentance, by baptizing, and by heralding the one who was to come. “It’s not about me.” That was the root of John’s message. He preached about someone else, someone who would come after him whose sandal thongs John did not consider himself even worthy to tie. John was sent to ‘prepare the way of the Lord’. He was the PR Events Manager who went ahead of the VIP, making sure everything, everyone, was ready for his arrival. His call to prepare the way of the Lord is deeply rooted in the prophecy of Isaiah. Luke links John’s ministry to the prophecy of Isaiah, highlighting the continuity of God’s plan from the Old Testament to the New Testament. From the prophet Isaiah: “For a child has been born for us, a son given to us; authority rests upon his shoulders; and he is named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” —Isaiah 9:6-7.
John emphasized the importance of repentance and the fulfillment of God’s promises. By calling people to repentance and baptizing them, John prepares their hearts to receive Jesus as King.
Advent is the time to prepare our hearts and minds to welcome Jesus into our lives. Even though Christ has come to the earth, and although he has come to dwell in many human hearts and societies, many more have still not heard of Him, accepted Him, or welcomed Him. The Lord has his eye on those he continues to use as his heralds. We are those heralds. Every Christian is another John the Baptist, boldly drawing others’ attention to the truth and grace of Christ with his words, deeds, and example. Among the many responsibilities each of us has, none is greater or more rewarding than teaming up with the Holy Spirit to prepare hearts for the Lord.
Let us Pray:
Merciful God, who sent John the Baptist to preach repentance and prepare the way for our salvation: Give us grace to take heed of his warnings and to turn away from our sinfulness so that we may greet with joy the coming of Jesus Christ our Redeemer. Amen.
Reflections by Bob 