II Sunday of Advent
Readings: Isaiah 40v1-11; Psalm 85v8-end; 2 Peter 3v8-15a; Mark 1v1-8.
Let us pray: May the words of my mouth, and the thoughts and meditations of all our hearts, be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, our strength and our redeemer.
A Word: Today our readings tell us about the coming of God into the world. First as the Messiah and saviour of the world and next when God returns to bring all things created to their close.
The first time that God came into the world is called the Incarnation. Before the incarnation, through Isaiah, God told his people how to recognise when the Messiah had arrived to comfort his people and speak tenderly to Jerusalem. God reveals that before the promised Messiah, a messenger would be sent to cry out in the wilderness and prepare the way for the Lord. This messenger would remind God’s people of their mortality after which the glory of the Lord would be revealed. For God was coming into the world like a shepherd - to feed his flock, to gather in his lambs and to lead the mother sheep gently; because people are like the grass that withers and the flowers that fade.
As Christians we believe that the Messiah came into the world through Jesus, the son of God. And, in Mark, we hear Jesus saying that his cousin John, was the one who cried out in the wilderness and called people to prepare the way for the Messiah. John did this by inviting people to come and receive a baptism of repentance, in which they could confess and be forgiven for their sins. Jesus also reminds us that John announced that the one he was preparing the people for - was coming with great power and would not only baptise the people with water but also with the Holy Spirit. We believe that John was preparing the world for Jesus, and that at the incarnation, the time when God became a human being, the time when God came into the world, that God came to live and die as a human being in order to rescue us from sin and eternal death. For as the psalm tells us we have a God who looks down with righteousness from heaven; we have a God who is gracious to his people; we have a God who gives all that is good to humankind; we have a God who forgives us our sins and speaks peace to the faithful; and we have a God who brings salvation to all who respect, revere and worship him.
Now we are in a time of waiting for God’s return. In Peter, we learn that the Lord will return one day at a time we are not expecting. We also learn that the day of the Lord, when God returns to the world, has been delayed because of God’s great patience in wanting no-one to perish. But one day that time will run out, then the day of the Lord will arrive and the whole created order of the heavens and earth will come to its end and after this the final judgement will take place.
So, as we call to mind the coming of the Messiah at the first Christmas and his return at the end of the age, let’s listen to and act on Peter’s guidance. For he tells us to lead lives of holiness and godliness, while we are waiting so that when God comes he will find us to be a people who are striving to be at peace and without spot or blemish so we are ready for His return and not found wanting when we are judged.
Let us pray: Almighty God, our Father in heaven, thank you for sending your Son into the world to redeem all people and save us from our sins and wickedness. Now, as we await his return, give us grace to imitate his ways so we can run the race that is set before us and be ready to greet him with joyful love and a firm faith when he comes again. Amen
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