Today is the Second Sunday of Advent. The gospel reading is Luke’s account of how John the Baptist prepared for the ministry of Jesus. For Luke, John is no longer portrayed as the returned Elijah, but as the last of the long line of prophets. Now John’s message ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight’, leads directly to the proclamation ‘and all flesh shall see the salvation of God’. There is here the note of confidence that the salvation brought by Jesus is for the whole world, not only for the Jewish nation.
For those of you who wanted to do some thinking and preparation for today’s service during the preceding week, I invited reflection on the image of John the Baptiser who prepared the way for Jesus. In today’s picture from his book, Christmas Time, Teddy Horsley and Betsy Bear are standing by the Advent wreath that they have made for their front door to prepare for Christmas.
Lord Jesus Christ,
John the baptiser
came to prepare the way
for your birth in Bethlehem.
Inspire us by John’s example
to prepare for your coming
on Christmas Day;
for you are our God,
now and always.
Amen.
Next Sunday, the Third Sunday of Advent, keeps the focus on John the Baptist. The image to help prepare for next Sunday’s theme is generous hearts. You can find out more about that theme by looking at the Educational Resources and the Preparation Resources.
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Exploring the Sunday Gospel – First Sunday of Advent