This Sunday is the Second Sunday of Advent. The Gospel reading is Matthew’s account of how John the Baptist prepared for the ministry of Jesus.  John makes good use of the text from the prophet Isaiah, ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.’  Matthew’s account emphasises the messages of judgement and of conflict with God’s unrepentant people.  There is here a note of urgency in the message. This passage has been chosen for the Second Sunday of Advent to remind us to get on with our preparations for the Lord’s coming at Christmas. 

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 Christmas cards. In today’s picture from his book, Christmas Time, Teddy Horsley and Betsy Bear are on their way to post their Christmas cards in good time before Christmas Day.  

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Lord Jesus Christ, 

We prepare for your coming by sending and receiving cards. 

Teach us to remember you 

in every card we send 

and in every greeting we receive; 

that we may be ready 

to celebrate your birth on Christmas Day. 

Amen. 

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Next Sunday, the Third Sunday of Advent, continues to keep focus on John the Baptist. The image to help prepare for next Sunday’s theme is wrapping presents. You can find out more about that theme by looking at the Educational Resources and the Preparation Resources.  

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Prayer Requests

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