Lectionary Reading Part 2 Advent 2
An Advent Prayer: God of the prophets: on the banks of the Jordan River you sent a messenger to prepare people’s hearts for the coming of your Son. Help us to hear the good news that can change our minds in order to repent, and be ready to welcome the Lord, our Saviour, Jesus Christ. Amen.
Reading. 2 Peter 3:8-15a One of the results of modern living is that life is now lived at a frenetic pace, there seem to be so many things to fit into a day. Even when we are seemingly at rest our lives are filled with, “screen time”, TV noise or radios playing. And, need I mention the mobile phone which can and often does ring and force you to stop and pay attention to different items or issues. The idea of being still and acknowledging that the Lord is God has become, even for faithful Christians, a very difficult task. Think of how often we approach the throne of grace with an agenda. The thought of letting God set the agenda seldom fits into our plans, and that presents us with a problem. God’s pace, like God’s ways are very different from ours, which might lead us to ask the question, from whose plan and purpose are we working? What does it mean when we read that we should regard the patience of the Lord as our salvation? Salvation is much more than a one way trip to heaven! Salvation is about whole of life health. It is about placing our confidence and trust in the finished work of Jesus Christ, and trusting him for each step of life’s journey. It is about letting him be our focus in the midst of each and every task. The challenge of recognising that to God a thousand years is as a day reminds us that God is working towards the restoration of the whole creation in his own way and in his own time. Jesus came to be in charge of that plan of restoration and every person is included in that restoration. It is not only that we should not lose heart, we should also rethink how we live our lives, how we order our priorities, and above all how we let God set the agenda on the ways we spend our time, as we do the essential as well as the non essential tasks of life.
Prayer. How often Lord do we long for a better world, especially when we see sadness and sorrow, injustice and violence: When we see greed and power exploiting the weak and the vulnerable. We long for change even more when we realise that we are part of the system which causes the injustice. Like the prophet Isaiah, we are people of unclean lips and we dwell among a people of unclean lips for we have neglected your ways and followed along paths which have given us false hope. Help us Lord, to reframe our lives according to your perfect plan. Help us to keep close contact with you and through the power of your Spirit, refresh us and set us on the pathway of trusting in you alone. This we pray, through Jesus Christ the only Saviour, now and for ever. Amen
Reading. Mark 1:1-8 Mark begins his gospel by announcing that Good News is coming, and then moves quickly to describe the ministry of John the Baptist. From Mark’s perspective John is the herald who is preparing the way for the Lord’s arrival. John is often depicted as delivering a stinging message and yet when you look carefully at his announcement, rather than bringing fear and foreboding, his message would have brought anticipation and excitement. This direct voice of prophecy had been silent for so long that with its coming the people’s hearts would have been stirred; John brought a message that for hundreds of years had been looked forward to with great longing. Mark’s introduction announces the coming of Messiah, the one who was to rescue Israel from the hands of the oppressor and once more bring peace and stability to the whole nation. John did have harsh words to say to the religious leaders but to the people, here was an announcement that signalled a turning point in the history of the nation, the fulfilment of God’s promises from long ago. It is hard for us to imagine just how this coming Messiah would have impacted the lives of ordinary people especially when we ourselves listen to the preamble that will lead to the coming of Jesus Christ into human history. For us this is a reminder that Jesus came and lived among us, and we also know how that part of the story ends, with a cross and resurrection. Therefore this historic record is a reminder for us that one day Jesus will return as Lord and King. Do we look forward to this end time with great anticipation, or do we simply celebrate for a few Sundays and then return to “life as usual”. God fulfilled his promise to send Messiah and in the same way God will fulfil his promise and one day Jesus will return.
Prayer. Gracious God, before the world was formed you were fully present and after this world has passed away you will still be: before you we recognise our fleeting insignificance and yet we marvel that you sent your Son to be our Saviour. Forgive us when we fail to grasp how significant was his coming. Forgive us when we allow life events to crowd out those things which are of true significance. Dawn afresh in our hearts and minds and so encourage us, that our whole of life perspective will be changed and we will fully recognise that you, the Almighty God, have all things in hand. In humility we bow before you and offer to you our thanks and praise; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
Collect. God our deliverer, your servant John cried out in the desert; help us to wait with patience for your salvation, and trust in the promise that you hear those who cry through Jesus our Lord. Amen
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