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December 8, 2023Reflection for 2nd Sunday of Advent: December 10, 2023
Isaiah 40:1-5, 9-11: In this tender and loving message, we witness God’s commanding the prophet, Isaiah to relay a message of hope and comfort to God’s people. God’s people desperately needed that comfort after the Babylonians had invaded Judah, imprisoned Jerusalem, destroyed the Temple, terminated the Southern Kingdom and exiled the people to Babylon and Egypt.
To the people of Judah, it seemed as if they’d lost everything; including God’s love. However, with gentle and tender mercy, our forgiving God sends His people, (including us!) a message with a promise of liberation from present suffering, redemption and renewal of God’s Covenant with His people, who had for a time, rejected God and disobeyed God’s Commands. This message still resounds for us. It’s a call to repent of our sins and be assured of God’s mercy and eagerness to welcome us back into the fold of His arms!
Psalm 85: “Lord, let us see Your kindness, and grant us Your salvation.” Now, we have a psalmist praying to become more cognizant of God’s abiding Presence. In essence, the writer prays for the grace to be more aware of his or her need for repentance and for the additional grace of increased faith in God’s merciful love. When the psalmist writes: “near indeed is His salvation to those who fear Him,” the author isn’t meaning so much that we should “fear” God. The author calls us to have reverence for God.
Our world clearly needs more reverence for God. Reverence for God is more evident in individuals and communities that strive to obey God’s Commands. Communities of individuals with reverence toward God and obedience to Him are characterized by the growth of justice, peace, kindness and truth, that are described in this hope-inspiring psalm.
2 Peter 3:8-14: Contemplate that our first reading and our psalm were written thousands of years ago; yet their messages of hope and forgiveness are still relevant to us, today. As Paul relates in this reading, to God… “a thousand years is like one day.” With “God’s view” in mind, contemplate that no part of Scripture becomes “outdated” for us. Let’s ponder and rejoice that God’s words of comfort and promises to His people of old still apply to us. God’s love and faithfulness to us; like His Word, are everlasting and timeless. Let’s ponder that fact and take comfort this week, as we consider God’s infinite mercy and love for us!
With this gratitude and appreciation for God in our hearts, let’s prepare for our deaths, by living lives in conformity to God’s Will. Let’s repent of our sins and strive to grow in holiness, virtue and grace!
Mark 1:1-8: While we reflect on the timeless relevance of God’s Word and prophetic messages, we’re being given a scene to further our contemplation; that of John the Baptist… calling all of us to repentance, life amendment; and, ultimately… redemption! John announced the imminent coming of our Lord, Jesus Christ and the coming baptism of Salvation in the Name of the Most Holy Trinity. When John announced Jesus’ coming, the tone was very urgent; as Jesus was coming very soon.
We, too must prepare ourselves with a sense of urgency… and hope! Jesus is also coming, soon… for each one of us! We know not the day or the hour… so let’s be prepared! Advent is a time of great joy and hope, but also a time of serious life review and personal development. Let’s use the time, wisely, as we prepare for Jesus’ coming. Come, Lord Jesus!
Deacon Matt