Weekly Bible Notes
Second Sunday of Advent
Liturgical Colour - Purple
| Opening Verse |
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Advent 2People of God: |
| Collect Prayer | ||
| First Reading: | ||
| Second Reading: | ||
| Gospel Reading | ||
| Post Communion Sentence | ||
| Commentary: | ||
| Meditation: | ||
| Hymns | ||
| Prayers for Sunday and the week ahead: | ||
| Intercessions from our Sunday worship | ||
| Sermon |
Introduction
Somebody once remarked that wherever the Queen goes she must get fed up with the smell of fresh paint. The point being made is that when she visits everybody takes time to make sure that everything is at its best. Walls are repainted, new floors laid in some instances even new roads are laid. We instinctively know that if we do not try our best and make everything right we are letting ourselves down as well as being disrespectful to our guest. It is exactly the same when we have guests coming to stay in our home, it would be a poor show if we failed to clean the place and make sure everything was tidy.
It is this message of making ready which john The Baptist proclaims in the reading from Mark's Gospel today. Jesus is coming, he is of very special importance and we need to make sure our lives are suitable to accommodate his presence. Clear out the rubbish, if we want God to dwell within us then we have to prepare a holy place and make our hearts fit accommodation. It might not be that we are dreadful people, but the sins of good people are sometimes the worst ones because of that smug veneer of goodness. Making our lives ready is more than the absence of horrendous sins, it is the presence of generosity, absence of the preoccupation with self.
Now is a good time to ask ourselves the question -' what good things make my life special '
Opening Verses of Scripture Mark 1:2,3
It is written in Isaiah the prophet: "I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way"-- "a voice of one calling in the desert, 'Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.'"
Psalm 85 v 8 - 10
I will listen to what God the LORD will say; he promises peace to his
people, his saints— but let them not return to folly. Surely his salvation
is near those who fear him, that his glory may dwell in our land. Love and
faithfulness meet together; righteousness and peace kiss each other.
Collect Prayer for the Day — Before we read we pray
O Lord, raise up, we pray, your power and come among us, and with great might succour us; that whereas, through our sins and wickedness we are grievously hindered in running the race that is set before us, your bountiful grace and mercy may speedily help and deliver us; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, to whom with you and the Holy Spirit, be honour and glory, now and for ever. Amen (Common Worship)
Almighty God, purify our hearts and minds, that when your Son Jesus Christ comes again as judge and saviour we may be ready to receive him, who is our Lord and our God. (Shorter Collect Common Worship)
God of all holiness, your promises stand unshaken through al generations and you lift up all who are burdened and brought low; renew our hope in you, as we wait for the coming in glory of Jesus Christ our Judge and Saviour, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God world without end. Amen. (Methodist Worship)
God of all time and space, who are we, that you should come to us? Yet you
have visited your people and redeemed us in your Son. As we prepare to
celebrate his birth, make our hearts leap for joy at the sound of your word
and move us by your Spirit to bless your wonderful works. We ask this
through him whose coming is certain, whose day draws near, even your Son,
Jesus Christ our Saviour. Amen. (Methodist Worship)
First Bible Reading Isaiah 40: 1-11
Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and
proclaim to her that her hard service has been completed, that her sin has
been paid for, that she has received from the Lord's hand double for all her
sins. A voice of one calling: "In the desert prepare the way for the LORD;
make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God. Every valley shall be
raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become
level, the rugged places a plain. And the glory of the LORD will be
revealed, and all mankind together will see it. For the mouth of the LORD
has spoken."
A voice says, "Cry out."
And I said, "What shall I cry?"
"All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the
field. The grass withers and the flowers fall, because the breath of the
LORD blows on them. Surely the people are grass. The grass withers and the
flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever."
You who bring good tidings to Zion, go up on a high mountain. You who bring
good tidings to Jerusalem, lift up your voice with a shout, lift it up, do
not be afraid; say to the towns of Judah, "Here is your God!"
See, the Sovereign LORD comes with power, and his arm rules for him. See,
his reward is with him, and his recompense accompanies him. He tends his
flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them
close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young.
Second Reading 2 Peter 3:8-15a
But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare. Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness. So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him. Bear in mind that our Lord's patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him.
Gospel Reading Mark 1: 1-8
The beginning of the gospel about Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
It is written in Isaiah the prophet: "I will send my messenger ahead of you,
who will prepare your way"-- "a voice of one calling in the desert, 'Prepare
the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.'"
And so John came, baptizing in the desert region and preaching a baptism of
repentance for the forgiveness of sins. The whole Judean countryside and all
the people of Jerusalem went out to him. Confessing their sins, they were
baptized by him in the Jordan River.
John wore clothing made of camel's hair, with a leather belt around his
waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. And this was his message: "After
me will come one more powerful than I, the thongs of whose sandals I am not
worthy to stoop down and untie. I baptize you with water, but he will
baptize you with the Holy Spirit."
Post Communion Sentence
Father in heaven who sent your Son to redeem the world and will send him again to be our judge: give us grace so to imitate him in the humility and purity of his first coming that, when he comes again, we may be ready to greet him with joyful love and firm faith; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Commentary
Commentary Advent – He Comes!
Advent is a season of expectation and preparation, as the Church waits
for the coming (adventus) of Christ, both in his incarnation and as judge at
the end of time. The readings and liturgies therefore look forward not only
to Christ’s birth, but also to his final Coming, and challenge the modern
reluctance to confront the theme of divine judgement: As Charles Wesley
wrote:
Every eye shall now
behold him
robed in dreadful majesty
The characteristic note of Advent is expectation, rather
than penitence, although the character of the season is easily coloured by
an analogy with Lent. The anticipation of Christmas under relentless
commercial pressure has also made it harder to sustain the appropriate sense
of alert watchfulness. Church decorations are simple and spare, and purple
is the traditional liturgical colour. In the northern hemisphere, the Advent
season falls at the darkest time of the year, and the natural symbols of
darkness and light are powerfully at work throughout Advent and Christmas.
The lighting of candles on an Advent wreath was imported into Britain from
northern Europe in the nineteenth century, and is now a common practice. The
Moravian custom of the Christingle has similarly enjoyed great success in
Britain from the late twentieth century, with the encouragement of the
Children’s Society; Christingle services may take place before or after
Christmas. The third Sunday of Advent was observed in mediaeval times as a
splash of colour in the restrained atmosphere of Advent (Gaudete or “Rose
Sunday”), and the last days of Advent were marked by the sequence of Great
‘O’ Antiphons, which continue to inspire modern Advent hymns and
meditations. From Common Worship – Introduction to the Season
A sense of urgency
Mark's Gospel begins not with Jesus, but with John the Baptist.
Immediately the writer quotes from Isaiah 40, transferring the reference to
Israel's return from exile in Babylon to the coming of the Messiah clearly
intending that John the Baptist be seen as the prophet who prepared the way
for Jesus, the Christ/Messiah. The early church searched the Hebrew
scriptures for every possible prophecy about the coming of Israel's Messiah,
no matter whether they were relevant or not. They understood the coming of
Jesus Christ, the Son of God, into the world as the fulfilment of those
prophecies. Now that God's love and purpose for Israel are being fulfilled,
John calls everyone to prepare by repenting and being baptised.
And yet, there is a stark contrast between the tone of Isaiah and Mark. In
Mark, John the Baptist speaks urgently and harshly. Not exactly the ‘speak
tenderly to my people’ Hosea perhaps had in mind. Isaiah’s words of gentle
encouragement are replaced with words of urgency and immediacy. In Mark,
John implores us to action.
John also speaks to us in a desert context. A lonely dry wilderness. A
geographic location and a spiritual state. John speaks to us with urgency
from his desert experiences into ours. And the people, listening to John,
were drawn not to him, but to the one he pointed to, the one who would give
living water, the one who would baptize with the Holy Spirit. As Christians
we will sometimes find ourselves in the desert places, where our spiritual
life seems dry and God seems distant. And sometimes we’ll find ourselves as
the ones who bring water to the thirsty, by pointing to the one who gives
living water. Whether we are the ones who need to drink, (as we all do from
time to time), or the ones who offer the water through Christ, Mark
encourages us to do so with a sense of urgency so that we, and those we seek
to minister God’s love and forgiveness to, can receive the blessings of His
Kingdom with the minimum of delay. And, just as ‘the whole Judean country
side and all the people of Jerusalem went out to him’, sometimes we need to
go to our ‘out’ so that he can be encountered, to the places which perhaps
are unfamiliar and where sometimes we would not expect to encounter God or
where we would not expect to offer God to others. Sam Cappleman.
Meditation
Mediation
The readings today remind us to speak up and to proclaim the message of
God. Isaiah says there is a “voice crying in the desert”, where God urges us
to “Speak tenderly.” and “Comfort my people.” In Mark the voice of John the
Baptist cries out to implore us to proclaim a message of hope to our world
by preparing the way for the Lord and getting ready for Him. Both are
message of hope to all those who are in need. In a world of war and
terrorism, of poverty and injustice, of dishonesty and manipulation of the
truth, and of political expediency, we are invited to practice our faith in
the spirit of the great prophets and address issues of justice, peace, and
genuine human development for all God’s people. The images in the readings
today are images of hope and possibility. The rough way can be made
straight, the broken made whole. God will come with power. There will be a
new heaven and new earth where the peace and righteous of the Christ child
incarnate dwells. In Advent we wait in eager anticipation.
Hymns
- 204 Hail to the Lord's annointed
- 394 Jubilate 170 Give thanks with a grateful heart
- 538 On Jordan's bank the baptist's cry
- 102 Come thou long expected Jesus
- 651 The Kingdom of God is justice and joy
Prayers for Sunday and the week ahead
Keep us, O Lord, while we tarry on this earth, in a serious seeking after thee, and in an affectionate working with thee, every day of our lives; that when thou comest, we may be found not hiding our talent, nor serving the flesh, nor yet asleep with our lamp unfurnished, but waiting and longing for our Lord, our glorious King, for ever and ever. Amen Richard Baxter 1615 - 1691
Lord God, whose Word and will are made known in Jesus Christ, inspire in us faith in that Word and obedience to that will, for our salvation and for your glory. Amen
Christ the Sun of Righteousness shine upon you, scatter the darkness from before your path, and make you ready to meet him when he comes in glory; and the blessing; and the blessing of God Almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, be among you and remain with you always. Amen
Additional Material
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We have come into his house 729
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Make Way, Make Way 457
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Song from Big Blue Planet: Come Lord Jesus Come (on service sheet)
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When Jesus came to Jordan
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Christingle song (on service sheet)
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Love came down at Christmas (on service sheet)
Commentary
Repentance and Change
What a magnificent passage from Mark’s Gospel today, it is loaded with
powerful messages and symbolic meaning. Take just the opening phrase ‘The
beginning of the gospel about Jesus Christ, the Son of God.’ Immediately
we are reminded of the Book of Genesis which starts ‘In the beginning..’
Just as that book describes the beginning of all creation, this Gospel
describes the salvation work of Jesus Christ -- the culmination of God's
creative relationship with the world.
Mark then tells us that Jesus is the ‘Son of God.’ This Gospel is written
for Gentiles, and the title, Christ, does not have the same authority for
Gentiles as for Jews. The title, Son of God, however, speaks to Gentiles
of an all-powerful being. By including both titles, Christ and Son of God,
Mark denotes Jesus' authority in terms that both Jews and Gentiles can
appreciate.
Matthew, Mark and Luke all record that the gospel, the good news, starts
with John The Baptist. The readers of this Gospel would know that John was
beheaded by Herod for his preaching. He called for a way to be prepared
and this was no cheap road. The Christian community knew that the way of
the Lord was the ‘via dolorosa’, a way of the cross. Many of the
Christians who read this Gospel would also be executed for their message
and mission.
John is the first to proclaim God's kingdom. He announces it not in the
Temple but in the desert the place where the faith of so many before had
been tested and a place where people like Moses had encountered God. The
Jewish people had built a Temple but they were called back to the desert
across which they had come into the promised land.
The average person can only go a couple of day in the wilderness without
water. In the prophets the desert is used as a metaphor for estrangement
from God, it is frightening, lonely and dangerous, yet it is to here that
John calls the people for renewal. Perhaps that is where God still wants
to meet us, in the place where we are stripped of distractions and ready
and anxious to listen. In the desert all our facades are removed.
John calls other people out into the desert and asks them to be baptised
as a sign of a change of attitude. But the sign of baptism is not an
independent formal and external ritual, it must be accompanied by them
showing tangible proof of their change 'bear fruit worthy of repentance'
Matt 3:8.
The actions of our lives are important, so important that John can speak
of acceptance or rejection based on our deeds. The axe is laid at the root
of the tree that does not bear fruit. There is wheat or chaff, no middle
path 3:12. John calls for repentance, for us to change what is crooked, to
seek justice and to prepare for an encounter with the Lord.
Advent is the time to prepare for the time of the Lord's nativity, it is
time to prepare for our encounter with the Lord Jesus. Hence it is a time
for all of us to determine what needs straightening, what needs levelling.
John is saying that it is necessary to change the root of human behaviour,
it is a substantial change and not something superficial. The whole
panorama would be changed by Christ, the valleys would be lifted up and
the mountains laid low. Charles Royden
Meditation
Just Skin Deep?
So John calls for us to change the landscape of our personal lives and
perhaps more importantly of our communities. Preparing for Advent means
facing introspective questions about whether our religion is skin deep,
to what extent we are devoted to ourselves or to others, whether we are
living good or bad lives, how much we care for the poor, the weak, the
sick or the stranger.
Prayers
O Lord Jesus Christ, who at your first coming sent your messenger to prepare your way before you: grant that the ministers and stewards of your mysteries may likewise so prepare and make ready your way by turning the hearts of the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, that at your second coming to judge the world we may be found an acceptable people in your sight; for you are alive and reign with the Father in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.
Advent What does it mean?
Advent is the season four weeks before Christmas in which we prepare for the coming of Christ. It begins on Sunday nearest to 30th November. Advent is the period of preparation for the celebration of the birth of Jesus and its name comes from the Latin word adventus, which means "coming".
The season also celebrates Christ's anticipated coming again in the
fullness of time to rule triumphantly over life in heaven and earth,
as well as the coming of Christ as the infant Saviour whose birth we
celebrate at Christmas. And because the season emphasizes Christ's
comings and not just his birth, it’s more than just a time to get
ready for Christmas. It is a penitential season but is no longer
associated with the strictness of Lent. Nevertheless Advent reminds us
that the question is not whether Jesus will return to judge the earth,
but when.
The season of Advent came into being toward the middle of the sixth
century. At first, the Advent Season was determined as the six Sundays
leading up to Christmas. This was then reduced to four Sundays by Pope
St. Gregory the Great (591-604).
Before the seventh century, Christmas was a secondary feast, especially in Rome, but as it came to take on more and more importance, so the season of Advent evolved in a similar manner. Advent became more solemn and its orientation changed. From just being a time to prepare for Christmas, it became a time to look to the glorious return of the Lord and now the Sunday’s of Advent reflect this double perspective of waiting for the Second Coming of Jesus (First and Second Sundays) and the immediate preparation for the feast of Christmas (Third and Fourth Sundays).
The Roman Catholic Church summarises Advent by saying, "When the Church celebrates the liturgy of Advent each year, she makes present the ancient expectancy of the Messiah, for, by sharing in the long preparation for the Saviour's first coming, the faithful renew their ardent desire for His Second Coming."
God’s first intervention within our history came not in the form of
some instant or earth shattering event, but instead God chose to come
into the world as we all do, to be born as a baby in the midst of a
chaotic world. By our own impatient standards this seems such a slow
way to bring salvation to the world. But God may not always choose the
easy answer or the quick fix. But by His earthly incarnation He
demonstrates a total commitment to the very core of humanity. A
commitment, to its day by day routines and challenges, a commitment to
humanity from the cradle to the grave and beyond. And in that same
incarnational way, God comes to us day by day, through the working of
the Spirit, through His Word and Sacrament, making the ordinary
extraordinary; making the broken whole; and redeeming and restoring
the past, present and future, whatever they hold.
This is a message which is clear in the gospel reading today. History, myth, belief and imagery come together to create a vision, the strength of which is not in trying to understand the detail of Christ’s second coming but in catching a glimpse of the message of salvation and healing being completed. We should not spend our time worrying about the timing of God’s arrival or about the distraction of what might happen in the meantime. God’s reign has already broken into our world through the incarnation, death and resurrection of Christ. His Kingdom is near and it is coming, even as it is already arrived but not fully realized. We are to remain watchful, and aware, and to be prepared for the final coming, which is likely to arrive any time that God’s love is shared with uncommon grace in a world so desperately in need of that love. It is through us, and through the very imperfect Church that bears His name that His love and grace continue to come and spread, at Advent and through the Christian year ahead as we look to His coming in glory.
There is much about Advent to enjoy, the Advent wreaths found in our churches where they have four candles to be lit each Sunday and one for Christmas Day. But in the midst of our church we know that just as we prepare for Christmas, so we have to make ready to welcome Jesus in our lives. Are you ready for the coming of Jesus?