THIS WEEK’S GOSPEL: LUKE 3:1-6 (MESSAGE)
In the fifteenth year of the rule of
Caesar Tiberius—it was while Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea; Herod, ruler
of Galilee; his brother Philip, ruler of Iturea and Trachonitis; Lysanias,
ruler of Abilene; during the Chief-Priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas—John,
Zachariah’s son, out in the desert at the time, received a message from God. He
went all through the country around the Jordan River preaching a baptism of
life-change leading to forgiveness of sins, as described in the words of Isaiah
the prophet:
Thunder in the desert!
“Prepare God’s arrival!
Make the road smooth and straight!
Every ditch will be filled in,
Every bump smoothed out,
The detours straightened out,
All the ruts paved over.
Everyone will be there to see
The parade of God’s salvation.”
What a familiar text!
Or is it? At the beginning of
Advent, I always expect to find a wild John sharing his message with folks
whether we want to hear it or not. What
I would like to see and hear is good tidings of great joy, instead what I find
is a message of sin, repentance, forgiveness and change of life.
But Luke takes time to embed John into the political
structure of the day. He points out that
Zachariah’s son, John, has a message as important as Caesar, the governor, the
mayors of adjacent towns, as important even as the chief priests. Why do you think Luke does this? What is he trying to tell us about John and
about the message John is preaching?
If Luke believes that John and his message are as
important as the power and authority of the day, what do we believe God will do
through our ordinary lives in these days of conflict and strife? How is Advent calling us to be available to share
God’s message of love and grace? As we
wait, what message is being born in us today?
Please join us this Sunday, December 9 at 10am in
Christ Church the second Sunday of Advent as we discover and share the gift of
God’s presence and love. Hope to see you there.
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