2nd Sunday of Advent, December 7th, 2008

The prophet Isaiah wrote,

See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way; the voice of one crying out in the wilderness:

'Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.'

Mark 1:2-3

And John, the messenger of God, proclaimed to all the people who came to him in the wilderness that they must repent of their sins and be baptized. Many people heard his message, repented, and were baptized in the river Jordan.

It has become our custom to prepare for the birth of the Messiah by decorating our cities and homes, hanging lights inside and out, singing of Frosty the Snowman and Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, and measuring the quality of our Christmas morning by the number of gifts we receive on Christmas morning.

This is your chance at a fresh start, to make things right with God. That is John the Baptist’s message – the message of the Saint of Second Chances. And like second chances, he doesn’t necessarily appear when or how we expect him to

Light the second candle on the Advent wreath.

As we light this second candle in preparation for the coming of the Messiah, perhaps we need to listen again to John the Baptizer's message, preparing the way of the Lord:

. . . make straight the paths
. . . repent of your sins
. . . be baptized
. . . and live holy lives devoted to God.

Come, Lord Jesus, come.

Amen

Since Jesus’s death, we now also have the hope of his return, the Second Advent

After he had said this, he was taken to heaven. A cloud hid him so that they could no longer see him. They were staring into the sky as he departed. Suddenly two men in white clothes stood near them. They asked, “Why are you men from Galilee standing here looking at the sky? Jesus, who was taken from you to heaven, will come back in the same way that you saw him go into heaven.

Acts 9-11

God, who gives the light of the sun to the earth, and who gave us your Son Jesus, who is the Light of the World, grant us the light of understanding in this blessed season. May our rejoicing over hope fulfilled in the past prepare us for confidence in your future promises.

Thank you that we have seen the great hope of humanity fulfilled in Jesus’ coming. We rejoice in the promise of the hope of his return, and of going to be with him for eternity.

Listen to the Saint of Second Chances – and take hold of every one that comes your way. The dark days of December,
after all, are not an ending. As Mark reminds us, they are the beginning