Scripture Reading: Isaiah 61:10–62:3 | Psalm 148 | Galatians 4:4–7 | Luke 2:22–40

…for my eyes have seen your salvation,
which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,
a light for revelation to the Gentiles
and for glory to your people Israel.
 
It’s hard to believe the new year, 2021, is almost here. Though none of us know what it will be bringing our way, I know a lot of us are hoping that it’ll be a lot better than this past year. That the worst parts of 2020 will be learned from and left behind, and that the way forward for our world will be a whole lot brighter.
 
Of course, this idea of starting fresh… of beginning a new year with positive change and progress is nothing new. Our culture has long promoted the idea of making New Year’s resolutions… making plans for how we’ll better ourselves… usually by doing things like eating better, getting more exercise… or some other practice meant to make us ‘better people.’ Like many others I’ve talked to, though, I’ve given up on making New Year’s resolutions. The purpose behind them might be praiseworthy, but the problem seems to be that so many of us struggle to faithfully put our plans into practice. In seems we need more than the desire to make healthier changes… we need the will to devote ourselves to a whole new way of life, not just for a few weeks, but for the long-haul, whether we feel like it or not. If the start of a New Year can help you find some motivation to change, that’s great. But what I think we need, more than a change of date, is a renewed sense of devotion. Of deliberately committing ourselves to follow the way of life.
 
Our Scripture passage today from the Gospel of Luke highlights the theme of devotion through each of the people it introduces to us. Each in their own way embody deep, life-giving commitments, inspiring us to reflect on our own commitments in life.
 
Again this week, we begin with the examples of Mary & Joseph, as they bring their infant Son, Jesus, to the Temple in Jerusalem, in order to perform the ritual of presenting Him to the LORD. In this action, it is revealed that they were devout observers of God’s Law; putting into practice Israel’s commitment to the LORD’s covenant. Their journey to Jerusalem was certainly not a vacation, it was a pilgrimage, a concrete act of putting their trust in God into practice… embodying their faith by making this sacred but costly trip. We were told they purchased the proper sacrifice, designated for those who were poor: In Leviticus 12, regarding the laws for ritual purity after childbirth, it says: “When the days of her purification are completed, whether for a son or for a daughter, she shall bring to the priest at the entrance of the tent of meeting a lamb in its first year for a burnt offering, and a pigeon or a turtledove for a sin offering… If she cannot afford a sheep, she shall take two turtledoves or two pigeons, one for a burnt offering and the other for a sin offering; and the priest shall make atonement on her behalf, and she shall be clean.” (Lev.12:6,8). Though they were not well off, this young Jewish family, did their best to live out their faith. To rearrange their lives around their commitment to God.
 
After Mary and Joseph, we’re introduced to a man named Simeon, a man that St. Luke refers to as “righteous & devout.” But Simeon was not simply a rule follower, he was someone on whom the Holy Spirit of God rested… someone eager to respond to the LORD’s leading. Simeon embodied his faith by listening for the voice of God, and letting the Spirit guide his steps, not simply going about his own business.
 
And along with Simeon, we are introduced to Anna:  A prophet of God, living as a widow in God’s Temple,  worshiping, fasting, and praying as her daily routine. At 84, she lived a life of sincere ministry, utterly devoted to the LORD and His people. Anna embodied her faith by setting aside her own path in life, and putting the LORD and His word to His people above all other concerns.
 
All of these are great examples of enduring devotion. They all embody their commitment to God in various ways, able to inspire us to re-examine our own devotion to the LORD… to reflect on how we are embodying our faith, and putting it into practice. Not like a New Year’s resolution… a self-driven attempt to better ourselves… but as a response to the faithful love of God, a gift that shapes and rearranges us… and how we live out our days. For as great as these other examples of devotion may be, the faithfulness and loving-kindness of the LORD is what upholds them all.

It is God’s own devotion that drives this story forward.

The Law which Mary and Joseph traveled to Jerusalem to fulfill echoes back to the days when the Living God rescued Israel from slavery in Egypt. Since the time of Passover, when the firstborn of Egypt were slain, and the firstborn of Israel spared, God’s people were to offer a sacrifice to acknowledge that their children belonged to God… to remember that without His loving faithfulness, they would have never left Egypt. They would have had no future, no hope of rescue without Him. In Exodus chapter 13, we are told that, Every firstborn male among your children you shall redeem [with a sacrifice].  When in the future your child asks you, ‘What does this mean?’ you shall answer, ‘By strength of hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt, from the house of slavery.  When Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go, the Lord killed all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from human firstborn to the firstborn of animals. Therefore I sacrifice to the Lord every male that first opens the womb, but every firstborn of my sons I redeem.’” (Ex. 13:12-15). This Law kept alive the memory of God’s saving faithfulness, which the whole story of Israel highlights again and again.
 
And the hope that kept Simeon attentive to the voice of God was the promise that the LORD would not leave His people to struggle and suffer forever. Even in the darkest times of Israel’s history, when their cities were destroyed, and their people carried off into exile, God’s Spirit spoke to the prophets of old and promised them there would be a day when God’s salvation would come again and rescue His people, once and for all. That God would finally deliver them from all of their oppressors, and draw, not only Israel, but all nations back to God… to recreate the whole world in righteousness and truth.
 
And the ministry of Anna as a prophet in the Temple, with her life set aside in unending service to the LORD, reflected the Living God’s unending devotion to His people. Anna was able to see in the boy Mary & Joseph brought that day the hope for all those seeking the redemption of Jerusalem.  For this ordinary looking Child would grow up and spend His whole life enacting the devotion… the faithful love, of God.  
 
Jesus was, after all, the Son of God incarnate: Very God of Very God, taking on human life in all it’s fractured fullness, in order to rescue, and redeem, and reconcile us to God once more.
In this child, the Living God Himself was embodying His devotion to save his sinful creatures, and bring them His New Life: To enlighten the Gentiles, that is, all the communities of the earth, and to share His glory with His covenant partners, Israel… binding them all into one worldwide family of God, through the life, and death of Jesus.
 
God’s devotion would cost Him dearly. From the very first breath, Christ’s ministry would lead Him to the cross. But in facing it for us, through being faithful even unto death, Christ offered Himself as the ultimate sacrifice to save us all. And through His resurrection, never to die again, Jesus opened up the way for the world to share in His New Life forever… beginning God’s re-creating work in the world, right now in our hearts, which He will finally bring to completion when Christ comes again in glory.
 
It is because of God’s devotion, His faithful loving-kindness we have come to know most clearly in His Son, Jesus Christ, that we can confidently face the days and years that lie before us. It is because of the holy Child born to be our Saviour, that we have come to know that the LORD’s faithful love is stronger than death. That in love the Living God gave to His Son to set us free, so that we might be spared, and share in His blessed New Life.
 
So as we think about the kind of people we want to be moving forward, and what kinds of practices we will need to put into place for that to happen, may the faithful loving-kindness of the LORD be our strength and guide, not only in shaping our desires, but in shaping our wills, our devotion as well. May our top priority always be following Christ faithfully, even if it means re-arranging our own plans. May we listen closely to the LORD, in the Scriptures and in prayer, eager to respond to His Spirit’s leading voice. May our devotion take deep roots in the rhythm of our lives: not coming in fits and spurts, but growing in faithfulness. And most of all, may we remember that even when we stumble and fall, our devoted Saviour Jesus Christ has come to raise us up. Amen.

Today we celebrate the first Sunday of the season of Christmas, and also the final Sunday of the year 2020 A.D. 

Let us remember the hope, peace, joy, and love of God that the story of Christmas shares with us, and let us seek to share them with those around us as we look forward to the coming year. 

Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and many blessings in Christ!

Rob+ 

Our service of Morning Prayer, Bulletin, and Sermon for this Sunday can be found here:

​And our Songs for this Sunday can be found here:

Scripture Readings: Isaiah 9:2–7 | Psalm 96 | Titus 2:11–14 | Luke 2:1–20

The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light;
those who lived in a land of deep darkness— on them light has shined.
 
It’s almost become a cliché to speak of 2020 as a year of bad news. Of running through a growing list of reasons we might have to complain. True, it has been a crazy year… one chalk full of uncertainty, and disruptions, anxiety, disappointments, and startling surprises. Looking back, it’s easy to long for days past that seemed far simpler, and calmer... to turn to our cherished memories, in search of some much needed comfort. I think those are some of the gifts that this time of year often has to offer: the gifts of happy memories, and treasured traditions.
 
But this year, as we know, Christmas will look quite different for most people, as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to play out. Social gatherings, travel plans, family meals, even singing, have all been discouraged in order to keep the risks of infection down. Here in New Brunswick, we have at least a shaky sense of safety and freedom, but beyond the Maritimes, many of our fellow Canadians are facing serious shut-downs. And sadly, many nations around the world face even more dire days ahead. Now is not the time to be dismissive of the fearful situation so many people are having to deal with this Christmas and beyond. We do well to remember to pray for those struggling and suffering today, and also to offer them whatever help we can.
 
Surrounded, it seems, by this gloomy cloud of darkness and ‘bad news’, it can be tempting to focus on all that has changed over this last, crazy year. To dwell on all that now feels so uncertain and broken… all that we have lost… and all that we fear. Without being able to practice many of our treasured traditions, it may feel quite hard to truly celebrate the holidays this year.   
 
But as we listen again to the familiar story of Christmas, the story of the birth of Jesus, the Christ, we may find ourselves encountering the Good News of God. Not just a nice distraction from all of the darkness, but a light which drives it’s power away, and shines to set us free.
 
We hear of Mary and Joseph: two first century Jews whose lives were upended by the distant decree of Caesar Augustus. We can imagine just how powerless this couple must have felt, forced to travel to Bethlehem while Mary was due any day… feeling forsaken as they found no room for them in the inn. And yet somehow they were still drawn into the surprising story the LORD was weaving with their lives, as the child Mary bore was the Son of the Living God, born among us in total vulnerability… and humility. To Mary and Joseph, to those with no earthly security, Jesus had come. In their midst is where Almighty God chose to take on flesh and dwell on earth. Sharing in their life of uncertainty, the Prince of Peace took his first breath, and began His mission of mercy.
 
We hear that the shepherds too were being drawn into this story, with their own part to play. Rough, uncultured, uneducated, overlooked by most of society, shepherds were easy to ignore… easy for those with power and status to completely disregard. Working as they did in a difficult, harsh, and often looked down on profession, shepherds would not have been on anybody’s guest list. And yet the angel choir does not descend to a palace with heavenly songs, but instead a handful of startled shepherds are chosen to hear their anthem. It is to them the angel of the LORD says “Do not be afraid…” It is to them the “good news of great joy for all people” was first entrusted. Those who were neglected and dismissed, God singled out to share in heaven’s joyous celebration… to bear witness to the birth of Jesus the Christ.
 
And though these words were written down many centuries ago, we too today are drawn again into this familiar story. Our lives are also being weaved into its joyous narrative.

In the midst of our uncertainty, vulnerability, confusion, our feelings of forsakenness, and unworthiness, God’s Son was born, long before all of our treasured traditions and plans, to share in and bear our burdens as well… to draw near to us all in the heart of our deepest distress. But more than simply sharing in the sufferings of the world, Jesus was born to bring to light the salvation, the rescue, of God. He came, not only to weep with us, but to wipe away our sorrow. Not only to keep us company, but to shatter the chains that keep us bound. Not only to bring us to heaven one day, but to bring God’s grace to us even now. Not only to warm our hearts once a year, but to fill us with His love forever.
 
Despite how different and difficult our Christmases may be this year, at the heart of it all we have been offered something that can never be taken away. We have the Good News of God’s great gift of self-giving love: that in Jesus, God has given Himself… to you… to me… to us all.

Nothing, no plague or pandemic… no distance or loneliness or loss… nothing in all of creation can ever undo this wonderous gift of love.
 
So whether or not our holidays feel familiar or special this year, may we remember and cherish the Good News that the story of Christmas shares: the message that God has given Himself to us in Jesus, His Son… to set us free from darkness, fear, sin, and despair, that we might dwell with Him, in the light of His hope, peace, joy, and love, now and forever. Do not be afraid. Hear and believe the Good News for all people: Jesus was born to be our Saviour, and that’s worth celebrating.
 
I’ll end now with a Christmas poem by the author Madeleine L’Engle, entitled “First Coming”:
 
First Coming by Madeleine L’Engle
 
He did not wait till the world was ready,
till men and nations were at peace.
He came when the Heavens were unsteady,
and prisoners cried out for release.
 
He did not wait for the perfect time.
He came when the need was deep and great.
He dined with sinners in all their grime,
turned water into wine. He did not wait
 
till hearts were pure. In joy he came
to a tarnished world of sin and doubt.
To a world like ours, of anguished shame
he came, and his Light would not go out.
 
He came to a world which did not mesh,
to heal its tangles, shield its scorn.
In the mystery of the Word made Flesh
the Maker of the stars was born.
 
We cannot wait till the world is sane
to raise our songs with joyful voice,
for to share our grief, to touch our pain,
He came with Love: Rejoice! Rejoice!
 
 
Merry Christmas everyone. Amen.

Merry Christmas, and may we celebrate with joy the story of our Saviour's birth: Jesus Christ the Lord!

If you missed out on our Lessons & Carols service last Sunday, which tells the story of Christ's birth through a series of Scripture Readings and Songs, you can find it here: 

​You can find our service of Morning Prayer and Sermon for Christmas here:

Our final Advent Candle Lighting Video, and Hope is a Star Video are both here:

And here are our Songs (Audio Only) for our Christmas service, performed by our St. Luke's Choir.

​Many blessings this Christmas, and may God's hope, peace, joy, and love remain with you wherever you are.

Rob+ 

Many thanks to our St. Luke's GP Choir (and friends) for leading our service of Lessons & Carols this year. 
May we all be blessed and our spirit's stirred by the Good News of our Saviour's birth as we listen to the Scriptures and Songs they share with us. 

Our Christmas Eve services this year will be held at 5PM and 7:30PM at St. Luke's Church, and our Christmas Day service will be held at 11AM.
 
Please register ahead of time for these services (before December 24) by contacting Rev. Rob
([email protected]), and be sure to review our COVID-19 Operational Plan.

On December 27, we will have our regular Sunday service at 10AM, as well as our Blue Christmas service at 7PM in the evening.

Many blessings this week as we celebrate the hope, peace, joy, and love that comes to us in Christ.

Rob+

Today marks the fourth Sunday of Advent, a holy season where we reflect and prepare for the coming of Christ Jesus our Lord.

On this, the fourth week, the Church often reflects upon the theme of love. Here is another great video from the Bible Project exploring the how the Holy Scriptures speak about love.

This Sunday, we are also holding our Service of Lessons & Carols, where we tell the story of Christmas with alternating Scripture Readings and Songs.

​There will be no sermon this week, but stay tuned today for a special gift from our St. Luke's Choir.

Our Service of Morning Prayer and Songs for this week can be found here:

Scripture Readings: Isaiah 61:1–4, 8–11 | Psalm 126 | 1 Thessalonians 5:16–24 | John 1:6–8, 19–28

"Rejoice… always."

Today, here at St. Luke’s Church, we have many good reasons to rejoice. We can rejoice because after our region moved back into the Yellow Phase of recovery this week, we are holding in-person services of Holy Communion again; worshiping God together, and receiving His gifts of love. We can rejoice because today is the third Sunday of Advent, a day when Christians reflect on the biblical theme of joy. And if we took a moment, I’m sure, that we could come up with a pretty long list of other reasons it would be easy for us to rejoice today.
 
And yet… we also know of many reasons it’s hard to rejoice right now. I don’t think it takes much imagination to know what I am talking about. In countless ways, our neighbours, our country, our world is suffering today. Maybe we too are suffering. Maybe it’s those dear to us. And what makes it all the harder, sometimes, is not knowing when this suffering will end. Today, there are many reasons it is hard to rejoice.
 
But this is precisely when the message of joy is meant to be received: in very the face of darkness and suffering… when joy is needed most. Perhaps the words “rejoice always” mean much more than we think? Perhaps they offer us more than we could ask or imagine?
 
Of course, there is a kind of joy that is not all that unusual. The kind of happiness or joy common throughout the world. We find it in all sorts of ways, as we share in the good things in life: like time well spent with family and friends… hearing a beloved song that stirs up our hearts… in the satisfaction that comes from a job well done. These are all examples what I’ll call glimpses of joy: tastes of the goodness of life that the Living God has created to be enjoyed… gifts meant to be received with simple gratitude, and shared generously with the people all around us. These moments of joy are precious… but they’re not the complete picture. They offer us a welcome taste, but they’re not the entire meal.
 
And again, along with these glimpses of joy, also come the big challenges of life. Much of our experiences are not what we’d call enjoyable, after all: the times of deep loneliness… or when we’re confronted with harsh and ugly side of our world… or ourselves… with the feelings of futility when our efforts seem to fall short, or when they’re cut short.
 
We know these times, when the normal joys of life are overshadowed, are not the whole picture either… we know there is much that is still good all around us. But we need more than a reminder to just look on the bright side… though it can bring comfort to reflect on and remember the things that stir up our joy: the loving memories, the blessings of each day, and the hope of a brighter future; God’s salvation drawing ever nearer. It is good to keep all this in mind, but there is more being asked of us than to simply reflect and remember… we are also asked to receive. Today we are invited to see that true joy is a gift.
 
Our Scripture readings today point us to the source of this gift: to the goodness and the rescuing grace of the Living God.
 
In our first reading, from the book of the prophet Isaiah, we hear God’s word of hope and joy sent to those in darkness and suffering.
“The spirit of the Lord God is upon me,
because the Lord has anointed me;
he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed,
to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives,
and release to the prisoners;
2 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor,
and the day of vengeance of our God;
to comfort all who mourn;
3 to provide for those who mourn in Zion—
to give them a garland instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness instead of mourning,
the mantle of praise instead of a faint spirit.”
God’s message through the prophet was good news to the oppressed. Not a call to optimism, but a message of redemption: that the Living God would not ignore the suffering of His people, but instead would come to end their sorrow, and bring about new life.  
 
Isaiah begins these words of hope with a phrase of great significance: “The spirit of the Lord God is upon me.” This message, and the power of it, flows from the Spirit of God. It is God’s Spirit, God’s living presence, that shares and brings about this new life. The Good News comes to us from the Holy Spirit’s work.
 
And in our Gospel reading, we are told of that great the New Testament prophet, John the Baptist, who was sent by God to point ahead to the Greater One who was still to come. John was sent to prepare the way for the LORD’s anointed: the Christ… the One who would baptize, not with water, but with the Holy Spirit. Who would immerse God’s people with the LORD’s presence and life.
 
And so, John points us to Jesus: to the Son of God… who stepped into the place of His people in order to bring them God’s rescue at last. Full of the Holy Spirit, Jesus embodied the promise of Isaiah, transforming the lives of even those in the most hopeless suffering by graciously drawing near to them with the holy love of God… restoring sight to the blind, healing the sick, raising the dead… Christ touched people with God’s Spirit, and their sorrows turned to joy.  
 
And before His own darkest night, before He would face the suffering of the cross, Jesus spoke to His followers and shared these words with them (John 15:9-11):
“As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you; abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete.” Facing His death for the sins of the world, Christ speaks to us of sharing His joy… by inviting us all to abide in His love… together to share in His life, bound in Him to the source of all joy: joined to the Living God.
 
Joined to the blessed Trinity; to the One who imagined, and invented, joy in all its earthly forms, as glimpses and tastes of the true joy of complete fellowship with Him… with the one Who is Himself the fountainhead of all that is right and true, and good. It is God’s own inner joy that He wants us His creatures to share in. Giving glimpses here and there of what will one day be in fullest view… tasting a few bites and drops of the full feast that’s to come.
 
But in Jesus Christ, God’s joyful life has drawn impossibly near to us, and He has poured out His joyful life in the world through the Holy Spirit, so that those who abide in Jesus are able to share in God’s joy here and now… despite all the darkness around us or the suffering within. Abiding in Christ, we can come to know the joy of the Living God… always. Even as we struggle… even as we weep… God’s joyful Spirit is a gift we can hold onto forever.
 
Christians can “rejoice always” as St. Paul urges us, not because it’s always easy, but because the Holy Spirit of God has been poured into our lives… drawing near to us with His rescuing, re-creating love, and breaking into our darkness and pain with the gift of His joyful salvation.  
 
So today, may we remember and reflect on all the reasons that we can rejoice today, whether it’s easy or not. But even more than that, may we abide in Jesus Christ. May we cling to Him in faith, eager to fully share in His joy, and through the Holy Spirit, may God’s joy be alive in us always. Amen.

​Our service of Morning Prayer, Bulletin, and Sermon for this week can all be found here:

Our Advent Lighting Video can be found here:

​And our Songs for this week can all be found here:

Scripture Readings: Isaiah 40:1–11 | Psalm 85:1–13 | 2 Peter 3:8–15a | Mark 1:1–8

When it comes to roads, Northwestern Ontario and Southern Manitoba are worlds apart. If you’ve dared to travel by car across Canada, you know exactly what I mean. In Northwestern Ontario, where I was born and raised, travelers must wind their way through some pretty rough terrain: skirting swamps and lakes, climbing hill after hill, slowly making their way through the many obstacles this beautiful and vast wilderness has to offer. But as you keep on heading West and enter into Manitoba, suddenly you find yourself crossing into the Prairies. The hills and trees start to give way to the wide-open plains, where the road is flat, and stretches straight on to the horizon. Nothing in the way, except the occasional transport truck. Though both of these landscapes have their own special charm, the straight road across the plains is certainly much easier to navigate. To build a highway as level and straight as it through Northwestern Ontario would be far beyond the wildest dreams of any engineer, and would cost far more than any government budget could afford.
For the foreseeable future, though they truly belong together, in this sense at least these roads will remain worlds apart: one is winding and wild, the other level and straight.
 
Today marks the second week of the season of Advent, the time of preparation for the coming of Jesus Christ our Lord. The theme often associated with this week is Peace; an important but sometimes misunderstood facet of the Good News. Sometimes we imagine peace to be simply about avoiding conflict… doing anything we can to avoid upsetting other people. This kind approach can easily turn into mere people-pleasing, or pacification… simply going along with the flow, even if it takes us far off course. The flip side of this, of course, is when we seek to put an end to conflict by pushing for our own way… using our power to keep others in line… intimidating them into going along with our plans. But the peace which Advent brings to mind is not simply about avoiding conflict, either through pacification, or intimidation. Instead, it speaks of the kind of peace that brings reconciliation. Restoring deep communion and wholeness again. At a time when division, distrust, and disconnection seem at work everywhere, let’s turn our hearts again to hear the message of God’s peace.
 
But in turning to our Scripture readings this morning, we are not stepping into some idealized fantasy. No, we are firmly standing within the familiar story of our world… a story of conflict, of suffering, of storms, and tragedy… where God’s people are waiting longingly for God’s righteousness to reign, and for all that is broken to be set aright again.
 
The Gospel of Mark introduces us to a man called John the Baptist, living in the Jordan wilderness in the early first century. John was no ordinary man, but rather he was a man with a mission, a message from the Living God, like Israel’s prophets of old. In fact, the author of Mark makes this connection explicit, introducing John’s ministry by calling to mind the prophet Isaiah:
As it is written in the prophet Isaiah,
“See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you,
who will prepare your way;
3 the voice of one crying out in the wilderness:
‘Prepare the way of the Lord,
make his paths straight,’” (Mark 1:2-3)[1]

As we heard in our Old Testament reading today, Isaiah’s message goes on to describe what it means to prepare the way of the LORD. Isaiah 40:3-5 says,
A voice cries out:
“In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord,
make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
4 Every valley shall be lifted up,
and every mountain and hill be made low;
the uneven ground shall become level,
and the rough places a plain.
5Then the glory of the Lord shall be revealed,
and all people shall see it together,
for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”
 
Valleys raised, mountains leveled, rough places made into plains… the imagery is one of dramatic and powerful transformation… which all fits nicely with how Mark wants us to see John’s ministry: not as words of pacification, or of intimidation, but of seeking peace with God through wholehearted repentance… with a sincere commitment of true life-transformation. John came calling for all of Israel to remove the obstacles in their lives, and to urgently prepare for the arrival of God’s good Kingdom. In his preaching and practice of baptizing his fellow Israelites, John was inviting God’s people to recognize their deep need for forgiveness and rescue, and to turn back to the LORD their God with their entire life.
 
NT Wright describes it all like this:
“They were to come through the water and be free. They were to leave behind ‘Egypt’—the world of sin in which they were living, the world of rebelling against the living God. They, the Israel of the day, were looking in the wrong direction and going in the wrong direction. It was time to turn round and go the right way (that’s what ‘repentance’ means). It was time to stop dreaming and wake up to God’s reality.[2]” John was proclaiming that it was time for God’s people to pursue true peace: Not simply to try and appease God by making some surface-level changes… or to keep on pursuing their own ideas and agendas… but to prepare for the coming of God’s Messiah, God’s Anointed King, by humbly and wholeheartedly turning over their lives to the LORD.  By being baptized in the Jordan river, they were seeking forgiveness and reconciliation with God. They knew they had been living worlds apart from what God had wanted of His children, and so they were looking to close the gap… to be reunited to their LORD.
 
This is all well and good, but it is not the whole story. But there is so much more to the Good News, the Gospel, then even our wholehearted repentance. The focus of our readings today was not on what the people themselves did: their acts of repentance. It’s not even on John’s ministry, as vital as both of these things might be. No, the focus is all on the One that John, and the prophets, had promised was on the way… the One who would baptize God’s people, not simply with water, but with the Holy Spirit… the One who was coming to rescue God’s wayward people, once and for all.
 
John was serving as a signpost pointing us onward to Jesus, to the Son of God Himself, sent to bring about God’s peace. To establish restoration and reconciliation far beyond our wildest dreams, and to reunite humanity with the LORD once again…fulfilling the message of hope which Isaiah had written of long ago. Isaiah 40:9-11:
“Get you up to a high mountain,
O Zion, herald of good tidings;
lift up your voice with strength,
O Jerusalem, herald of good tidings,
lift it up, do not fear;
say to the cities of Judah,
“Here is your God!”
10 See, the Lord God comes with might,
and his arm rules for him;
his reward is with him,
and his recompense before him.
11He will feed his flock like a shepherd;
he will gather the lambs in his arms,
and carry them in his bosom,
and gently lead the mother sheep.”
 
He came, not simply to teach us how to be good, and how we can try our best to appease God and keep Him happy, or to give us the moral fortitude to make ourselves fit for the LORD… but rescue us, and fill us with the Living God’s own presence and life-changing power, so that His reconciliation and restoration can take root within us, and our community. So that the saving, life-changing peace of the LORD might be shared through the Church with our broken, wandering world. 
 
As the rest of Mark’s Gospel will highlight, this peace all came at the highest cost. God’s Son, Jesus Christ, paid for our peace with His precious blood. Christ gave His entire life; was born, lived, died, and rose again, to bring God’s peace to our fragmented and fractured world; beginning in the Church, but overflowing everywhere.
 
Advent calls us to remember that Jesus Christ Himself is our Peace. He removes all the obstacles between us and the Living God. Though in our sins we had become wild and treacherously winding… worlds apart from how God wanted His children to be… at the cross, Christ has made straight the way for us to be reunited to God at last. He graciously binds the Church to Himself in faith, through baptism, sharing His new life with us, and through us, with the world. He immerses us in the Holy Spirit of God, who remains at work, empowering us to truly live as God’s peaceful people, even in the midst of conflict and tragedy.
 
By His power working in us, through the Holy Spirit of God, may our lives be shaped more and more by the truth of Christ's saving peace. May we give ourselves to the work He has begun in us through baptism, that we can faithfully serve as agents of His reconciliation. And in the midst of all the conflicts and storms we see around us, may we eagerly and patiently look for His arrival, bringing about God’s New Heavens and Earth, beyond our wildest dreams, where His righteousness and peace will be at home forever. Amen.   


[1] Both Isaiah and Malachi are being quoted in these verses, but the author of Mark only references Isaiah.

[2] Tom Wright, Mark for Everyone (London: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 2004), 2.

​At St. Luke's we take time each week in Advent to light the candles in our Advent Wreath. While we are not gathering together in our Parish Church at this time, we can still carry on this tradition from our homes.
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The Candle Lighting liturgy can be found in our Service of Morning Prayer. If you have candles at home you can light them during your practice of these home prayers, or you can follow along with our Advent Lighting Video. 

Many blessings to you this second week of Advent, and may the Holy Spirit fill us with God's Peace.

Rob+

​Our service of Morning Prayer, Bulletin, and Sermon for this week can all be found here: