Preparing the Way

 Mark 1: 1-8

John the Baptist Prepares the Way

1 The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God, ² as it is written in Isaiah the prophet:

“I will send my messenger ahead of you,
    who will prepare your way”—
³ “a voice of one calling in the wilderness,
‘Prepare the way for the Lord,
    make straight paths for him.’^"

⁴ And so John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. ⁵ 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. ⁶ John wore clothing made of camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. ⁷ And this was his message: “After me comes the one more powerful than I, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. ⁸ I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

As we move into the Second Week of Advent, our focus turns a bit more toward the Messiah, the Promised One, as John, the Baptist, the messenger calls out his message to repent and prepare for the arrival of the long-awaited Savior. The people evidently came to hin in droves, so hungry and thirsty were they for a chance to begin again. The symbolic baptism of John foreshadowed the baptism of water and the Spirit, which Jesus came to give, but it was s strong symbol of the desire to wash clean and begin again.  John used this opportunity to announce and prepare the way for the One who would truly fulfill the longing of the people for a new life.

As we are being stripped of so many familiar activities because of the Pandemic, we have time to touch base with our own frame of mind as we approach Christmas...Are we simply frustrated by the restrictions or can we go beyond them to "the things that matter"?  Are we still too busy to pray, to reflect  on the writings of Isaiah or the Gospels?  Can we find the time and patience to deal with those whose lives are uncertain because of illness or unnecessary fears, who always see the worst in every situation, and cannot seem to find happiness or just plain old contentment?  These are a few of the things we can do to make our Advent a paving of the way for the birth of the Messiah in our hearts.

Bro. Rene