119:49-72, 49, [53]
Isaiah 9:8-17 2 Peter 2:1-10a Mark 1:1-8
Imagine that one who has never read a Gospel or heard the word of God.For whatever reason, this person is encouraged to listen to the beginning of the Gospel of Mark. There is silence as the reader begins to speak and the listener prepares to hear…to truly hear.
As the beginning words of chapter one are read there is a feeling in both the listener and the reader of anticipation. That same anticipation that must have been felt in the people in first century Israel upon hearing John the Baptizer. The silence of prophecy that has lasted for three hundred years is coming to an end. God is on the move!
The words flow off the page as the story of radical redemption begins. It is the ushering in of a new age; a new situation; a new beginning in the vast wilderness. God is once again calling God’s people to a life of redemption. On behalf of all of creation, John the Baptizer is calling the people to an old reality and to a new beginning.
In one single movement, John’s prophetic ministry and Jesus’ salvific ministry are coming into being. There are overtones of repentance, forgiveness, and the spirit of the living God moving among God’s people showing them the way.
If we allow it to be, Advent can become a time for us to seek the fullness of God’s radical redemption.
Loving God, the author and giver of radical redemption, open our hearts as we prepare for the birth of Jesus Christ. Amen.
Listen to Jo read her meditation and prayer:
