December 2008/January 2009

The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. As it is written in the prophet Isaiah, "See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare the way." (Mark 1:2)

On November 30, when this newsletter comes out, we begin a new church year with the First Sunday in Advent. For church people, Advent is a season of waiting, hoping and preparing; we wait in hope for the fullness of Christ's kingdom and we prepare for the same. But it seems almost exclusively a season of preparing for the most of the Western world, as people hurry and scurry to prepare for Christmas. There are parties to attend, entertaining to do, houses to clean, menus to plan, gifts to buy and wrap, and decorations to put up. It is a busy, busy season, to be sure.

In our gospel readings for the season, we see God going about similar preparations for the arrival of the Christ child. God invites the people to the dawn of a new age of grace by sending out a messenger to announce the event, John the Baptist. John's baptism of repentance is the way people accept the invitation, as well as God's way to start cleaning things up. As we approach the birth of Jesus, we see that God will involve the entire universe in this preparation process: the angels and the heavenly host, the people and their leaders, the earth and all that dwells therein, the stable animals, and the stars of night. All this and more to welcome the Child of Promise, our Saviour Jesus.

But John the Baptist figures prominently in Mark's gospel, from which most of our readings come in this new church year. Mark mentions nothing about angel song, wise men, "no room", etc. In this brief gospel, he just didn't deem those things important enough. But John.... well, he was a very special participant in God's plan. Not only was he on God's invitation list, but he also became a "host" for God. God invited John, and prepared him by his wilderness experience; it then became John's job to "prepare the way of the Lord", which was no small task! He experienced rejection, the wrath of the religious elite, ridicule, humiliation, imprisonment, and eventually beheading. But God was faithful in giving John the strength he needed for the task to which he'd been called.

We too have been called to "prepare the way of the Lord" and to invite others into gracious relationship with Jesus Christ. Yes, Christ came as the Babe of Bethlehem, but how our world needs to see that he comes again and again and again to bring wholeness and healing to a troubled world. We are the people God has entrusted with the ministry of proclaiming the good news. We are the witnesses of the incarnation, and bear witness to it by living in a manner proclaiming that Christ makes a difference in our lives. Like John the Baptist and others who have come before us, let us commit ourselves anew, during this Advent season 2008, to prepare ourselves for the coming of our Lord. In so doing, we ready ourselves for the ministry to which all Christians are called - inviting one and all into the loving realm of God's grace in Jesus. Blessed Advent!