Second Sunday In Advent 2017

With the lighting of the second candle of the Advent wreath today, we acknowledge the messengers sent to prepare the way for Christ. John prepared people for Christ's first coming by preaching repentance: 

In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar--when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, Herod tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea and Traconitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene-- 2 during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the desert. 3 He went into all the country around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 4 As is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet: “A voice of one calling in the desert, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him. 5 Every valley shall be filled in, every mountain and hill made low. The crooked roads shall become straight, the rough ways smooth. 6 And all mankind will see God's salvation.’” 

The Night of Peace    William Blake, Milton's On the Morning Of Christ's Nativity, 1814

Today's messengers prepare people for Christ's return. God wants us to view these messengers as evidence of his love. He wants us to listen to their message, through which God himself makes us ready.

Lo! He comes with clouds descending, 

Once for favoured sinners slain; 

Thousand thousand saints attending, 

Swell the triumph of His train: 

Hallelujah! Hallelujah! 

God appears on earth to reign

Every eye shall now behold Him 

Robed in dreadful majesty; 

Those who set at naught and sold Him, 

Pierced and nailed Him to the tree, 

Deeply wailing, deeply wailing, 

Shall the true Messiah see. 

The dear tokens of His passion 

Still His dazzling body bears; 

Cause of endless exultation 

To His ransomed worshippers; 

With what rapture, with what rapture 

Gaze we on those glorious scars!

 

Yea, amen; let all adore thee, 

High on thine eternal throne; 

Saviour, take the power and glory; 

Claim the kingdoms for thine own: 

Hallelujah! Hallelujah! 

Thou shalt reign, and thou alone.