Second Sunday in Advent B

The speaker begins by expressing joy in sharing the Gospel during the season of Advent. They encourage listeners to prepare themselves to encounter Jesus by quieting themselves and asking for the Holy Spirit to bring the Word to life. The passage being discussed is from the Gospel of Mark, focusing on John the Baptist preparing the way for Jesus and his mission. The speaker emphasizes that the Word of God is divinely inspired and has the power to prepare hearts for an encounter with Jesus. They encourage listeners to be attentive to the Word and reflect on what stands out to them. The speaker also shares personal memories of Christmas preparation and relates it to the atmosphere of preparation for Jesus' coming. They invite listeners to continue reflecting on the Gospel passage and have a conversation with Jesus about its impact. The speaker concludes by expressing joy in sharing the Gospel. Greetings, friends. What a joy to share the Gospel. In this season of Advent, we anticipate the renewed coming of the Lord into our lives and into our world. To prepare ourselves to encounter Jesus, present to us now through the Word, let's take a moment to quiet ourselves. If you will, take a deep breath, slowly in and slowly out. Come Lord Jesus, allow your Holy Spirit to bring your Word to life for me. May I hear your voice, Good Shepherd. We begin our prayer with the Gospel by reading the passage so as to become familiar with it and to prepare ourselves for the work of the Holy Spirit mediated through the Gospel. On this second Sunday of Advent, we read from the Gospel of Mark, chapter 1, verses 1 through 8. The Beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God As it is written in Isaiah the prophet, Behold, I am sending my messenger ahead of you. He will prepare your way. A voice of one crying out in the desert, Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths. John the Baptist appeared in the desert proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. People of the whole Judean countryside and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the Jordan River as they acknowledged their sins. John was clothed in camel's hair with a leather belt around his waist. He fed on locusts and wild honey. And this is what he proclaimed, One mightier than I is coming after me. I am not worthy to stoop and loosen the thongs of his sandals. I have baptized you with water. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit. Last week, on the first Sunday of Advent, we read from the end of Mark's Gospel. We began, you might say, by placing the goal of the Christian life in clear view. This Sunday, in the passage we just shared, we go back to the very beginning of Mark's Gospel. Here it is made clear that the story is wholly taken up with the person of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. He is the Gospel. He is the Good News. Our attention is then turned toward the striking figure of John the Baptist as one making a way for Jesus and his mission in the world. That straight path is characterized by Mark as a baptism of repentance, the acknowledgement of sin. Turning to read the Gospel a second time, allow me to remind us of something so significant regarding the Word of God. What we read and hear in the Word does not simply serve to inform us, shedding some however significant light on the person of Jesus and John the Baptist. This is, after all, the divinely inspired Word of God. It is filled with the Holy Spirit, filled with divinity and transcendence. As such, the reading and hearing works to mediate what is being shared in it. These words have power to prepare our hearts for a deep encounter with Jesus Christ, the Son of God. They can expose the sin that needs to be acknowledged so as to clear the way for that encounter. They can give us the present experience of baptism in the Holy Spirit. So once again, we open ourselves to the Word as we read Mark chapter 1, verses 1-8. Let me encourage you, be attentive to the single word, a phrase maybe, an image that stirs you most as you listen. The Beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God As it is written in Isaiah the prophet, Behold, I am sending my messenger ahead of you. He will prepare your way. A voice of one crying out in the desert, Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths. John the Baptist appeared in the desert proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. People of the whole Judean countryside and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the Jordan River, as they acknowledged their sins. John was clothed in camel's hair with a leather belt around his waist. He fed on locusts and wild honey. And this is what he proclaimed, One mightier than I is coming after me. I am not worthy to stoop and loosen the thongs of his sandals. I have baptized you with water. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit. We come now to the second step of our prayer with the gospel, meditation. Here we pause to ponder and reflect on what has stood out to us, that word and phrase or image from the gospel that speaks most powerfully to us. Personally, it is the atmosphere of preparation that has my attention most powerfully. I think many of us have traditions and memories surrounding preparation for the celebration of Christmas. I think of myself as a child and the hours I spent with those huge Sears and Montgomery Ward catalogs, how effective they were at fanning into flame a child's desire and anticipation for good things under the Christmas tree. As I was too, in my family, the going out to cut down the tree, the putting it up and all the decorating, oh my, to revisit year after year those treasures of bulbs and ornaments for the tree. I have too a wonderful memory of being held in my father's arms in the still dark early morning hours and seeing the lights from the Christmas tree magically bouncing off dad's glasses. Those big catalogs, of course, don't come in the mail anymore, and I'm not sure that they could do much to stir my imagination anyways. Now, while still enjoying the decorating for Christmas, there are other practices that serve to prepare me for the Christmas mystery, the birth of Jesus Christ. Those practices are things like daily prayer, the sacraments, and, of course, this sharing of the gospel with you. In a time of mature discipleship, these practices serve to create the atmosphere of preparation. Even now, in this moment, I can sense a way opening up in me with longing and anticipation for a new encounter with Jesus, the Son of God. Friends, what characterizes your atmosphere of preparation for Jesus' coming? As one part of that, let me invite you again to continue to sit with this gospel passage. What is it saying to you? How is it moving in your spirit? Talk to Jesus about what His Word is doing in you now. And before leaving prayer, be sure to intentionally place the Word you have received deep in your spirit where the Lord might bring it growth throughout this week ahead. And, friends, it is a joy to share the gospel with you.