Mark 1:1-8
1 The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. 2 As it is written in the prophet Isaiah, “See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way; 3 the voice of one crying out in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight,’”
4 John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 5 And people from the whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were going out to him, and were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.6 Now John was clothed with camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. 7 He proclaimed, “The one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the thong of his sandals. 8 I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”
A Voice
Our Gospel passage for this second Sunday in Advent may be summed up by these three seeds of meditation:
A forerunner announced the imminent coming of the Kingdom of God; A voice insisted on serious preparation for the coming of Emmanuel through repentance; and Like the Essenes at Qumran who immersed in the ritual baths twice a day, John baptized with water, yet Jesus brought the unique baptism in the Holy Spirit that is received once and forever.
When we present an application, sign an agreement or receive a certificate, our name is written as it is on our ID. John the Baptist introduced himself, as described by the Prophet Isaiah, as a Voice. You can use a mask to cover your face, but it does not cover your voice.
John the Voice, or John's voice, remains a call to us today that proclaims the Kingdom of God. It reminds us of our need to repent and promises a time of Justice and Peace - which will be realized by One greater than John, Christ the Lord. It is our Christmas tradition to decorate our houses with many items, but our outer decorations will not honor Jesus's birth unless we prepare our hearts and minds to be ready for this Event.
John's voice remains authentic and accurate. He invites us to turn our hearts and minds towards Bethlehem, not as a site and a place where His birth happened once upon a time, but the spiritual Bethlehem where we welcome Jesus into our own house and our own life today. When we concentrate on the Gospel's narration, we discover that the word Emmanuel means God IS with us, present today. John's voice is asking us, "Are you with Him as He IS with you?”
Those who receive Him today are promised joy as they become messengers that call others to join in, reminding them to be instruments of the Justice and Peace that is badly needed in our world today!
Happy are those who, as individuals, families and church members, prepare themselves to celebrate His birth among us and respond to John's voice with firm faith and wonderful humility.
"The Kingdom of God is at hand, Repent!”
Father Kamal - December 6, 2020