PREPARING FOR THE EXTRAORDINARY:
POINTING TO THE LIGHT
Bible readings
Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11
The spirit of the Lord God is upon mebecause the Lord has anointed me;
he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed,
to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives
and release to the prisoners,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour
and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn,
to provide for those who mourn in Zion—
to give them a garland instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness instead of mourning,
the mantle of praise instead of a faint spirit.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
the planting of the Lord, to display his glory.
the planting of the Lord, to display his glory.
They shall build up the ancient ruins;
they shall raise up the former devastations;
they shall repair the ruined cities,
the devastations of many generations.
they shall raise up the former devastations;
they shall repair the ruined cities,
the devastations of many generations.
For I, the Lord, love justice,
I hate robbery and wrongdoing;
I will faithfully give them their recompense,
and I will make an everlasting covenant with them.
I hate robbery and wrongdoing;
I will faithfully give them their recompense,
and I will make an everlasting covenant with them.
Their descendants shall be known among the nations
and their offspring among the peoples;
all who see them shall acknowledge
that they are a people whom the Lord has blessed.
and their offspring among the peoples;
all who see them shall acknowledge
that they are a people whom the Lord has blessed.
I will greatly rejoice in the Lord;
my whole being shall exult in my God,
for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation;
he has covered me with the robe of righteousness,
as a bridegroom decks himself with a garland
and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
my whole being shall exult in my God,
for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation;
he has covered me with the robe of righteousness,
as a bridegroom decks himself with a garland
and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
For as the earth brings forth its shoots
and as a garden causes what is sown in it to spring up,
so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise
to spring up before all the nations.
and as a garden causes what is sown in it to spring up,
so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise
to spring up before all the nations.
John 1:6-8, 19-28
There was a man sent from God whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light.This is the testimony given by John when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” He confessed and did not deny it, but he confessed, “I am not the Messiah.” And they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the prophet?” He answered, “No.” Then they said to him, “Who are you? Let us have an answer for those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?” He said,
“I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness,
Make straight the way of the Lord’”,
Make straight the way of the Lord’”,
as the prophet Isaiah said.
Now they had been sent from the Pharisees. They asked him, “Why, then, are you baptizing if you are neither the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the prophet?”
John answered them, “I baptize with water. Among you stands one whom you do not know, the one who is coming after me; I am not worthy to untie the strap of his sandal.”
John answered them, “I baptize with water. Among you stands one whom you do not know, the one who is coming after me; I am not worthy to untie the strap of his sandal.”
This took place in Bethany across the Jordan where John was baptizing.
Advent liturgy
Thanks to the Revd Elaine Halls
Our Advent candles flicker,
casting shadows spreading light,
giving witness in the everyday,
telling stories old and new.
Advent God,
shine from us today.
When we’ve encountered God,
we have a truth to tell.
When we have seen God’s light,
we have a light to share.
Advent God,
shine from us today.
When our lives seem ordinary
and full of faltering steps,
God’s light still shines
and bids us go and tell.
Advent God,
shine from us today.
We share our very ordinary,
our sorrows, joys and faith,
and trust that those we share with
will glimpse the light of God.
Advent God,
shine from us today.
Advent God, we may feel we are not worthy to share your
extraordinary message.
We may feel we’ll get it wrong; we don’t know all the answers.
We may feel we do not have the words; not erudite enough.
Shine upon us, light our path that may speak and show and tell what you have done for us.
Amen
Reflection
“Among you stands one whom you do not know, the one who is coming after me”
This is the claim from John the Baptist, Jesus’s cousin, who came as a witness to point people towards Jesus, the Light of the World.
As we put up our Christmas trees, our windows are full of light for others to see; a signal that Christmas is coming. The shepherds and magi were led to Jesus by the message from the angels and the light of a star.
At our Christmas Eve carol service, our church is flooded by candlelight as we retell the Christmas story. We are each called to share our God story, and together as a church we light the way for others to see and experience Jesus’s love.
Have you been inspired by someone else’s God story?
Take a few moments to:
- Consider one thing you would like a prayer for - you might want to write this on a bauble and add it to our church railings.
- Reflect on conversations you’ve had where you have seen God clearer.
- Quietly ask God to flood our lives with light so that we may shine brightly for others.
- Focus on the words of this lovely carol.