Lord Jesus Christ, in your resurrection you appeared as the Morning Star that knows no setting: Dawn upon the darkness of the human heart so that the deathly orders of this world may be overcome and your whole creating made new; for with the Father and the Holy Spirit, you live and reign, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
(THE ADVENT PROJECT)
Daily Readings
Day 1: Isaiah 40:1-11
Day 2: Isaiah 40:12-20
Day 3: Isaiah 40:21-31
Day 4: Mark 1:1-9
Day 5: Mark 1:10-15
Day 6: II Peter 3:1-10
Day 7: II Peter 3:11-18
Reflection
I extended the appointed lectionary reading for this week to include the prologue of John. In the Synoptic gospels, John is named as John the Baptist, but in John is a martyr, a witness to Jesus.
Our role in the world is the same as John’s, to witness to all that God has done through Jesus. Certainly baptism is a part of our witness, but there’s more to witnessing than baptism . Our liturgy is a witness– we confess our sins, are absolved of our sins, confess our faith, participate in the sacrament of Holy Communion, and are blessed to go out into the word as witnesses.
We believe in a God was before creation, who created all that was, and is, and will ever be out of nothing. A God who took on flesh, died for us and our sins, rose from the dead, ascended to the heavens, and who sits at the right hand of the Father.
The way we gather as a community of witnesses has changed during the pandemic, but the church has been here before. This isn’t the first pandemic the church has faced and it likely won’t be our last. As we continue to journey through this season together may we continue to confess in the who was, and is, and is yet to come– the morning sun who breaks into our darkest nights and claims us as his own. Amen.
O Radiant Dawn, splendor of eternal light, sun of justice:
come and shine on those who dwell in darkness
and in the shadow of death!
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