All Scriptures are from The Message Version
It is helpful to use this blog as a discussion starter for two or more people but it will also stimulate some thoughts if used by one reader. The material is used by a Sunday Study Group at Hamilton Christian Church in St. Louis, Missouri. Commentaries for these scriptures can be found on Textweek through this link http://www.textweek.com/yearb/adventb2.htm.
This second Sunday in Advent the Lectionary scriptures continue the theme of preparation, preparing for good news, preparing for salvation. We will look at three stories about preparation, two from the New and one from the Old Testament. The first is from Isaiah:
Isaiah has three sections and possibly three authors, today’s scripture is a sudden transition from the prophecy by ‘first’ Isaiah to King Hezekiah that the Israelites would be exiled into Babylon. Written at some time during the exile it is intended to bring good news to the exiles, probably intended to encourage them to return to Jerusalem after decades of living as aliens in a strange land.
Isaiah 40:1-5 "Comfort, oh comfort my people," says your God. "Speak softly and tenderly to Jerusalem, but also make it very clear that she has served her sentence, that her sin is taken care of—forgiven! She's been punished enough and more than enough, and now it's over and done with." Thunder in the desert! "Prepare for God's arrival! Make the road straight and smooth, a highway fit for our God. Fill in the valleys, level off the hills, Smooth out the ruts, clear out the rocks. Then God's bright glory will shine and everyone will see it. Yes. Just as God has said."
• What words strike you in this scripture? What image of God is painted in these verses? What has prepared the people for the return of God’s favor?
• Isaiah uses the imagery of building a road fitting for the coming of God to the chosen people. Does it seem that the preparation be easy? What kind of road do you envision the scripture describes? Is it clear who will do the road building?
• Why is the preparation important? What will be the end result?
• Can the preparation Isaiah calls for in the road construction serve as a metaphor for the preparation that people need to make in order for God to “shine … bright” in their lives? What are some ways in which our church community is helping us prepare the way? Are there other ways you plan to become spiritually prepared for Christmas? How might our preparation make “God’s bright glory…shine”?
Another preparation scripture comes from Mark 1:
4-6John the Baptizer appeared in the wild, preaching a baptism of life-change that leads to forgiveness of sins. People thronged to him from Judea and Jerusalem and, as they confessed their sins, were baptized by him in the Jordan River into a changed life. John wore a camel-hair habit, tied at the waist with a leather belt. He ate locusts and wild field honey.
7-8As he preached he said, "The real action comes next: The star in this drama, to whom I'm a mere stagehand, will change your life. I'm baptizing you here in the river, turning your old life in for a kingdom life. His baptism—a holy baptism by the Holy Spirit—will change you from the inside out."
• John prepares the way for Jesus in this opening scripture from Mark’s Gospel, how does he prepare the people? What seems to be the response? Do you think that there might be some parallels in contemporary society?
• How is John described? Does he point to “Then God's bright glory will shine and everyone will see it” as Isaiah proclaimed? Does this story of preparation share any of the majesty of Isaiah’s picture? Did Jesus live among humankind in glory?
• What kind of baptism does John tell the people he is giving them? Read the summary from Wikipedia below describing the meaning of a Jewish ceremony akin to baptism. What does its purpose seem to be and how does it fit the principle of “turning your old life in for kingdom life”
Jewish Tvilah
Although the term "baptism" is not used to describe the Jewish rituals, the purification rites in Jewish laws and tradition, called "Tvilah", have some similarity to baptism, and the two have been linked. The "Tvilah" is the act of immersion in natural sourced water, called a "Mikvah" In the Jewish Bible and other Jewish texts, immersion in water for ritual purification was established for restoration to a condition of "ritual purity" in specific circumstances. For example, Jews who (according to the Law of Moses) became ritually defiled by contact with a corpse had to use the mikvah before being allowed to participate in the Holy Temple. Immersion is required for converts to Judaism as part of their conversion. Immersion in the mikvah represents a change in status in regards to purification, restoration, and qualification for full religious participation in the life of the community, ensuring that the cleansed person will not impose uncleanness on property or its owners. • How does John describe the baptism Jesus will initiate? What does this mean to you? What do you believe the result of your baptism was?
2 Peter 3 points out another fact about our preparation – God has already come among us – we need to prepare for the second coming:
Don't overlook the obvious here, friends. With God, one day is as good as a thousand years, a thousand years as a day. God isn't late with his promise as some measure lateness. He is restraining himself on account of you, holding back the End because he doesn't want anyone lost. He's giving everyone space and time to change… Since everything here today might well be gone tomorrow, do you see how essential it is to live a holy life? Daily expect the Day of God, eager for its arrival… So, my dear friends, since this is what you have to look forward to, do your very best to be found living at your best, in purity and peace. Interpret our Master's patient restraint for what it is: salvation.
• What does the writer of 2 Peter want us to know, what are we preparing for and what do we need to know about it? Why is there a seeming delay in the second coming/establishment of God’s Kingdom on earth? What picture of God do you see in these words?
• How should we prepare, what should we remember, what should lose importance? Is the idea of a second coming important in your spiritual life? If so how does it impact your life?
• Have you ever thought about this theology as you experienced Advent? For us Jesus has already appeared, what comes next? Jesus’ return?
Closing Litany (from Psalm 85)
God, you smiled on your good earth!
You lifted the cloud of guilt from your people,
you put their sins far out of sight.
God's about to pronounce his people well,
The holy people he loves so much,
so they'll never again live like fools.
See how close his salvation is to those who fear him?
Amen
Next Week’s Lectionary Scriptures: 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24, John 1:6-8, 19-28, Psalm 126 or Luke 1:47-55, Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11
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