ADVENT MEDITATIONS: Second Sunday of Advent
PSALM: am: 85, 148,149,150 pm: 114, 115
OT: Isaiah 5:1-7
EPISTLE: 2 Peter 3:11-18
GOSPEL: St Luke 7:28-35
Second Sunday of Advent: In today’s lessons taken from the Office lectionary for the, the author of second Peter puts a searing question before us: what kind of people ought you to be?This might be one of the pivotal questions one might consider in Advent. We, the people of God called to Church, are living amidst a culture of consumerism, self-aggrandizement and at times violence. The question is “what kind of people we are becoming if our message as people of faith does not stand against the message of the culture?” This is especially difficult as we consider relationships with family and friends who may not share our faith and view. The fact is that Advent is an opportunity to change things, to do something’s different to stand against the message of the culture and to embrace the message of the Gospel. As believers in the Lord Jesus Christ and his promises we are to live differently than the culture because we have a hope and promise of a new world, a new way of valuing, living and even dying.
How we understand our call and what we ought to be does form our attitudes and hence our actions, which in turn may offer a faithful witness to this world of how a disciple readies for the Christ. Conversely, we can also witness, that being a Christian in a consumer culture is no different from the consumerists, who are getting the jump start on their Lord’s Day by lining up early for the early bird 25% off special. The problem is that the new widescreen television or Smartphone is not the only thing marked down on the Second Sunday of Advent. If we are not embracing the reality that we ought to live holy and godly lives as we look forward to the day of God and speed its coming, (as it says in the 12th verse of 2nd Peter) we also devalue our own faith and witness.
PRAYER: Almighty and merciful God, may no earthly undertaking hinder those who set out in haste to meet your Son, but may our learning of heavenly wisdom grant us admittance to His company, we ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen
Spiritual DISCIPLINE: In northern Nigeria, simply attending church is an act of extreme courage. Attacks and church bombings have become almost weekly occurrences. Muslim extremists often attack on holy days, so the threat to our brothers and sisters is even more acute now as they strive to be what they ought to be under great persecution. The Voice of the Martyrs I seeking to reach out to our brother and sisters there this Christmas with a care package. Go to https://secure.persecution.com/p-5833-support-for-christians-facing-islamic-extremists.aspx
ANCIENT WISDOM/PRESENT GRACE: “Idolatry is committed, not merely by setting up false gods, but also by setting up false devils; by making men afraid of war or alcohol, or economic law, when they should be afraid of spiritual corruption and cowardice.”-G.K.Chesterton
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