Second Sunday of Advent 2025 скачать в хорошем качестве

Second Sunday of Advent 2025

“Voice crying in the wilderness: prepare the way!” Matthew 3:1-12 Repent. Wilderness. Prepare a way. The word Repent in Hebrew means “to turn.” To turn away from whatever keeps us from being in right relationship to God. Our sins are anything that keeps us from that right relationship. John’s message sounds harsh and undiplomatic to us. It seems out of keeping with the soft, warm feelings of the Christmas season, but it’s motivated entirely by a loving desire to shake us awake and get us to turn back to God. When we are determined to follow our own path, we can find ourselves turning away from God, rather than drawing closer. John the Baptist’s voice cries out to us: Stop, look, listen and turn! God is with us, even when we do make wrong turns. But Advent is our time to turn and realign our calling, our ministry, so that everything can be in right relationship with God, with creation and with our human siblings. We start by preparing our hearts to be open to the promptings of God’s spirit. With open hearts, it becomes clear to us – maybe not clear where we are or where we are going – but clarity, the ability to be at peace with who we are and where we are at. Wilderness – is a fair description of where many of us find ourselves right now amidst national and global chaos and financial and health challenges. God’s voice crying out through the prophets of old and through our ministries, resonates today. Locusts stand for the protein of God’s Word while the honey represents the sweetness of God’s Spirit. The protein needed this Advent is equal rights, human rights, economic rights, respect and dignity for all. These are messages we are uniquely called to deliver and messages that can be wrapped in honey – the sweet love of God that the world is ready to taste. Listen to what Jesus says to you this Advent. Our voices calling from the wilderness, need to be heard. Path – the Hebrew here is more like highway or a level path. The “straight” way isn’t necessarily the correct way. Paths have turns and bends – even interstate highways don’t always follow a straight line. Yet what a huge difference between walking where there is no path, and coming upon a level, well-made road. I am not a construction engineer, yet here we are, called to build highways. Fortunately, not out of concrete or asphalt, but paths leading to the Lord of Life and Love. Repentance doesn't mean groveling. John is not asking the crowds or us who visit him in the wilderness to feel bad. He's asking them to do good. To create a new, level path. We are God's people, and John just wants us to act like it. Stir up our hearts, O Lord, to make ready the way of Your peaceful and loving Child, that by Jesus’ coming we may be enabled to serve You. Hear this reading from Psalm 98: O sing to the LORD a new song, for God has done marvelous things. Whose right hand and his holy arm have gotten him victory. The LORD has made known this victory; God has revealed vindication in the sight of the nations. God has remembered their steadfast love and faithfulness to the house of Israel. All the ends of the earth have seen the victory of our God. Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth; break forth into joyous song and sing praises. Sing praises to the LORD with the lyre, with the lyre and the sound of melody. With trumpets and the sound of the horn make a joyful noise before our Divine Ruler, the LORD. Let the sea roar and all that fills it, the world and those who live in it. Let the floods clap their hands; let the hills sing together for joy at the presence of the LORD, for God is coming to judge the earth. God will judge the world with righteousness and the peoples with equity. Please rise, whether in body or spirit as you are able. Hear this Good News reading from Matthew, Chapter 3, verses 1 through 12: In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea and saying, “Repent, for the kindom of heaven has come near.” This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah: “A voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for this one.’” --- #Lesbian #Gay #Bisexual #Bi #Transgender #Trans #Queer #LGBT #LGBTQ #LGBTQIA For more information, follow us on different platforms: Website: https://mccchurch.org/ Facebook:   / mccchurch   Instagram:   / mcc_church   Threads: https://www.threads.net/@mcc_church Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/mccdenominat... LinkedIn:   / universal-fellowship-of-metropolitan-commu...   YouTube:    / metropolitancommunitychurches   Tiktok:   / mcc.denomination   Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/mccchurch