Breaking Open the Scripture Scriptures for December 17th: Isaiah 61:1-4,8-11; Psalm 126; 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24; John 1:6-8, 19-28; Third Sunday of Advent Isaiah : Isaiah is the prophecy the foretells the coming of Jesus. When Jesus talks about fulfilling the prophecy, he uses the worlds of Isaiah. In the book of Luke, when Jesus starts his ministry, he gets up in front of a synagogue and tells them that the Spirit of the Lord is upon me to do ministry to those in need. Isaiah uses these words to tell us of the shepherd King who has been sent to help the people in need. He is the messiah, a man who is both gentle and powerful. He will help the people to build a new world that brings joy. He is a man after God’s own heart, because he is God’s own son. We can rejoice because this man cannot change the world alone, it takes his followers to work with him. They must also love God and God’s plan for the world. John: John, like Mark last week starts out the good news by telling the story of Jesus cousin John. John comes to set the stage for the messiah. John came to call the people to repentance. He baptized them, but told them that they needed to be better people. Last week Isaiah said that the way needed to be prepared for Jesus to come. This third Sunday of Advent, we too need to prepare the way. We too need to repent of our ways. We need to listen to the words of John the Baptist. John is the one who knows Jesus’ mission the most. He is the closest witness to the work that Jesus must do. The gospel of John says that John the Baptist was not the light, he was to testify concerning the light of the world. Questions: What are the ways that Jesus proclaimed good news to the poor? How do we continue on in that work? How do we continue the legacy of the shepherd King? Why is John’s message of repentance relevant today? How are we fulfilling John’s testimony to the light? You can view Breaking Open the Scripture online at https://breakingopenthescriptures.blogspot.comYou can view Pastor Harriette’s sermons online at https://aplaceforshalom.blogspot.com