December 12, 2020

Breaking Open the Scripture Scripture for December 13th: Isaiah 61:1-4, Psalm 126, 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24, John 1:6-8, 19-28; Song: Hark the Herald Angels Sing UMH 240 John: Advent is the time when John the Baptist says prepare the way. We are always reminded of John’s role in the story of salvation for the second and third Sunday’s of Advent. The book of John starts out with an introduction to John the Baptist. In John, John the Baptist is a witness to the power of the messiah. He says that he saw the doves above Jesus was he was being baptized. His purpose is to tell others about the messiah so that they will know also. We hear his story to remind us that we too are to be a witness to the power of the messiah. During advent we announce the good news that Jesus is not just coming into our lives, the Spirit of Christ is already here. There are signs all around us that God is present. We just have to be willing to open our eyes and see them. Isaiah: The long book of Isaiah is not written by one person to one audience. It is a historical book, written at different times by different scribes. This is known as Third Isaiah, the latest of the writers. This is also the verse in Luke where Jesus comes to the synagogue and announces that the Spirit of the Lord is upon me” After he is baptized, and goes into the wilderness, the next thing he does is go the synagogue and announce his mission – The Spirit of the Lord is upon me to bring good news to those who need it. He is explaining what it means to be the messiah and to offer healing and salvation to others. Isaiah is the prophecy that there will be help for our modern problems. Jesus promised to be there for us. Will we be there for him? Questions: Who is the person calling in the wilderness today? How are you a witness to the power of Christ? How are you fulfilling Christ mission to the world?