The work of preparation continues in the Advent journey this week. With a Gospel focus on John the Baptist, preparation for God’s work of forgiveness and restoration comes through as a strong theme.

READINGS:  
Baruch 5:1-9: A prophecy of God’s restoration of Israel in justice and mercy.
OR Malachi 3:1-4: God is sending God’s messenger to prepare for God’s coming, and God’s people and God’s priests will be refined and made pure.

Luke 1:68-79: Zechariah’s song of thanksgiving for God’s rescue of Israel, and his proclamation of his son, John, as the messenger who will prepare the way for God’s coming.

Philippians 1:3-11: Paul’s prayer of thanksgiving for the Philippians, his desire for them to grow in love and purity, and his assurance that Christ will complete the work begun in them.

Luke 3:1-6: John begins his ministry of baptism and preaching, preparing the people for God’s coming.

REFLECTIONS ON THEME:    
God is always coming, always available to God’s people, and always working for restoration. But, receiving God’s coming takes preparation, and so God sends a messenger to do this work, to prepare God’s people for God’s coming. The challenge in these passages is for us to embrace the work of preparation for ourselves – opening ourselves to God’s restoring, cleansing and disturbing work, and making our hearts ready for us to be messengers of God’s restorative justice and mercy to the world.

CONNECTING WITH LIFE:    
GLOBAL APPLICATION: In a world where measurement happens on a quarterly basis, effective preparation is often sacrificed on the altar of expediency and immediacy. We are all too keen to declare the current recession “over” without taking the time to make the necessary changes to correct the flaws in our systems. The same applies to climate change science, addressing poverty, AIDS and conflict. The prophetic message of Advent is that we need to reflect on our brokenness as revealed in times like these, and prepare ourselves to go forward and do the necessary, lasting work of true restoration. These thoughts could apply particularly to the Climate Change Conference which starts tomorrow (Dec. 7) in Copenhagen.
LOCAL APPLICATION: How much of the day do we spend in reaction? So much pain and injustice is caused simply because we react in fear, anger, self-protection or simply impatience. However, if we can develop a prepared heart, we can more easily slow down, reflect and then act with wisdom and grace. Preparation – particularly of the heart – is restorative. It’s a proactive stance that frees us from our selves and our destructive or unhelpful patterns of behaviour and moves us into a life that more easily considers, serves and brings restoration to others. We need John’s to call us to this work of preparation & then we need to be John’s for others.

RESOURCES FOR WORSHIP:
Prayers:
New Days
Messengers

Liturgy:
A Liturgy for Advent & Christmas
A Liturgy of Creation and Communion (If you are picking up on the Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen)

Hymns: 
O Come, O Come Emmanuel
Love Divine All Loves Excelling
Hail To The Lord’s Anointed
Messenger (New Hymn)
Clear The Path (New Hymn)
Hark The Glad Sound!
God With Us (Link to YouTube video)
God Of This City (Link to YouTube video)
God Will Make A Way (Link to YouTube video)
Hear Our Praises (Link to YouTube video)
Over The Mountains And The Sea (I could sing of your love forever) (Link to YouTube video)

Video:
Recapturing Advent (The Work Of The People)
John The Baptist (SermonSpice)
A Voice In The Wilderness (The Work Of The People)

Additional Advent Resources & Reflections:
Sacredise Advent & Christmas Page
GBOD