THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK
As John the Baptiser prepared God’s people for the Messiah, so he prepares us, in this Advent season, to receive God’s Reign in a deeper way. The Lectionary this week calls us to anticipate the new order that is established by God’s Messenger, as well as the peace and well-being that we find in God’s new world.
One thing that this “voice in the wilderness” made very clear is that God’s Reign is not just a “place” or a “state of being” that we receive passively. Although we become citizens of God’s Reign purely by grace, when we become part of God’s new world, God’s new world becomes part of us. This means that who we are, what we think, how we feel, and how we behave are all shaped and formed by the values and purposes of God’s Reign. It’s not just Jesus that we invite into our hearts, but God’s new way of being. And when this happens, God’s new world begins to be reflected in us as it flows through every dream, every interaction, and every moment of our lives. This is why we are never born into God’s Reign. We are only ever born again into it – it requires a remaking of who we are, a true baptism with the Holy Spirit and fire!
This week we will explore what it means to allow God’s new world to take hold of us.
To download this week’s reflections in PDF format, click here.
