The Second Week of Advent
As we begin this week we find ourselves set into a clear time and place as St. Luke sets out to set our for us the coming on of the stage St. John the Baptist. All the other key historic figures and religious leaders are named, but then God’s Word comes to a preacher in the desert. A place unlikely to be seen as a point from which God would proclaim the initiation of His Kingdom, where the Old world passes and the new age begins.
You see people are in High Expectation, the Prophet voice had been quite, had been silenced for over 500 years. But you see God’s language is Silence, in the quiet of the desert in a place of Great silence, John the Baptist receives God’s Word. We hear the voice crying out in the desert that speaks to the total transformation with Mountains laid low, lowly places raised and the roads straightened out. This great Voice requires our true hearing, better yet listening to the voice of God speaking to us.
We need in the midst of not just this Advent Season, but the Mountains and Hills in our spiritual lives need to be laid waste so that God can enter more easily into our lives. Those areas where we get it right and do it well, namely live for Christ, lets raise that, accentuate the positive in our lives, and lay waste the obstacles in our lives.
God desires in a new and deeper way to enter in the very center of our lives. I mentioned in the past, and I repeat it. Whenever, wherever and whatever is happening our lives we need to not only invite Christ, but we also recognize his presence. He is here, he is desiring to enter in. Let us not be focused on the obstacles, persons, and things that keep us from letting Jesus in. Let us turn to him that is so desiring to enter in and transform our world. We should listen and hope with great expectation that God will do something new in a us. A deep sense of power to move the mountains in our lives, to raise the valley’s to see and value that which is good in us, or fill in the empty places.
The entire image of the Gospel of Luke that we hear from this week is meant to move us to a place where we can expect God to do great things in our lives. Not just at Christmas but throughout our lives. It is a powerful transformative message.
We this transformative power in the person of a young woman Mary who this we celebrate as the Immaculate Conception, she being instrumental and a part of God’s redemptive plan for the world. That her willingness to ultimately say yes to the God and allow herself to be used by Him is an awesome and great witness for us. As Mary is God’s instrument for hope we to can expect that God desires to use each of us to be His instruments in transforming our world, to place of Peace, Love, Justice and Freedom. It isn’t with the great and powerful of the word and aligning with them, but rather it is with the true King of Kings and Lord of Lords who awaits to breakthrough again into our lives and our world.
Expect great things from God and Listen to God’s Language of Silence.