Second Sunday of Advent

1st Reading: Isaiah 40:1-5, 9-11 The glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all mankind shall see it

2nd Reading: 2Peter:3:8-14 We are waiting for the new heavens and the new earth

Gospel: Mark 1:1-8 A voice cries in the wilderness: prepare a way for the Lord

The first Advent wreath appeared in Germany in 1839, the evergreen reminds us of life(its winter in the northern hemisphere) and the circle reminds us of God's unending love.

The second candle of the Advent wreath is called the Bethlehem candle. It symbolises faith and reminds us about the experience of Joseph and Mary in Bethlehem.

Two Gospels         REFLECTION by Fr Michael Tate

John immersed, baptised, his followers in water, symbolising the washing away of the sins of the past. But he could not empower people by drenching them in the dynamic life of God. John anticipates ‘Someone’ (not named!) who does have the power to inundate, baptise, people with the Holy Spirit.

From the heading of St Mark’s Gospel, we know that that ‘Someone’ is ‘Jesus Christ, Son of God’ who came to flood our lives with that Divine Power which can effect a completely new future for humanity.

That is why St Mark took the term ‘gospel’ (good news) which was used on inscriptions announcing an Emperor’s birth or victory, and used it to describe his inspired rendering of the mission of Jesus Christ, which was to inaugurate the ‘Kingdom of God’, overcoming the pretensions of all Emperors of any kind throughout history.

We could pause for a moment to thank God for the Good News of our being baptised with water in the ‘Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.’

Mrs Christine Meharg