Advent 2b (Love – Just the beginning)
December 4, 2011 Mark 1:1-8
Growing up – played Basketball
Practiced free-throws
Jumped rope – to jump higher and faster
Ran lines to be quick from point to point.
Now – Running a marathon:
o Training schedule
o Wearing the right shoes, shirts, shorts
o Have to find time to run throughout the week
o Can’t just show up and expect to do well
o Have to prepare accordingly
· In all you do – you have to prepare.
Last week talked about:
Hope and the importance of waiting
This Week our emphasis is on:
Love, and the need to prepare
It’s out of God’s love for us that he sent his son:
John 3:16
Ø It is out of our love of God that we prepare…
Ø It is out of our love of others that we prepare…
Prepare your hearts for the coming of the Messiah
Isaiah 40:1-5
v “Comfort my people,
v Listen to my prophets
v Make a straight highway, Fill in the valleys
v Straighten the curves, and smooth out the rough places.
Ø Then the glory of the Lord will be revealed,
2 Timothy 4:1-5
2 Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction
5 But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.
The question is:
How are you Preparing your hearts for the coming of Christ?
How are you preparing for the coming of the Messiah
How are you preparing for the coming of the incarnate?
How are you Preparing to bring Christ, the “Light”, to the World?
2 Peter 3:14-15 14 And so, dear friends, while you are waiting for these things to happen, make every effort to be found living peaceful lives that are pure and blameless in his sight. 15 And remember, the Lord’s patience gives people time to be saved.
Mark:
Unlike the other Gospel writers:
· Mark doesn’t list out the family tree –
· or the nativity story.
· He starts with:
Mark 1:1-3 This is the Good News about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God.[a] It began 2 just as the prophet Isaiah had written:
“Look, I am sending my messenger ahead of you,
and he will prepare your way.[b]
3 He is a voice shouting in the wilderness,
‘Prepare the way for the Lord’s coming!
Clear the road for him!’[c]”
and he will prepare your way.[b]
3 He is a voice shouting in the wilderness,
‘Prepare the way for the Lord’s coming!
Clear the road for him!’[c]”
Mark gets a lot of flack for rushing through the story.
Ø Leaving out key details
Ø Just giving the quick version
· But he believed the Return was soon and that we all need to prepare.
· We all need to act swiftly.
· We have no time to waste.
Run. Train. Prepare.
Trim your “wicks”
Get out your lighter
Take the light of Christ to the world!
As you go, Prepare your hearts for the incarnate! Go and Love!
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