Advent day 7 - The word as a wordle for Advent II

Tomorrow's Gospel reading from Mark 1:1-8 as a word cloud...

The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God, 2 as it is written in Isaiah the prophet:

   “I will send my messenger ahead of you,
who will prepare your way”—
3 “a voice of one calling in the wilderness,
‘Prepare the way for the Lord,
make straight paths for him.’”

 4 And so John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 5 The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem went out to him. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River. 6 John wore clothing made of camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. 7 And this was his message: “After me comes the one more powerful than I, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. 8 I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

The key to the good news about Jesus the Messaiah the Son of God, begins with recognising that we are not the centre of the universe, that we are not all that matters. As we stumble through the spiritual and emotional wilderness that our lives so often are, we are confronted, by God, with our deepest longings - to be made new, to be better people.

Advent is not self-help in spiritual clothing. Advent is about us getting our house in order as far as we are each able, but God doing the rest.