Presence

God is always calling to me, in a still, small voice. Can I hear it? Help me to enter this Sacred Space to hear your voice as you speak to me now, Lord…

Gospel

Mark 1:1-8 NRSVue

The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ.

As it is written in the prophet Isaiah,

“See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way,

the voice of one crying out in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord; make his paths straight,’ ”

so John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And the whole Judean region and all the people of Jerusalem were going out to him and were baptized by him in the River Jordan, confessing their sins. Now John was clothed with camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. He proclaimed, “The one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the strap of his sandals. I have baptized you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

Gospel Reflection

John the Baptist fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah in introducing Jesus and preparing the way for him. He proclaimed repentance in the wilderness, drawing large crowds. Lord, may we find you in the wilderness of this time and draw inspiration from John in living simply and in pointing to you as the Way, the Truth and the Life. (John 14:6)

One who is wise and humble, such as John the Baptist was, does not say too much or draw a lot of attention to themselves. May we imitate John, in witnessing to Christ through our lives, through what we say and don’t say, through our actions and our lived out values, and in that way, draw others to the heart of Jesus and the life He has to offer them.

An Advent Reflection

Inspired by John the Baptist’s simple life in the desert, we might give a thought as to how we treat God’s Creation this Advent and during the Christmas season. Can we make the decision to care for Creation this Christmas? For example, we can be mindful of how much we buy, what we buy, the kinds of businesses we support, (perhaps choosing to support small, local and ethical businesses); we can think about the amount of food we cook so as not to produce a lot of waste and have more leftovers than we can use; we could make an effort to be creative in the type of packaging we use to wrap our Christmas gifts, such as using pretty scarves or bags that can be reused, or using recycled paper which we then take care to recycle afterwards also; we can try to minimise the consumption of single-use materials and disposable items and so on. In our hope for a joyful Christmas, we can extend that to include a care for the earth and all of God’s Creation! Additionally, we can take time to be grateful for the beauty in the simple appreciation and enjoyment of the natural world around us, for example, in the delicate petals of a winter flower or in the tracery of the bare trees branching across the sky. With all Creation we welcome the Lord, who is the Creator of both the heavens and the earth!

Closing Prayer

Heavenly Father, show me concrete ways, however small, that I can care for the environment and all life that shares this planet, and in doing so, point to You, the One who created it all. Help me to follow the radical example of John the Baptist in living simply, embracing a spirit of poverty, and witnessing to Jesus Christ by the kind of life I lead. May I always share what I have with others, knowing that nothing is really mine, but that all things come from You.  Amen.