During the Advent season we were encouraged to think about John the Baptist preparing the way of the Lord with Luke’s quotation of the prophet Isaiah: ‘The voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord’ (Luke 3:4). Interestingly though, in Isaiah 40:3, the prophet himself phrases things slightly differently and says, ‘A voice cries: In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord.’ (italics mine).
As we begin our journey into another year, Isaiah’s call serves to remind us of the calling God has given each one of us as Christians. John the Baptist’s vocation in the wilderness was to prepare the way for Jesus the Messiah to come to the people of Israel. And likewise, we too live in a wilderness: a wilderness of sin and suffering, of war and sickness. God’s call to us in this new year is to prepare a way for the Lord to come, not only in our own hearts through repentance, but also to people and communities around us as we model God’s love and compassion.
Baptism
Huge congratulations to Edwin & Jessica Middleton of Kill parish, whose daughter Sophia was welcomed into the church at a United Service of Baptism on Sunday 7th December. We pray for God’s blessing upon Sophia. May she know God’s goodness in her life as she grows.
