“Prepare the way of the Lord!” John the Baptist was the messenger sent by God to prepare the way for us to meet him. Give God the glory!
“On Jordan’s bank the Baptist’s cry, announces that the Lord is nigh. Awake and harken, for he brings, glad tidings of the King of kings! Then cleansed be every life from sin, make straight the way for God within, and let us all our hearts prepare where such a mighty guest may come. Stretch forth your hand, our health restore, and make us rise to fall no more. O let your face upon us shine and fill the world with love divine. All praise to you, eternal Son, whose Advent has our freedom won, whom with the Father we adore, and Holy Spirit, evermore!”
Whatever God predestines comes to pass in his own time. All of Judea was amazed at the birth of John the Baptist and were shaken, and kept asking, “What kind of child is this, that the hand of God is with him? Zacharias then filled with the Holy Spirit prophesied to them regarding John the Baptist, the forerunner of our Lord.
Zacharias said, “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has visited and redeemed his people and has raised up a mighty salvation for us, in the house of his servant David. And you child shall be called the prophet of the highest, for he shall go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways, to give knowledge of salvation unto his people for the remission of their sins, to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death and to guide our feet into the way of peace. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to his Holy Spirit as it was, in the beginning, is now and shall be forevermore.”
“After Zacharias confirmed the name of his son to be John, immediately his mouth was opened after nine months, and his tongue was loosened, and he began praising God.”
Fear came upon all who witnessed what had happened to Zacharias and Elizabeth, and the word traveled throughout the hill country of Judea, and all those who hear kept the words in their hearts saying, “What kind of child is this that the hand of God is with him?”
Today is the third Sunday of Advent and we are lighting the candle of joy, also called the Shepherd’s candle.
A candle is burning, a candle of joy, a candle to welcome brave Mary’s new boy, our hearts filled with wonder, and eyes light and glow, as joy brightens winter like sunshine on snow.
“After Zacharias confirmed the name of his son to be John, immediately his mouth was opened after nine months and his tongue was loosened and he began praising God.”
“Fear came upon all who witnessed what had happened to Elizabeth and Zacharias, and fear came upon them and word traveled throughout the hill country of Judea, and all those who heard them kept them in their hearts saying, what kind of child will this be, for surely the hand of the Lord is with him.”
“After eight days it was time to circumcise the child and they customarily would have called the child by his father Zacharias, but Elizabeth when asked to name the child, she said No, the child will not be called Zacharias but John, the name revealed by the angel.”
Zacharias was unable to speak for the entire time Elizabeth was with child because he did not believe what was told to him that Mary would have a son, so when Mary explicitly said the child would be named John, they said to her, ‘But there is no one among your relatives who is called John’. So they made signs to Zacharias wanting confirmation, but he asked for a writing tablet and wrote saying ‘His name is John’, and they were astonished.”
“Now Elizabeth’s full time came for her to deliver her child and she brought forth a son. When the neighbors and relatives heard how the Lord had blessed Elizabeth and shown great mercy to her, they rejoiced with her.”
“Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say rejoice! The Lord has done great things for us and we are glad.”
After Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting and the baby leaped in her womb she was filled with the Holy Spirit and she said to Mary, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. Blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of those things which were told to her from the Lord.”
Mary was filled with gratitude after being termed barren for many years, and she rejoiced saying, “My soul magnifies the Lord and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior, for he has regarded the lowly state of his maid-servant, for behold, henceforth, all generations will call me blessed; for he who is might has done great things for me and Holy is his name.” To God be the glory!
“Merciful God, who sent your messengers the prophets to preach repentance and prepare the way for our salvation, give us grace to heed their warnings and forsake our sins, that we may greet with joy the coming of Jesus Christ our Redeemer.”
“Hark a thrilling voice is sounding, Christ is nigh it seems to say, cast away the works of darkness, O ye children of the day. Wakened by the solemn warning, from earth’s bondage let us rise, Christ our sun all sloth dispelling, shines upon the mountain skies. Lo! the Lamb so long expected, comes with pardon down from heaven, let us haste with tears of sorrow, one and all to be forgiven. So when next he comes with glory and the world is wrapped in fear, may e with his mercy shield us and with words of love draw near.”
The Angel of the Lord after revealing to Mary that she would have a child in her old age, he reminded Mary, that no word from God will ever fail. And Mary’s response to him was this, “I am the Lord’s servant, may your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her. Luke 2
“Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. In a loud voice she exclaimed, blessed are you among women and blessed is the child you will bear! But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!”