Prepare ye the way of the Lord

 a lot happening in worship this Sunday, our first time in the building together after COVID lockdown 2. 

Prepare ye the way of the Lord
Prepare ye the way of the Lord

For John, it meant telling people about the One who was about to come, the One who would preach, teach, and show a new way to live.

 John spoke of repentance and baptism and living in ways that showed repentance in action. John spoke of sharing resources, of being satisfied with what we have, not stealing from others.  

We live in a different time and culture to John the Baptist, but the call to repentance, to a change of heart is still relevant today. This is not a one time call, each day we choose if we will live as people known and loved and forgiven by God. Each day we choose if we will share the good news in word and action.

This week I have been thinking about preparing the way of the Lord and what that might look like

in 2021,
for people who have been in lockdown due to the pandemic,
people wondering if or when the next lockdown will be 

what might preparing the way of the Lord look like for this Congregation?
With our numbers reduced in the past 2 years due to ageing and deaths and people moving closer to family. 

what might preparing the way of the Lord look like for this Congregation?
As the community around us changes,
As new people move into the area
As more units and townhouses are built
As people commute

what might preparing the way of the Lord look like for this Congregation?
 What do we have to offer to the community around us?
 We have the gospel, the good news of Jesus,
Life transformed by grace

And what many people are looking for is belonging, a safe space to tell their story to connect their life with the God story.

A few weeks ago, some of you gathered as part of a mission planning process. A report was distributed with the Grapevine in early November.
When asked for three prayers for this congregation;
Responses included guidance, wisdom, and confidence; hope for the future, being close to God and being inspired by the Holy Spirit.

When asked what does Broken Bay Uniting Church look like at its best in five years’ time? Your responses included serving the community, being a safe place for people to explore life and faith, being more intergenerational in our activities and worship, and a worship and community life that glorified God.

Church Council will do some more work on the Mission Plan next year so that we can be clear of our focus. We know our resources are limited, ideally, we would employ one or two part-time people, so that the current members of the church are cared for, and we could offer different gatherings for people who are open to a conversation about faith, but this style of gathering isn’t for them.

During Advent we celebrate the birth of Jesus, God incarnate, the promised One who came to live among us, the God who shared our humanity. During Advent, we also look forward, to the time when the kingdom will come in completion.

This is a time when we prepare for the celebration of the birth of Jesus and become more aware of the glimpses of the kingdom in our midst.

Prepare ye the way of the Lord
Prepare ye the way of the Lord

We prepare by repenting,
repenting of stubbornness that prevents us from accepting change
repenting of fear that prevents generosity
repenting of self-interest that keeps society biased against the poor.

We prepare by being honest about the world we live in and our part in the lack of justice and righteousness in the world around us.

We prepare by making room in our lives for God to continue renewing and transforming our hearts and our lives.

During this advent, as we take tentative steps to meet together, may we be open to the Spirit, open to signs and glimpses of the kingdom, and may we allow God to use us as part of making the kingdom more real, here on earth.