The One with All Power is Coming – 6 December, 2020

At this time of year, when our stress levels are out of balance, and our emotions are all over the map, God comes to us. God meets us on the road and leads us to level ground. . . We remember that we are people of the earth, created in God’s image, yet in need of healing and hope.

. . . Christ is coming, the one who feeds his flock like a shepherd; the one who gathers the lambs in his bosom and carries them close to his heart; the one who leads us to a God who cares for us and nurtures us like a mother. In the midst of the worries, fear, and loneliness of these winter days, God comes to bring tidings of comfort and joy. –– Craig M. Mueller

Mark 1:1-8

The opening words of Mark’s Gospel. . . serve to remind us that in the cycle of the church year, the story of Jesus begins long before his birth in Bethlehem. One common thread running through the texts from Peter and Mark is the emphasis on human preparation for the promise of God’s salvation. John the Baptizer (Mark identifies John by function as baptizer rather than by title of the Baptist) urged his hearers to repent as preparation to receive the Messiah, who was about to come onto the scene. John offered hope (in the Messiah), as well as a way to enter into that hope, through repentance and baptism. –– Carol J. Noren

Isaiah 40:1-11

Isaiah 40 captures the call of an anonymous prophet during the exile in the sixth century B.C.E. The focus of this passage is on the message. . . that the end of the misery and grief of the exile was in sight. The exiles’ basis for hope was that change, for the better, was just around the corner.

The purpose of Second Isaiah’s message was two-fold: (1) to convince the exiles that God was in control (world events were the work of God, not merely chance), and (2) that God had forgiven them and would soon bring about their salvation. This text is a good fit for Advent as it reminds us that as suffering comes to an end and forgiveness is granted, a new relationship between God and God’s people will spring forth. –– Carol J. Noren

2 Peter 3:8-15a

The instructions about God’s future judgment … in this text arose in response to scoffers who found the idea of Christ’s second coming to be implausible. The writer sought to persuade his listeners that God’s judgment would come, although the timing of it was unknown. Therefore, it was imperative that the listeners live appropriately (“leading lives of holiness and godliness”) so they would reap the blessings of God’s promised, eternal, new creation.

While highlighting the promise of Christ’s return and God’s future judgment upon humanity (events out of our control and resting on God’s unpredictable timetable), the lesson from Peter invites the listeners to control what is within their reach—their own behavior—in order to receive salvation. There does seem to be a greater emphasis on believers’ responsibility to live appropriately in order to receive salvation, rather than on God’s grace (bordering on works righteousness). –– Carol J. Noren

Craig M. Mueller is pastor of Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, Chicago, Illinois.

Carol J. Noren, a United Methodist pastor, is professor emeritus of homiletics at North Park Theological Seminary. Her published works focus on worship and preaching.

Homily Service 42, no. 1 (2008): 16-25.