December 6, 2020
It is one thing to notice that there is work to be done. It is quite another one to determine that you are the one who needs to do that work! This week’s worship is about commitment. How might we be about the business of lifting valleys and bringing down hills so that the way of the Lord is prepared? It seems beyond us, certainly. Especially when we seem so limited these days. Where do we start? We start with prayer. Not because there isn’t anything else we can do. But because that is where worship always begins. We pray, and we learn to pray, and we practice praying. What are the hills that we need to pray to get moved out of the way so that God’s way can be accessed? What are the valleys, and who is down in those valleys that need to be lifted up so that they can see the one who comes? We don’t pray because we’re helpless. We pray because we know where the power is.
Mark talks about preparing a highway in the desert, about valleys being made low and uneven ground being made smooth. What is this imagery trying to convey?
What was the situation of Mark’s first hearers? How has 2020 felt somewhat similar to being in Israel at the time?
Mark’s first hearers were longing for an end to the wait, for justice to be done, and for Israel to become a true home. How is home both a place of comfort and a place of challenge? How does the church function as both a place of comfort and a place of challenge? How is the season of Advent a calling to a better version of home?
What do we learn about God from these passages?
What are we called to do in these passages? What practices can we take on this week to help prepare ourselves and others to experience the comfort and challenge of God’s grace?
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