Pastoral Letter 193
Dear Members of St. Andrew’s Uniting Church, Friends and Adherents,
Grace and Peace to you all.
Last Sunday we commenced the Advent Season. As we have done in the previous years, we lit the Candle of Hope, as we hopefully watch and wait for the Lord’s second coming to establish His Kingdom and save the world. This Sunday we will light the Candle of Peace to remind ourselves of the ways God brings peace into our lives, and we live in the Hope that God will use us for peace through this Advent Season.
Tomorrow also we gather as a congregation, to have our Congregational Meeting after the church service. We will reflect on the year 2023 as we come to its end and all we were able to do by God’s grace, giving thanks to God for the blessings that He gave us during the year on personal and communal level. During the year we were saddened with the losses we had, devastating situation created as a result of wars, such as in Ukraine and Israel/Palestine, as well as the painful experience of the Artsakh people who had to leave behind everything and to become refugees. But we were blessed with so many other things, such as celebrating two anniversaries of the church, including our regular programs. For all those blessed things we thank God.
Next Sunday morning we will have our traditional Carols Service and the following week we will have three services: Christmas Eve, Sunday Morning and Christmas Day services. It will be a busy weekend, before we go into the last week of the year 2023.
If you are not able to join us tomorrow, please light a candle, and join us following the attached Order of Service.
Be safe and well, continue to pray, remembering those who need care, support and love.
Please let me know if you or anyone else has prayer points.
Here are some prayer points for this week:
- Pray that this Advent Season be a blessed season for all of us, as we prepare to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ.
- Pray for the Middle East, the conflict between Israel and Palestine and the suffering of the innocent people as the situation escalates again.
- Pray for the people Artsakh who have been refugees in Armenia facing many challenges.
- Pray for the poor, the sick, the struggling and the stressed.
- Pray for Juliana in RNSH waiting to be transferred to care as she is no longer able to care for herself at home.
- Pray for our church and our future plans as we seek God’s guidance.
Best Regards
Krikor
MESSAGE
Prepare the Way!
Is. 40:1-11 & Mark 1:1-8
The word “prepare” means “to make ready, to make the necessary preparations, to get everything ready”.
There are many things or occasions for which we prepare ourselves and do whatever is necessary. When we know that we are going to have a guest or some guests, we prepare whatever is needed, be it hospitality or cleaning the house. As a group, if we plan to have an activity, such as special worship service, a gathering or a program, we start our preparation several weeks before the set date and time. As organised individuals or groups we love to prepare things. We are good at this, here at St. Andrew’s.
John the Baptist’s job was to prepare the way for the public ministry of Jesus. His teaching and preaching would set the stage for Jesus’ teaching and preaching.
The gospel according to Mark was written by John Mark sometime 60-70 A.D. originally to Roman Gentiles to tell the good news concerning Jesus.
Verses 2-3 come from Isaiah 40:3, Malachi 3:1, and draw from Exodus 23:20, where Mark makes it clear that the gospel is bound fast to the promise of God in the Old Testament and is a continuation of the story of God’s saving activity. Therefore:
1. This is an Old Testament prophecy. According to Mark God’s original messenger was John the Baptist.
John’s task was to make a road for God, and he did this by preaching. The content of his preaching was a firm uncompromising call to all to prepare themselves for the coming of the Lord by turning from their evil ways and turning back to God. Hence his Purpose was proclaiming the good news.
The general custom in ancient times, before a king visited any part of his realm, a messenger was sent before him to prepare the way.
John’s Message was a call for a baptism of “repentance for the forgiveness of sins” (v. 4).
Also, his dress and lifestyle were a protest against the godlessness and self-serving materialism of his day. It amounted to a call to separate oneself from the sinful culture, repent, and live a life focused on God.
2. The New Testament gives a new mandate to God’s contemporary messengers, the Christians, to go out and preach the gospel. Jesus commissioned His disciples and us to go out teaching (Matt. 28:19-20). This is not just a “great suggestion”, but rather a call for commitment to obey and serve the Lord; it was a “great commission”.
Therefore, the purpose is “to seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19:10). Today, we are to announce that Jesus has come and is coming again. This should be our message, a message of peace. That’s the message of Advent, as we are in time of preparation as we said last week, not only preparation for the Christmas festivities, but also preparation for the His second coming.
A. We are to declare the gospel (1 Cor. 15:1-4).
B. Our lives are to be living letters for Jesus (2 Cor. 3:2-3).
The message should be clear: Just as Jesus came the first time; He is coming the second time. The world wasn’t ready for Him the 1st time and they probably will not be ready for Him the 2nd time.
• One out of every 30 verses in the Bible mentions the subject of Christ’s return or the end of time.
• Of the 216 chapters in the New Testament, there are well over 300 references to the return of Jesus Christ.
• Only 4 of the 27 New Testament books fail to mention Christ’s return.
• That means one-twentieth of the entire New Testament is dedicated to the subject of our Lord’s return.
For more than 2,000 years, Christians have believed Jesus Christ would return to this earth, in His “Second Coming” in their generation. Even though Our Lord knew the church would not see that return for two millennia, He wanted each generation to live as though He could come at any time for motivational purposes. Our Lord knew He would “go into a far country”. And after a while He will return and demand an accounting, as He taught in His parables. He knew that routine living was an enemy to spiritual motivation in a physical universe. So, He presented His Second Coming in such a way that Christians would be motivated to live as though He would interrupt their lives and return before their natural life span had ended.
The apostles as well as the 1st century church lived with the expectation that Jesus would come during their lifetime. This expectation motivated them to live holy lives as well as dedicated lives to evangelism and reaching the world for Christ.
My question is: Where has that expectation gone as we are preparing to enter 2024?
John was preparing the way of the Lord.
What about us?
Do we really live as if Jesus were coming back?
Do we really expect that He will come back in our lifetime?
I believe that if we and the world, and in particular the Christian world and the Christians, did live like this it would change the way we live dramatically.
Just as the Bible promised He would come the first time it has also promised that He will come the second time.
The Bible says: “Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.” Luke 21:36
1. Are we preparing the way of the Lord?
2. Are we prepared for the return of the Lord?
These are some things to think about, but not only to think about, rather to act and do the necessary preparations.
Prepare the way!
Amen!