2nd SUNDAY OF ADVENT (Cycle C)09 December 2018

GOSPEL TEXT:LUKE 3:1–6

Theme: REPENT AND BE TRANSFORMED
I. Opening Prayer
Lord Jesus, may we listen to the voice in the wilderness calling us to repentance and radical
transformation. Grant us the courage to renew our lives as we welcome You constantly in our hearts now
and always. Amen.
II. Key Points
vv1–2…the word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the desert.—prophecy is not given to the powerful and
the elite in the society but to the insignificant person living in the desert; the desert has been a place
where God has shaped His people in their journey towards liberation
v3 proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins—John preached to the people God’s call to
conversion in order to prepare their lives for the coming of the King
v4 A voice of one crying out…Prepare the way of the Lord—in the seeming void reality of the desert, here comes
an urgent call to prepare for the Lord; the reason is the Lord
vv5-6… and all flesh shall see the salvation of God—for us to experience the salvation God has promised for all,
we have to prepare our lives by a radical change of lifestyle and value systems

III.Reflection/Deepening
The Lord is coming. As He comes, His word penetrates us and His voice calls us. The powerful word of
God is able to break into our lives when we leave our pride and seats of power and humble and empty
ourselves. It is in the state of lowliness that God breaks into our realities. Likewise, God’s voice calls us to a
life of transformation. That radical change of life is necessary to make us able to receive God. This is an
urgent call that reverberates in our nothingness.
The Lord cannot find a space in a person that is full of arrogance and pride. He cannot be in a life that is
not directed towards Him and rooted in Him. He cannot be in a heart that does not long for Him.
As the Lord comes to us not only in extraordinary moments but also in ordinary moments of our lives, He
desires that we shall be ready to make Him as the centre of our lives so that we shall experience His saving
love thereby making us His dwelling place.
IV. Sharing Guide:
• As a follower of Jesus, what areas in my life now need transformation?