CLEAR THE DECKS
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Opening Prayer
I begin my time with you, Lord God, by praising you for your holiness, thanking you for your love, and asking that you help me to become more like Jesus this year—beginning today.
Read MARK 1:1—8
For additional translations of the passage, use this link to Bible Gateway.
Mark
Mark 1
1 The beginning of the gospel about Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
2 It is written in Isaiah the prophet: “I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way”–
3 “a voice of one calling in the desert, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.'”
4 And so John came, baptizing in the desert region and preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.
5 The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem went out to him. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River.
6 John wore clothing made of camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey.
7 And this was his message: “After me will come one more powerful than I, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie.
8 I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”
Reflect
Have you ever seen a demolition site? Not pretty. What might God want to clear away in your life so that he can get to work this new year?Mark gets straight to the point: God is up to something big. He’s been planning this since before the dawn of creation. He is not sending a message, but a messenger. He is not waiting for humankind to be ready; he is going to make us ready. He is taking the initiative, and that is good news!
The world is about to come under new management. The transition will not be smooth or peaceful. The old regime will not quietly surrender, and the new supreme leader will not meet normal expectations. There will be demolition before a new building is constructed. This will not be easy.
So Mark introduces us to John the Baptist, the demolition specialist whose role is to clear the site for the works to come. John is a charismatic personality who can draw crowds out of the cities and towns into the wilderness with a very disturbing warning about the human condition. Alerting people about sin and its consequences gains John his notoriety, but it will also cost him his life. In so many ways, John makes a straight path for Jesus.
Apply
Like John, we are called to point others toward Jesus in awkward or costly ways. Is there a path Jesus is asking you to straighten? Your call may be directed at a person, a community, or in response to injustice. Ask for strength to do this.
Closing prayer
Holy Spirit, please help me to be a messenger. Direct me and give me words to share that will lead others to Jesus.
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