Second Sunday before Advent
“what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?”
Summary
The days are coming when all this will be thrown down,” Jesus tells his followers in Luke 21:5-19, “not one stone will be left.” The day did come when the temple was torn down (as it had been in the past) and the people of God were anxious about the future, fearful about the survival of their faith. Yet, the falling of the temple is used in scripture as a symbol of what needs to be torn down for a new temple to be built and for the people of God to be renewed in God’s image. The safeguarding scandals that have rocked the church have also created fear and anxiety. But Jesus calls us to be unafraid. Our trust in the church may be shaken but our trust in God is renewed. We are the temple of God, the body of Christ, the place where God chooses to dwell on earth. We are the ones called to create a safe church for all: welcoming, inclusive, mindful of the vulnerabilities of those who long for God’s love and care. Micah 6:6-8 reminds us that the power of God and the love of God do not reside in institutions but in our hearts and in our actions. This year’s safeguarding theme is “Action speaks louder”. May our actions be shaped by Christ who teaches us to lift up the downtrodden, strengthen the weak and stand with the powerless in holding the powerful to account. What does the Lord require of us? to do justice, love kindness and walk humbly with our God.
FIRST READING
Micah 6:6-8
“With what shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before God on high? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousands of rivers of oil? Shall I give my first born for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?”
He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?
GOSPEL
Luke 21.5-19
“When some were speaking about the temple, how it was adorned with beautiful stones and gifts dedicated to God, he said, ‘As for these things that you see, the days will come when not one stone will be left upon another; all will be thrown down.’
They asked him, ‘Teacher, when will this be, and what will be the sign that this is about to take place?’ And he said, ‘Beware that you are not led astray; for many will come in my name and say, “I am he!” and, “The time is near!” Do not go after them.
‘When you hear of wars and insurrections, do not be terrified; for these things must take place first, but the end will not follow immediately.’ Then he said to them, ‘Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and plagues; and there will be dreadful portents and great signs from heaven.
‘But before all this occurs, they will arrest you and persecute you; they will hand you over to synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors because of my name. This will give you an opportunity to testify. So make up your minds not to prepare your defence in advance; for I will give you words and a wisdom that none of your opponents will be able to withstand or contradict. You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers, by relatives and friends; and they will put some of you to death. You will be hated by all because of my name. But not a hair of your head will perish. By your endurance you will gain your souls.”
