VOICE - Last Sunday we lit the first candle in our Advent Wreath, the candle of hope. We light it again as we remember that Christ will come again to fulfill all of God's promises to us.

(a person lights the candle of hope)

VOICE - The second candle of Advent is the Candle of Peace. It is sometimes called the Bethlehem Candle to remind us of the place in which preparations were made to receive and cradle the Christ child.

VOICE - Peace is a gift that we must be prepared for. God gives us the gift of peace when we turn to him in faith.

VOICE - The prophet Isaiah calls Christ "the Prince of Peace." Through John the Baptist and all the other prophets, God asks us to prepare our hearts so that he may come in.

VOICE - Our hope is in God, and in his son Jesus Christ. Our peace is found in him. We light this candle today to remind us that he brings peace to all who trust in him.

Light the Second Candle

VOICE - LET US PRAY - Loving God, thank you for the peace you give us through Jesus. Help us prepare our hearts to receive Him. Bless our worship. Guide us in all that we say and do. We ask it in the name of the one born in Bethlehem. Amen.

This week I have had the opportunity to visit an individual with less then six months to live, a nursing facility whose members will never remember that I was even there, people who have lost loved ones in death, people who have been hospitalized for one reason or another. I’ve seen a woman standing on the street corner in Charlotte holding a sign that said "I will do ANYTHING for food." I saw a man walk in front of my van with a shopping cart filled with all his earthly possessions. I have had people sharing with me how they have been hurt by "so called Christians." I have seen marriages coming apart and families broken. I have held a little girl whose teeth are literally rotting out of her mouth who whimpered as she tried to eat the cookie I gave her. I have seen people with cancer, emphysema, and depression.

All of these people were and are in some way in the midst of a wilderness. Yet I venture to say that the wilderness is somewhere none of us would volunteer for duty but rather we might find ourselves doing anything to get away from the wilderness.

But look at the Gospel lesson from Mark this morning - that’s exactly the beginning point of the Gospel of Jesus Christ for him. Is it possible to find God in such a place?

It was in that wilderness that the Way was prepared for the ministry of Jesus. Have you ever stopped and looked at the ministry of Jesus? He went to the lepers, the blind, the crippled, the poor and needy. He went to those whom the Sanhedrin deemed immoral and sinful. A Samaritan woman at a well, a woman taken in adultery - these were the stomping grounds of Jesus and John the Baptizer (Doubt there were Baptists back then!) preceded our Lord and prepared the way for His coming.

Understand me when I say that as present day Disciples of Jesus we MUST take the Gospel into the wilderness. We must follow the example of John and point people not to any ordinary man or woman but to the ONE who can envelope their lives with the Power of His Holy Spirit.

What do we say to someone who is dying with cancer? What do we say to the couple who just lost their baby? What do we say to a little girl whose teeth are rotting and falling out? What do we say to someone who suddenly loses their spouse? What do we say to the hospitalized and those in nursing homes who do not understand a thing we say? What do we say to someone who has been diagnosed with AIDS? What do we say to the person who walks in our office admitting to a desire to commit suicide?

Perhaps the best thing we can do is point them to the one John spoke about:

"The one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the thong of his sandals. . . . He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit."

Isaiah speaks to the wilderness in this fashion:

"A voice cries out: "In the wilderness prepare the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God."

Can you not hear the voice of the Prophet with me this morning?

"Get you up to a high mountain, O Zion, herald of good tidings; lift up your voice with strength, O Jerusalem, herald of good tidings, lift it up, do not fear; say to the cities of Judah, "Here is your God!"

This is the message people need to hear when they find themselves caught in the wilderness. LOOK!! HERE!!! HERE - IS - YOUR - GOD!!!!

Here in the midst of what you are experiencing right now is your God! Here is your Jesus! Your Savior, Your Prince of Peace, the Wonderful Counselor - MIGHTY GOD! Right here, right now! HERE - IS - YOUR - GOD!!

Today is the Second Sunday of Advent. A day in which we celebrate the peace that can be found in Jesus. In comparison to the population of our world, few know that peace. While lives are tossed about as a ship in a raging storm God pleads to us to open our eyes and look for Him in the midst of that storm and to allow Him to take over the steering and course of direction of our lives.

The Psalmist in Psalm 85 my heart rejoices! My soul is comforted! Listen again to his words:

"Let me hear what God the LORD will speak, for he will speak peace to his people, to his faithful, to those who turn to him in their hearts.

Surely his salvation is at hand for those who fear him, that his glory may dwell in our land.

Steadfast love and faithfulness will meet; righteousness and peace will kiss each other. Faithfulness will spring up from the ground, and righteousness will look down from the sky.

The LORD will give what is good, and our land will yield its increase. Righteousness will go before him, and will make a path for his steps."

Do you hear the promises? Those promises are for you and I to reach out and claim as our own!

The Prophet Isaiah says as he speaks of God:

"He will feed his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms, and carry them in his bosom, and gently lead the mother sheep."

Can you picture that? I don’t know about you but I need a hug from God every day of my life. I can picture it can’t you? His loving arms stretched forth at our most significant wilderness experience. Slowly and gently He pulls us in and reminds us that we are His children and He loves us very much. How about you this morning? Could you use a Hug From God?

Amen

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