Wednesday Meditations

Prayer for The Nativity of Saint John the Baptist

Almighty God, by whose providence yourAlmighty God, by whose providence your servant John the Baptist was wonderfully born, and sent to prepare the way of your Son our Savior by preaching repentance: Make us so to follow his teaching and holy life, that we may truly repent according to his preaching; and, following his example, constantly speak the truth, boldly rebuke vice, and patiently suffer for the truth’s sake; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

(From Forward Movement)

Dear friends in Christ,

Today the church commemorates the Nativity of Saint John the Baptist. We always enjoy a couple of weeks with this singular figure each Advent when the appointed Gospel invites us to remember his work as a prophet. But today we recall his birth.

At John's birth, his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and proclaimed the words we now sing in the canticle Benedictus Dominus Deus (Canticle 16). Zechariah foretells the important work his son will do, "You, my child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High, * for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way, To give his people knowledge of salvation * by the forgiveness of their sins."

I wish we remembered this more often. We gain the knowledge of salvation by the forgiveness of our sins. In other words, we can understand that we need a redeemer when we learn that we can't fix our broken selves. By God's gracious gift in Jesus Christ, our sins are forgiven, we are made new, and we can be saved. It's very good news, the Gospel itself.

Knowing that God loves me, a sinner, helps me love other people too. There is always more than enough grace.

The news these days doesn't seem to have much good news, let alone Gospel. But Zechariah has made another promise: "In the tender compassion of our God * the dawn from on high shall break upon us, To shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death, * and to guide our feet into the way of peace."

God has great compassion for us, meaning that God knows our suffering, our pain, and our deepest needs. And God loves us through all our sins, all our failings, and all our struggles.

If we who follow Jesus want to know the peace that passes all understanding in our own lives, we can find it in Jesus Christ. And if we can find the peace of Christ in our own hearts, we might have the clarity, the grace, the mercy, and the courage to proclaim peace and Good News in this world.

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Eternal God, source of love, author of justice, fountain of wisdom, hear our prayers for our nation and world. Grant to the President, the Supreme Court, the Congress and all holding authority of government among the nations of the earth wisdom in discernment, justice and compassion in action, and in all things and above all thing love for others above and beyond self interest. Send upon all of us who dwell upon the face of the earth the abundance of your blessing. Where there is hurt and harm, grant your healing, where there is injustice and corruption, establish you justice and honor, where there is hunger, suffering, harm to any child of your give us resolve to respond as people glad to do your will. In all things teach us to love each other as you love each one of us. Help us to place our hands in your hands and in the hands of each other that we may walk together and work together until our nightmares are ended and your dream for us and all your creation is realized on earth as it is in heaven. This we pray in the name and in the Spirit of Jesus of Nazareth. Amen.

Rt Rev Michael Curry, PB of The Episcopal Church