Second Sunday of Advent - The Prophets

Second Sunday of Advent - The Prophets

Two candles now burn as we remember the Prophets – those uncomfortable truth-tellers who wouldn't let Israel forget what God had promised. Isaiah saw the suffering servant and the peaceable kingdom. Jeremiah wept over Jerusalem yet spoke of new covenants written on hearts. Micah announced a ruler from tiny Bethlehem. They spoke into darkness, exile, and despair, insisting that God hadn't forgotten, that the promises still held, that the light was surely coming.

The Prophets are Advent's uncomfortable conscience. They don't just point forward to a distant hope; they demand we prepare now. "Make straight the way of the Lord!" they cry. Repent, return, remember, repair. Their words comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable. These two flames dancing together at Guildford Cathedral remind us that waiting isn't passive – it's active preparation, clearing space for God to arrive.

The prophetic word still echoes: Are we ready? Have we prepared room? The King is coming not to find us perfect but to find us willing. What needs straightening in your life? What rough places need God's smoothing touch?

Dean Bob