It is believed that Jesus is thirty years old when he was baptized. Coming out of the wilderness, John sees Jesus and says to two of his disciples, “Look, here is the Lamb of God” (1:36). The call of Jesus’ disciples begins with the testimony of John the Baptist. Who are these people being called? What attracted them to Jesus that he called them in the first place?

Our sermon text for today is the baptism of Jesus as recounted in the Gospel of Mark. We have heard from prophets of the Old Testament and from angels appearing to shepherds that indeed, the Messiah was born in Bethlehem. But today, it is neither prophet nor angel but God who declares “this is my Son, the Beloved, in whom I am well pleased.” This is not only God’s declaration of Jesus’ identity. It is God’s claim on our lives that we are His sons and daughters.

The New Year offers the promise of making better choices, of stopping bad habits in favor of introducing better ones. For believers, we see in Jesus a life lived in humility, who lived with a sense of urgency, and who lived never looking back. Jesus is our model as we consider our hopes and dreams for the New Year. We see in the Apostle Paul, a joy that exists when Christ is the center of our lives.

This fourth Sunday of Advent is symbolized by love—God’s divine love. However, even for God, somethings require others to help, to cooperate, in order to complete the task. In this case, God selects a young girl, probably about the age of sixteen, to carry out his plan. There is one small, tiny detail to be considered, she has already been “given” or committed to marriage to a tradesman—a carpenter in the village of Bethlehem. We certainly can understand Mary’s exuberance but…, but things are not what they seem.

This is the second week of our Advent series “Celebrating the Birth of Christ, Living for His Return.” Last week we heard Jesus declare, “Be alert at all times” (Luke 21:36). Celebrating the birth of Christ reminds us that we are witnesses to God’s plan of salvation for the world. Last week we reflected on looking forward to his return through acts of worship, Holy Communion, and service. Today, we are reflecting on how we respond to God’s construction crew repairing the potholes of our hearts and the rough spots of our lives.

Advent by its very meaning is a time of preparation—of looking forward. In the life of the church and as Christians living in the resurrection of Jesus, this is a time of preparing to celebrate his birth and a time to be reminded of looking forward to his return. While that is the very essence of Advent, the question that remains for each person to answer is, “What are you preparing for?