Advent Day 7 - Promised Messiah

The beginning of the gospel about Jesus Christ, the Son of God. 

It is written in Isaiah the prophet:

"I will send my messenger ahead of you,

     who will prepare your way" --

"a voice of one calling in the desert, 

    'Prepare the way for The Lord, 

       make straight paths for him.' "

Mark 1:1-3 (New International Version)

I've been having a gloriously relaxing day. It started with sleeping until noon. After making my way out of bed in a leisurely manner, I sat down to catalogue my favorite recipes in the recipe book my brother gave me a year ago. I had to have something listen to, so I made my way through various youTube videos starting with Handel's Messiah and ending up with Elaine Page.

It then occurred to me that perhaps I should start something for dinner, so I cut open the deliciously knobbled kabocha squashes I bought last week at the Berryessa farmers' market, scooped out the seeds, and put them in the oven to soften up. They will probably end up as some form of soup. Yum.

Getting back to Advent. It all starts hundreds of years before Christ, with the prophets sent by God to bring His people back to Him. The prophet Isaiah spoke the second quote: "a voice of one calling in the desert." He was an influential Jewish prophet who ministered in around the years 740-680 BC. His name means "The LORD saves," which can be seen as a summary theme of his prophecies. (The prophet Malachi spoke the first quote; he also foretold the coming of the Jesus).

Isaiah foretold the judgments of the LORD that would fall on Israel for their faithlessness and rebellion. Yet he also reminded them of God's compassion. Isaiah told the people of Israel that God would send them a Savior, a king descended from their Israel's greatest king, David. This Savior, or Messiah, as he would be called, would unite their kingdom and bring not only an end to their oppression at the hands of foreign nations, but also cause Israel to be a blessing to the whole earth. 

Imagine living in Jesus' time, 700 years later. The words of Isaiah the prophet have come true. After years of war and uncertainty, Israel was exiled in Babylon. Though later returned to their land, they are currently subject to the harsh rule of the Roman Empire. The prophecy of a Savior, though remembered, seems far away and unrelated to their current suffering. Yet there is still a distant hope, that God has not forgotten them and will still send his promised Messiah.

And God did remember. Soon His messenger John would come to prepare people's hearts for Jesus the Messiah.

My kabocha is ready. It's time to go make soup. We'll continue tomorrow...