<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN">
<HTML><HEAD>
<META content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1" http-equiv=Content-Type>
<META name=GENERATOR content="MSHTML 8.00.6001.18852">
<STYLE></STYLE>
</HEAD>
<BODY bgColor=#ffffff>
<DIV align=left><FONT size=4>Tiede: </FONT><FONT size=4>Return...return to God
seems better. This is a prophetic call to change how one</FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT size=4>lives. But verse 3 has repentance for the
forgiveness of sins. On second thought, changing sides</FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT size=4>is not a bad way to put it. In Peter’s sermon (Acts
2:38) we have it too: “Repent, and be</FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT size=4>baptized...for the forgiveness of your sins.”
Christian repentance has that intent of changing</FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT size=4>sides. You were on the side of those who killed
Jesus, now turn back, turn. You were at enmity</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>with God; now repent, get with it, wake up and smell the
coffee.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><A
href="http://www.luthersem.edu/word&world/Archives/8-4_Feminism/8-4_Grindal.pdf"><FONT
size=4>http://www.luthersem.edu/word&world/Archives/8-4_Feminism/8-4_Grindal.pdf</FONT></A></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>Gracia Grindal, 1988</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>- - - - -</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>When I began my own formal 'ministry', I remember those who
were the then equivalents of Tiberius, Pilate, Caiaphas, etc., well enough not
to have any illusions about power brokers. They don't change their spots.
</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4><A
href="http://www.angelfire.com/journal2/laterallyluke/LLK316ADV2.html">http://www.angelfire.com/journal2/laterallyluke/LLK316ADV2.html</A></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>Brian McGowan</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>- - - - -</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4><FONT size=4></FONT></FONT> </DIV><FONT size=4>
<DIV><FONT size=4>It is necessary to BE where you are and to know where you are
before you can move to a better place. John the Baptist stands out in the
scriptures as a person who knew where he was and where he wanted to
go.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>Many people use prayer as a way of denying who and where they
are. They pray that God will take away their painful situations like a bad
dream. They pray for deliverance from suffering rather than for deliverance
through suffering.</FONT></DIV></FONT>
<DIV><FONT size=4><FONT size=4></FONT></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4><FONT size=4><A
href="http://www.bible.claret.org/liturgy/daily/sundays_pierse/cycleC/C_2ndSunAdv.htm">http://www.bible.claret.org/liturgy/daily/sundays_pierse/cycleC/C_2ndSunAdv.htm</A></FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>Gerry Pierse</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>- - - - -</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>In the sixth year of the reign of President W. ... the high
priesthood of James Dobson and Joel Osteen ..., etc. (you fill in the rest)
there is still a need for the proclaiming of repentance/justice and
forgiveness/righteousness.<BR></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4><A
href="http://kcmlection.blogspot.com/2006/12/second-sunday-of-advent-c4.html">http://kcmlection.blogspot.com/2006/12/second-sunday-of-advent-c4.html</A></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>Wesley White, 2006</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>- - - - -</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4><FONT size=4></FONT></FONT> </DIV><FONT size=4>
<DIV style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0in">Humor and advertising have something in common.
Both rely on contradiction to make a point. The humorist will take a commonly
shared experience and will look at it in a new way. Voila. The contradictory
nature of the experience is laid bare. Everyone laughs because they see the
absurdity though the eyes of the humorist.</DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0in">Ditto, advertisements. Place two contradictory
images together, according to the logic of the advertiser, and the public will
stop to look. (Whether this works or not is a matter of opinion. But look
around. The logic is still in effect).</DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0in">Before the public appearance of Jesus, a hermit
preached in the desert. The preaching and the place created a sign of
contradiction. And a way to catch the imagination of the people.</DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0in"><></DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0in">Writing for a non-Jewish audience, Luke appealed
to that tradition. Possibly Luke knew the young Christian movement needed the
legitimacy of tradition. He might have even reported the rhetoric of the Baptist
movement that Christians adopted as their own. No matter. Luke gave his audience
(and possible converts) a sense of place. </DIV></FONT>
<DIV><FONT size=4><FONT size=4></FONT></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4><FONT size=4><A
href="http://www.word-sunday.com/Files/c/2Advent-c/A-2Advent-c.html">http://www.word-sunday.com/Files/c/2Advent-c/A-2Advent-c.html</A></FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>Larry Broding</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>- - - - -</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>The irony of John's life is that while he is passionately
proclaiming his message of judgment on his own society, we come to realize what
a magnificent human being he is. It may be that he remains significant for us
because he is the preparer--as he called himself--for Jesus' appearance on the
scene. But John is far from being--to use a phrase from pop culture--the band
that warms up the audience for the main act. He brings the music of his great
humanity, his courage, his generosity of spirit, his unaffected humility, his
faithfulness in the face of suffering and even of death itself. No wonder Jesus
thought the world of him.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4><A
href="http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1058/is_24_120/ai_111531687/">http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1058/is_24_120/ai_111531687/</A></FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>Herbert O'Driscoll, 2003</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>- - - - -</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV></BODY></HTML>