Show Notes
In this Advent Week 2 reflection, we turn to Matthew 3 and the message of John the Baptist, whose call to repentance prepares God’s people for the coming of Christ. John’s challenge to “produce fruit in keeping with repentance” pushes us to consider what real spiritual preparation looks like during Advent. Instead of rushing through the season, his example redirects us toward humility, honesty, and a life ready for the arrival of Jesus.
This Scripture meditation explores why John the Baptist steps away from priestly privilege, why his voice matters during Advent, and how his message shapes Christian formation today. If you’re searching for an Advent reflection on repentance, biblical preparation, or a deeper look at John the Baptist in Matthew 3, this episode offers a clear, grounded guide for walking through the season with intention and faith.
Nuance’s Formed for Faithfulness is a weekly liturgy to encourage all of us to be faithful to Christ in the public square. Join Case Thorp and other guests as they follow the Church calendar through the reading of Scripture, prayer, and short reflections on faith in all facets of public life.
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Episode Transcript
The Advent candles we light in church each week leading up to Christmas point to the coming birth of the light of the world and the fire of his message of salvation. Welcome to Formed for Faithfulness in this second week of Advent.
A reading from the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 3, verses 1 to 12.
3 In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea 2 and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” 3 This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah:
“A voice of one calling in the wilderness,
‘Prepare the way for the Lord,
make straight paths for him.’”
4 John’s clothes were made of camel’s hair, and he had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey. 5 People went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region of the Jordan. 6 Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River.
7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them: “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? 8 Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. 9 And do not think you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. 10 The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.
11 “I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 12 His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”
If the church is to fulfill her prophetic role of both declaring and embodying God’s truth to the world, then no figure better exemplifies what that should look like than John the Baptist. He stands as the archetype for our calling as Christians to faithful presence, one who is deeply human, grounded in tradition, and yet radically forward-facing.
His asceticism and fiery sermons may seem to stand in contrast to Jesus’ ministry practices, but they are yet fully in line with God’s redemptive agenda. To grasp the revolutionary embodied nature of His ministry, we must first understand the world he left behind for a life of asceticism and prophetic fire. As a Kohathite, John the Baptist was the ultimate insider and heir to the Aaronic priesthood, yet he rejected that privilege to become the ultimate outsider who connected with ordinary folk. His call to repentance may have been blunt, but the people responded. At the heart of John’s example is sacrifice and diminishment, which stands in contrast to our culture’s emphasis on success and prominence.
John’s greatness was found in his humility, in his unwavering commitment to his singular task. He must increase, but I must decrease, he declared. John’s life powerfully demonstrates that our stories are only valuable when they become smaller, making more room for the glory of the one he came to announce.
Similarly, likewise, our Christian witness in the public square must reclaim a liminal priest-prophet identity, one that is rooted in tradition, open to disruption, yet unafraid of discomfort, and even confrontation. We need voices like John’s, preparing the way, calling for repentance, and pointing not to themselves, but to the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. May we follow in his steps.
And now a reading from the prophet Isaiah, chapter 11, verses 1 to 10.
1
A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse;
from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.
2
The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him—
the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and of might,
the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord—
3
and he will delight in the fear of the Lord.
He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes,
or decide by what he hears with his ears;
4
but with righteousness he will judge the needy,
with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth.
He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth;
with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked.
5
Righteousness will be his belt
and faithfulness the sash around his waist.
6
The wolf will live with the lamb,
the leopard will lie down with the goat,
the calf and the lion and the yearling together;
and a little child will lead them.
7
The cow will feed with the bear,
their young will lie down together,
and the lion will eat straw like the ox.
8
The infant will play near the cobra’s den,
and the young child will put its hand into the viper’s nest.
9
They will neither harm nor destroy
on all my holy mountain,
for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord
as the waters cover the sea.
10 In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him, and his resting place will be glorious.
Let us pray.
Dear God, Help us to heed John the Baptist’s example as we endeavor to walk out into the world each day in faithful presence. May we be willing to shed privilege and embrace the sacrifice of prophetic obedience. Give us courage to speak boldly while modeling grace and humility. May we fearlessly speak out against sin prompted by the redemptive hope of a savior who can make all things new. May all that we do and say point to the renewing goodness of the one who takes away the sin of the world. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
And finally, a reading from the 72nd Psalm, verses 1-7, then 18-19.
1
Endow the king with your justice, O God,
the royal son with your righteousness.
2
May he judge your people in righteousness,
your afflicted ones with justice.
3
May the mountains bring prosperity to the people,
the hills the fruit of righteousness.
4
May he defend the afflicted among the people
and save the children of the needy;
may he crush the oppressor.
5
May he endure as long as the sun,
as long as the moon, through all generations.
6
May he be like rain falling on a mown field,
like showers watering the earth.
7
In his days may the righteous flourish
and prosperity abound till the moon is no more.
18
Praise be to the Lord God, the God of Israel,
who alone does marvelous deeds.
19
Praise be to his glorious name forever;
may the whole earth be filled with his glory.
Amen and Amen.
