Psalm 27 • Isaiah 26:7-15 • Acts 2:37-42
So many people had gathered in Jerusalem for the Festival of Pentecost when the early followers of the Way heard Peter’s sermon. There were folks there from all over the Roman empire who had traveled to Jerusalem for the festival. You can imagine Peter preaching to that crowd with the fiery passion of an old-time religion preacher! Repent, or “turn around!” Be baptized! Be forgiven! Be saved! Receive the Holy Spirit! What a life-giving faith message! In this Advent season, we are invited to turn around and turn away from false promises for quick fixes and turn towards a different way of being.
A few years ago, I proclaimed a similar message in Cuzco, Peru in Spanish. I declared the good news that a loving God welcomes and receives baptized sinners from every nation. During communion a boy of about ten came up to me and as with the authority of Peter demanded to receive a blessing. I made the sign of the cross on his forehead and reminded him that he was a baptized child of God. That boy left the church knowing that he was loved by God and that Jesus was his Savior. How like that little boy are we? We turn from anything that hinders our walk with God and receive the blessing that in Christ all is forgiven. Remember that you are baptized and be set free to receive Him with joy!
Forgiving Savior, help me to turn away from all that hinders my walk with you that I may know the blessing of your joy. Amen.
The Rev. Javier Alanis, PhD, JP
Executive Director/Associate Professor of Theology
Lutheran Seminary Program in the Southwest
Adjunct Faculty – Senior Instructor
Seminary of the Southwest
The Rev. Javier Alanis is currently the Executive Director, Lutheran Seminary of the Southwest in Austin Texas.
His duties include Fund development with both the state and national donor base, overseeing LSPS grant writing and fostering donor support from the diverse Lutheran constituencies, Implementing theological certificate and continuing education programs for LSPS as well as overseeing the annual Spanish language, culture and theology intensive training program.
Jay was born in San Juan, Texas. He attended Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri where he received his BA degree majoring in Spanish/Latin American Literature with a minor in Latin American Studies. He studied at the University of Madrid, Spain during his junior year.
The Advent Meditations and Prayers are a gift to our seminary community and are made possible through gifts to our Annual Fund. Seminary of the Southwest appreciates the support of its friends, alumni, and the communities around the world that its graduates serve for the glory of God. This support ensures that Southwest, as an institution made of individuals dedicated to service to God and their fellow members of the body of Christ, can continue doing its part to build the body of Christ.
