Daily Devotion 03 December 2025

You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light.  1 Peter 2: 9

READING: Mark 1: 1-8

During this week we celebrate the work of the Prophet John and God’s calling of us into a new relationship with Jesus, His Son.  We read about Mary’s visit to the home of Zechariah and Elizabeth who had been battling for some time to have a baby, has now succeeded and is five months pregnant.  When Mary arrives and greets Elizabeth the baby responds as he, “leaped in her womb and Elizabeth is filled with the Holy Spirit.  Elizabeth proclaimed, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear!”  Luke 1 : 39 – 45.

We read in Isaiah 40 : 3, a prophesy of the coming of John the Baptist “ I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way.  A voice calling in the desert, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord.’   God is calling us into a new relationship with Himself and preparing the people at that time for the coming of Jesus.  John preached that the people needed to confess their sins and be baptized by him.  Furthermore, he said, “ After me will come One more powerful than I, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie!  I baptize you with water, but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”  Mark 1 : 7b – 8.   John baptized Jesus in the river Jordan and the Spirit descended on Him like a dove. (verse 10)  Today when we are baptized, we are baptized into a new relationship with Jesus, our Lord and Saviour.  We are born into a new life with Jesus.  He comes to live in our hearts and He promised He will never leave us.  We are called to respond to Jesus’ love by loving others and to change our lives to be more Christ-like.  In the Peter’s reading above we are called and chosen by God as a royal priesthood to be a people belonging to Him and declaring our praise for Him.

Prayer

We praise You, our Holy Father, Lord Jesus, for choosing and calling us out of darkness into the wonderful light of knowing You.  We praise Your Holy Name.  Amen