Offspring

In this morning's reading from Luke 3, John the Baptist calls his audience a "brood of vipers," or children of snakes.  Wow.  This is tough stuff.  These do not seem to be words of encouragement.

Yet after he lashes out at his audience, he offers them, and by extension us, a word of hope, a way forward.  Through repentance, through changing the way we live our lives, we can be something far better than the children of snakes; we can finally claim our identity as children of God.

During this season of Advent we are called, we are invited, we are beseeched by our Creator to do just this.  Why?  Because God wants us to create space for him in our lives for he loves us.  It is with this in mind that John issues his challenge: are we ready to be loved?

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