SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT December 7, 2025

Prayer of the Day

Stir up our hearts, Lord God, to prepare the way of your only Son. By his coming

nurture our growth as people of repentance and peace; through Jesus Christ, our

Saviour and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God,

now and forever. Amen.

Isaiah 11:1-10

A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow

out of his roots. 2The spirit of the Lord shall rest on him, the spirit of

wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of

knowledge and the fear of the Lord. 3His delight shall be in the fear of the

Lord. He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide by what his ears

hear; 4but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with

equity for the meek of the earth; he shall strike the earth with the rod of his

mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.

5Righteousness shall be the belt around his waist, and faithfulness the belt

around his loins. 6The wolf shall live with the lamb, the leopard shall lie

down with the kid, the calf and the lion and the fatling together, and a

little child shall lead them. 7The cow and the bear shall graze, their young

shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. 8The

nursing child shall play over the hole of the asp, and the weaned child

shall put its hand on the adder’s den. 9They will not hurt or destroy on all

my holy mountain; for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.

Matthew 3:1-12

1 In those days John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness of Judea, proclaiming,

2 “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” 3 This is the one of whom

the prophet Isaiah spoke when he said,

“The voice of one crying out in the wilderness:

‘Prepare the way of the Lord;

make his paths straight.’ ”

4 Now John wore clothing of camel’s hair with a leather belt around his waist, and

his food was locusts and wild honey. 5 Then Jerusalem and all Judea and all the

region around the Jordan were going out to him, 6 and they were baptized by him

in the River Jordan, confessing their sins.

7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for his

baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the

coming wrath? 8 Therefore, bear fruit worthy of repentance, 9 and do not presume

to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our ancestor,’ for I tell you, God is able

from these stones to raise up children to Abraham. 10 Even now the ax is lying at

the root of the trees; therefore every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut

down and thrown into the fire.

11 “I baptize you with water for repentance, but the one who is coming after me

is more powerful than I, and I am not worthy to carry his sandals. 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 and will gather his wheat into the granary, but the chaff he

will burn with unquenchable fire.”