Welcome to Biblical Resources for the Birth of John the Baptist. 

The readings

On this Sunday, we take a break from Mark and go back to part of the Christmas story in Luke. The story of the birth of John the Baptist is very appealing and very human. At the same time, it is a story of wonder before the gift of God, not just to the parents but to us all.  

All births trigger joy and awe! In the birth of the Baptist there is an exceptional note of joy and awe: the joy is the joy of salvation and the awe is holy awe before God's gracious action. To catch some of the joy, you may like to listen to the music indicated below. To see some of the potential of the feast, you could listen to the sermon by Elizabeth M. Stewart indicated below. Even though she treats the story somewhat literally, the exploration of the power of the story is convincing and practical. 

The notes

Full notes in PDF.
Gospel notes in audio.
Gospel notes for smartphones etc. 

Some inspiration for the feast

A reflection by Elizabeth M. Stewart

JS Bach music for the Birth of John the Baptist — Bach had twenty children, so he knew what it was to celebrate the birth of a child.

With very best regards, 

Kieran O'Mahony, OSA 
Biblical Resources