Ansai leads both Morning and Evening Prayer this week. Today’s Advent Morning Prayer – Ansai considers a passage from John’s gospel, chapter 12, verse 38 to the end. This scripture includes several connected passages – all following the theme of Jesus’ teaching about discipleship and faith; “And pointing to his disciples, he said, ‘Here are my mother and my brothers! For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.’”

The Pharisees who listened to Jesus’ asked for irrefutable evidence that his teaching was credible and had God’s authority; ‘‘Then some of the scribes and Pharisees said to him, ‘Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you.’ But he answered them, ‘An evil and adulterous generation asks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For just as Jonah was for three days and three nights in the belly of the sea monster, so for three days and three nights the Son of Man will be in the heart of the earth.’”