Advent 2- Prepare the Way
Last week we spoke about Advent as expectation of the arrival of Christ and how this cannot be rushed, and that it is something we have no control over. What we do have control over is our preparation. So, a major theme of Advent is about preparing the way for the Lord. In this sense, John the Baptist is the iconic figure of Advent.
He is sort of representative of the prophets, and also the last of the Old Testament prophets. The words of the prophets are on his lips, but he is also a prophet himself. The word of God is spoken through him. … He was active in the wilderness around the Jordan River. The wilderness Is a very symbolic place for the Hebrew people. The wilderness is where they wandered for 40 years with Moses as a kind of repentance for their unwillingness to trust God and enter the Promised Land. When they finally did enter the Promised Land, they crossed through the Jordan River. This prophet was inviting the people to once again enter into the waters of the Jordan River, and re-enter the Promised Land as a renewed and recommitted people.
From this place of purification and repentance, John the Baptist calls people to repentance in preparation for the coming of the Lord. The prophet Isaiah’s words are used to describe his mission:
‘The voice of one crying out in the wilderness:
“Prepare the way of the Lord,
make his paths straight.
Every valley shall be filled,
and every mountain and hill shall be made low,
and the crooked shall be made straight,
and the rough ways made smooth;
and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.”’
We often think of the word repentance in a very negative light. In some ways I think we are happy to keep our sins as long as they aren’t pointed out to us, and we don't think they cause too much damage. … But, I think this is a misunderstanding of sin. Sin is brokenness- it is disease. It leads to damaged relationships. Even if not always immediately obvious, it leads to pain.
And the reason God has an issue with sin is that it gets in the way of God’s vision for us and the world. We are designed to be truly happy and fulfilled when we live according to God’s vision. This vision isn’t a static, dead, going-through-the-motions, though. It is about making all things new (Rev 21:5). It is about fullness of human relationships with God, with each other, with creation, and with ourselves. …
The story of the Fall in the garden of Eden is a story about a damaged relationship with God, which results in the couple trying to hide from God. But, it also results in damage to the humans’ relationship with each other- Adam blames Eve for his decision. It does damage to the relationship with creation in that the human couples will have to struggle with the creation to survive. The humans also damage their relationship with themselves- they feel self-consciously ashamed- they dislike who they are. … That is what sin is about. That is what God wants to save us from.
The people who came to John the Baptist understood this. In repentance they saw hope. The prophets had taught them this- The words of the prophets Ezekiel, Jeremiah, and Isaiah record God as saying,
“I have no pleasure in the death of anyone… so turn and live” (Ez 18:32);“Turn to me, says the Lord of Hosts, and I will turn to you” (Is 45:22; Jer 15:19);“I am the Lord who does not remember wickedness, provided one turn from his evil ways and all his iniquities so that he may live” (Ez 18:21-22).
God desires repentance the way a doctor (a doctor who is a very close friend) desires that we will eat right, quit smoking, and get regular exercise.
Repentance is about turning towards health and fullness. It is more about turning to God- and with God finding healing, than it is about turning away from Sin. … It’s not something we do just once, either. Though we usually have defining moments of repentance. For Christians, repentance is something we seek to do constantly. We are constantly seeking to turn to God more fully. God is the source of all beauty, all joy, all peace, all knowledge, all holiness, all love. So, to turn towards God, is to enter more fully into beauty, peace, knowledge, holiness, and love. … And we seek to do this in a way that it effects every area of life- our relationship with God- our relationship with other people- our relationship with creation- and our relationship with ourselves.
That is where we will find our deep happiness. That is the teaching of the Church and the experience of the saints. This is not a simple joy, as if we will never deal with pain or suffering, but it is a joy that runs deeper that can’t really be touched by the circumstances of our lives.
It’s important to say that we don’t do this on our own, either. God is within us pleading with us to turn. And when we do turn, God is active to participate with our efforts to learn to live differently- to think differently- and to feel differently. Repentance is about God realigning our lives with Christ’s life. It is the process of becoming the kind of person that reflects Christ.
I would love for us to reclaim the word repentance from its bad press. The answer to the mess in our own lives and in the world around us is repentance. Repentance is what the world needs.
I have been thinking about these words of Isaiah that are used to describe John the Baptist’s mission. “Prepare the way … make his paths straight … Every valley shall be filled … every mountain made low … the crooked made straight … the rough way made smooth”. Isaiah and John are saying this to the people. Think about how much work that is. What would it take to fill in a valley? Or to cut a level path through a mountain? … Sometimes when we want change in our life, we just pray it will get better, but we don’t put in the effort to take practical steps for change. … And even after all that work, that will not force the arrival of the Lord. The path can be made straight, but the Lord comes when he chooses. We can’t force it. So, our efforts don’t earn anything. But our efforts make it easier for us to receive him when He chooses to come.
It can be a bit overwhelming to imagine every area of our life being overtaken by repentance. So maybe these words can help us think about this more simply as we prepare for the arrival of Christ. … The valley being filled- perhaps we can think about this as a lack in our life. Is there something good that we could be doing that we aren’t doing now? It could be something as simple as starting a daily prayer time, regular Bible study, giving to a worthy cause, or a simple act of service to help a neighbour. Maybe you chose to purposefully think more hopefully about the future, and the people around you. What is something simple that can help you grow in faith, hope, and love? … What is one thing that you could do that would bring you one step closer to God’s vision. A life of restored relationship with God, with others, with creation, and with yourself.
Maybe we can also think about a mountain being made low. This is something in the way- an obstacle. Is there something in your life that gets in the way of your relationship with God? Is there something that needs to be removed from your life? Maybe it is a bad habit? Maybe it is a negative thought pattern- you choose to think negatively rather than graciously. Maybe you gossip. Maybe you watch too much tv, or maybe the shows you watch tend to lead you into a bad place- they teach your soul something that opposes God’s reality. Maybe you shop to try to make yourself feel better. Make you do something good, but it isn’t what God is calling you to do. Often what gets in the way of our calling is something that is good, but it isn’t our good to do. What is one thing you could do that will remove one obstacle to God’s vision being more full in your life? What is one thing standing in the way of a full and new life of restored relationship with God, with your neighbours, friends, and family, with creation, and with yourself.
This Advent, I invite us all to hear John’s message. I invite us all to spend some time asking God if there is something simple we can do- one step- to smooth God’s road into our life and to cooperate with God’s vision. AMEN.
Repentance is about turning towards health and fullness. It is more about turning to God- and with God finding healing, than it is about turning away from Sin. … It’s not something we do just once, either. Though we usually have defining moments of repentance. For Christians, repentance is something we seek to do constantly. We are constantly seeking to turn to God more fully. God is the source of all beauty, all joy, all peace, all knowledge, all holiness, all love. So, to turn towards God, is to enter more fully into beauty, peace, knowledge, holiness, and love. … And we seek to do this in a way that it effects every area of life- our relationship with God- our relationship with other people- our relationship with creation- and our relationship with ourselves.
That is where we will find our deep happiness. That is the teaching of the Church and the experience of the saints. This is not a simple joy, as if we will never deal with pain or suffering, but it is a joy that runs deeper that can’t really be touched by the circumstances of our lives.
It’s important to say that we don’t do this on our own, either. God is within us pleading with us to turn. And when we do turn, God is active to participate with our efforts to learn to live differently- to think differently- and to feel differently. Repentance is about God realigning our lives with Christ’s life. It is the process of becoming the kind of person that reflects Christ.
I would love for us to reclaim the word repentance from its bad press. The answer to the mess in our own lives and in the world around us is repentance. Repentance is what the world needs.
I have been thinking about these words of Isaiah that are used to describe John the Baptist’s mission. “Prepare the way … make his paths straight … Every valley shall be filled … every mountain made low … the crooked made straight … the rough way made smooth”. Isaiah and John are saying this to the people. Think about how much work that is. What would it take to fill in a valley? Or to cut a level path through a mountain? … Sometimes when we want change in our life, we just pray it will get better, but we don’t put in the effort to take practical steps for change. … And even after all that work, that will not force the arrival of the Lord. The path can be made straight, but the Lord comes when he chooses. We can’t force it. So, our efforts don’t earn anything. But our efforts make it easier for us to receive him when He chooses to come.
It can be a bit overwhelming to imagine every area of our life being overtaken by repentance. So maybe these words can help us think about this more simply as we prepare for the arrival of Christ. … The valley being filled- perhaps we can think about this as a lack in our life. Is there something good that we could be doing that we aren’t doing now? It could be something as simple as starting a daily prayer time, regular Bible study, giving to a worthy cause, or a simple act of service to help a neighbour. Maybe you chose to purposefully think more hopefully about the future, and the people around you. What is something simple that can help you grow in faith, hope, and love? … What is one thing that you could do that would bring you one step closer to God’s vision. A life of restored relationship with God, with others, with creation, and with yourself.
Maybe we can also think about a mountain being made low. This is something in the way- an obstacle. Is there something in your life that gets in the way of your relationship with God? Is there something that needs to be removed from your life? Maybe it is a bad habit? Maybe it is a negative thought pattern- you choose to think negatively rather than graciously. Maybe you gossip. Maybe you watch too much tv, or maybe the shows you watch tend to lead you into a bad place- they teach your soul something that opposes God’s reality. Maybe you shop to try to make yourself feel better. Make you do something good, but it isn’t what God is calling you to do. Often what gets in the way of our calling is something that is good, but it isn’t our good to do. What is one thing you could do that will remove one obstacle to God’s vision being more full in your life? What is one thing standing in the way of a full and new life of restored relationship with God, with your neighbours, friends, and family, with creation, and with yourself.
This Advent, I invite us all to hear John’s message. I invite us all to spend some time asking God if there is something simple we can do- one step- to smooth God’s road into our life and to cooperate with God’s vision. AMEN.
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