The Wednesday of the First Week in Advent

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

If there is one biblical character most associated with the season of Advent, it is undoubtedly John the Baptizer. And so, fittingly, he is the subject of our Gospel Reading for this first Wednesday in Advent. In our text from Matthew chapter 3, we learn that John the Baptizer is the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecy of Isaiah. He is:

“The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the LORD; Make His paths straight’” (Matthew 3:3).

But today, as we focus on this text and Saint John the Baptizer, I would like to focus less on the man and more on the content of his preaching. The message which he came preaching was this:

“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has drawn near” (Matthew 3:2).

As we meditate further on these words, we will consider how the kingdom of heaven draws near in Christ’s two advents. We will see that

1.) The kingdom of heaven has drawn near in the first advent of our Lord 2,000 years ago, and

2.) The kingdom of heaven will one day draw here at the second advent of our Lord, when He comes again in glory on the last day.

First, we consider how “The kingdom of heaven has drawn near.” This is the first and most literal sense of the Baptizer’s preaching. At the very specific point in time, when these words first exited the lips of this great prophet nearly 2,000 years ago, they were literally true in a temporal sense. As Saint John preached these words, our Lord Jesus was drawing near. Remember that, contrary to the way in which the Church Year makes it appear, John the Baptizer’s ministry did not pre-date our Lord’s birth. In fact, Jesus and John were born only about six months apart. At the time in which John preached the words found in our Gospel text, Jesus was about to be publicly anointed as the Christ. If you look at the second half of Matthew chapter 3, you see that our Lord’s baptism is about to take place when He will be publicly announced and anointed as the Christ. The kingdom of heaven was literally drawing near to John. And so, he preached this message:

“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has drawn near” (Matthew 3:2).

To repent is to be converted. It means to change one’s mind and turn around. It’s a recognition that I have been living and thinking in the wrong ways. It means that I must stop and be converted to the right way of thinking and living. At the time of our text, the crowds needed to repent because the kingdom of heaven had drawn near to them. This was the content of John the Baptizer’s preaching to the crowds from Jerusalem, Judea, and the region of the Jordan, who came to hear him.

And in many ways, the content of this preaching is still relevant to us. Sure, the kingdom of heaven is not drawing near to us today in the same manner as it did in John’s day. Our Lord Jesus isn’t about to walk through those doors in the flesh—at least not that we know of. The kingdom of heaven had drawn near to John and his hearers in a very specific way. However, the kingdom of heaven continues to draw near to us in a different, yet similar way. In Luther’s Small Catechism, we’re taught what it means when we pray in the Lord’s Prayer: “Thy kingdom come.” Luther writes:

What does this mean?

The kingdom of God certainly comes by itself without our prayer, but we pray in this petition that it may come to us also.

How does God’s kingdom come?

God’s kingdom comes when our heavenly Father gives us His Holy Spirit, so that by His grace we believe His holy Word and lead godly lives here in time and there in eternity.

The kingdom of heaven draws near to us now in Word & Sacrament, where our heavenly Father gives us His Holy Spirit. Though we cannot tangibly see His presence, our Lord’s promise is still true:

“And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20).

The kingdom of heaven still draws near to us through the pastor’s preaching and baptizing, just as was the case in John’s preaching and baptizing. The kingdom of heaven continues to draw near to us. And so, we, too, must repent of our sinful ways. Christ comes among us in Word and Sacrament. We must repent of our sinfulness and by His grace receive His forgiveness, which He offers to us freely here in Word and Sacrament.

But now we reach the second point, which is the true thrust of the Advent season: The kingdom of heaven will one day draw here. That is to say, the kingdom of heaven will on the last day come among us in its full power and glory. Until that last day, we experience the effects of the kingdom of heaven drawing near, but when the kingdom of heaven draws here, it will be a totally different reality. This is what Advent is preparing us for. Contrary to popular belief, Advent is not primarily about preparing us to celebrate our Lord’s birth. Though we will celebrate His birth in just under a month, Jesus isn’t going to be born on December 25th. That already happened. Advent is not primarily about preparing us to celebrate our Lord’s birth. Advent is about preparing us for our Lord’s second advent—His second coming. It’s about preparing us for when the kingdom of heaven will finally draw here. Christ’s birth at Christmas is a reminder to us that He is coming again. The kingdom of heaven will one day draw here.

This means that Saint John the Baptizer’s call to repentance applies to us as well. We must repent, for the kingdom of heaven has drawn near and it will one day soon draw here. We must ever keep this in the forefront of our minds. As we go through the grind of everyday life, it’s so easy to lose sight of our Lord’s impending return. It’s so easy to live as if this life is all that there is. In fact, nearly everything around us is tempting us to live only for this life. “It’s the holiday season—you need to go shopping, spoil yourself, spoil your loved ones because that’s what matters.” “You need to focus on your mental health, especially during this busy season, because that’s what matters.” “Don’t neglect your physical health during this time of Christmas cookies and holiday treats because you have nothing without your health.” Into the craziness and bombardment of these and so many other messages to live for this life, John the Baptizer’s message rings clear:

“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has drawn near” (Matthew 3:2).

We must stop living as if this life is all that there is, because Jesus is coming back! No, we don’t neglect the things of this life as we await His return, but we still prepare for His return. He is coming. The kingdom of heaven drew near when our Lord first walked this earth 2,000 years ago. It continues to draw near to us today in Word and Sacrament. And the kingdom of heaven will one day draw here when our Lord returns in glory on the last day to judge the living and the dead. When our Lord does draw here, those of us who have kept the faith will be received into the glories of life everlasting. So, during this Advent season, John the Baptizer reminds us that we must prepare. Christ is coming. Don’t spend so much of your time on the things of this world that are passing away. Spend your time on the things that endure—God’s Word, prayer, godly relationships with our brothers and sisters. When we repent of our tendency toward living for the things of this world, and when we prepare for our Lord’s return in these ways, then we will be ready for His second advent when He comes in glory on the last day. May God grant us repentant hearts focused ever on our Lord’s impending return for Jesus’ sake.

In Jesus’ name. Amen.