Sermon Tone Analysis

One of my earliest childhood memories is of spending time helping my Dad with various projects: working on the car, fixing things around the house, a wood-working project, you name it.

At the time, however, I thought my Dad had a very quirky way of attacking the project.

He would spend time thinking, measuring, gathering all his materials.

Me, on the other hand, I just wanted to start cutting something.

But Dad taught me to slow down at look at the entire project to understand what needed to be done, not just initially, but several steps later; in a word, PREPARATION.

The net result was a completed task that usually went pretty well, and where we did not need to go back at correct something.

I learned a valuable lesson: Preparation is the key!

One of my earliest childhood memories is of spending time helping my father widen the long path through the woods to the family summer cottage.

It was so narrow that you could barely sneak a car through it.

It had stumps along the way and a few low spots where the car would get stuck in wet conditions.

My father took down trees, I carried a few branches, and the bulldozer and gravel trucks did the rest.

Over a few years, that narrow, bumpy path that snaked through the woods turned into a smooth gravel driveway on which even a fire truck could drive!

Preparing the way of the Lord is Old Testament imagery from Isaiah that our Gospel in Matthew uses to describe the prophetic and baptismal ministry of John the Baptist ().

John’s prophetic message was that the Lord was coming in grace and judgment, so it was time for the people of Judea and Galilee to prepare.

Due to the sinful rebellion and idolatry of God’s people, it was almost as if God’s path to return to his people had become a dangerous wilderness!

It was John’s purpose to get the people ready for that coming so that the Christ would not find a barren wilderness where his people were to be, but rather a people waiting in eager expectation for his arrival to deliver them from sin.

John was there to get things ready for Christ’s to come and do His work.

Preparing the path of Christ—preparing the way of the Lord—is Old Testament imagery from Isaiah that our Gospel in Matthew uses to describe the prophetic and baptismal ministry of John the Baptist ().

John’s prophetic message was that the Lord was coming in grace and judgment, so it was time for the people of Judea and Galilee to prepare.

Due to the sinful rebellion and idolatry of God’s people, it was almost as if God’s path to return to his people had become a dangerous wilderness of rough terrain!

It was John’s purpose to get the people ready for that coming so that the Christ would not find a barren wilderness where his people were to be, but rather a people waiting in eager expectation for his arrival to deliver them from sin.

John was there to prepare Christ’s path.

If John the Baptist thought the spiritual condition of first-century Israel was challenging, imagine what he’d think if he were preaching in the spiritual wilderness of twenty-first-century United States.

We have a whole menu of false religions, a huge segment of the population practices no religion, and a significant portion of Christian churches that deny central tenets of the faith, such as the First Article or the Creed.

It is specifically because of these challenges that this account of John the Baptist continues to contain an important message for the Church today.

As we look at this text again this Advent season we, the Church, continue John the Baptist’s important work in Advent:

If John the Baptist thought the spiritual condition of first-century Israel was challenging, imagine what he’d think if he were preaching in the spiritual wilderness of twenty-first-century United States.

We have the whole menu of false religions from Islam to Mormons, a huge segment of the population practices no religion, and a significant portion of Christian churches deny central tenets of the faith such as justification by faith alone and the resurrection of the body.

It is specifically because of these challenges that this account of John the Baptist continues to contain an important message for the Church.

As we look at this text again this Advent season, we the Church continue John the Baptist’s important work in Advent:

PREPARE FOR CHRIST’S REIGN!

By Repenting, Confessing Your Sins!

This text focuses on three important aspects to preparing for Christ’s Reign that are still very applicable to our lives and the Church today.

First, the central word in John the Baptist’s preaching that prepared Christ’s Reign was repent.

The people are dissatisfied with world conditions and Israel’s plight.

They feel hopeless and long for deliverance.

This text focuses on three important aspects to preparing Christ’s path that are still very applicable to our lives and the Church today.

First, the central word in John the Baptist’s preaching that prepared Christ’s path was repent.

Just as Lent is a season of preparation and spiritual refreshment for Christians, so also is Advent.

It is a time to quit kidding ourselves about how good and holy we’re becoming, honestly recognize our sins—in thought, word, and deed—and repent.

John the Baptist did not sugarcoat his condemnation of sinners.

As did the prophets of ancient Israel, he told people straight up the deep problem they were in without the grace of God.

Repent does not mean just being contrite or sorry for our sins, but it also encompasses faith, believing in God’s grace to forgive sins for the sake of Christ’s saving work.

Without the Holy Spirit working the miracle of faith, contrition for sin is a dead end.

With his mention of the kingdom of the heavens, John is pointing his hearers to God’s gracious work in Jesus to bring God’s reign back to this sinful earth.

Just as John called people of old to repent, Advent is a special time for us Christians to repent and call the unbelieving world to repent.

Just as Lent is a season of preparation and spiritual refreshment for Christians, so also is Advent.

John’s person and message place him in the tradition of the Old Testament prophets and raise Messianic hopes of a new reign of God in the Davidic line.

It is a time to quit kidding ourselves about how good and holy we’re becoming, honestly recognize our sins—in thought, word, and deed—and repent.

We also respond to John’s message.

John the Baptist did not sugarcoat his condemnation of sinners.

As did the prophets of ancient Israel, he told people straight up the deep problem they were in without the grace of God.

Repent does not mean just being contrite or sorry for our sins, but it also encompasses faith, believing in God’s grace to forgive sins for the sake of Christ’s saving work.

Without the Holy Spirit working the miracle of faith, contrition for sin is a dead end.

With his mention of the kingdom of heaven, John is pointing his hearers to God’s gracious work in Jesus to bring God’s reign back to this sinful earth.

Just as John called people of old to repent, Advent is a special time for us Christians to repent and call the unbelieving world to repent.

Three simple words that most people, including many Christians, find difficult to say are “I am sorry.”

We experience a general dissatisfaction with world conditions of “war clouds and econimic difficulities.”

John’s message about a new reign of God to solve our problems sounds exciting.

A Walt Disney World church sounds pleasant and enjoyable.

When we sin against God or someone else, we would rather yell, argue, or justify our actions before we tell God or that person, “I am sorry.”

Evidence of repentance—worked by the Holy Spirit—seen in today’s Gospel reading, is when the people coming to John and being baptized confess their sins.

Advent is a time for us to be honest with God and one another by confessing our wrongs, our sin.

Some sins that are typical might be: talking about someone behind their back, not for the purpose of helping them, but for gossip—just for the purpose of spreading information around.

At other times we learn that our words or actions have harmed someone in some way—it could be physically, emotionally, or spiritually.

If we go them at all, instead of saying:

Or, we learn that our words or actions have harmed someone in some way.

If we go them at all, instead of saying

“I’m sorry my specific behavior—naming the behavior— was not what it should have been and as a result you were hurt.

I am deeply sorry; please forgive me.”

we say,“If I did or said anything to upset you or hurt you I’m sorry.”

Do you see the difference?

The first is honestly taking ownership of the wrong done.

The second places the wrong into the realm of ambiguity; never really acknowledging, coming to terms with our sin and how we were wrong.

Confession of sin/Repentance is the rhythm of life for a Christian.

Advent is a time to make sure that we are back in that rhythm of confessing our sins to God and one another.

By Living in Baptismal Grace!

The second aspect to preparing for Christ’s Reign that’s revealed in the Gospel is to live in your baptismal grace.

The second aspect to preparing Christ’s path that’s revealed in our Gospel is to live in your baptismal grace.

Jews did many ritual washings seeking purity from their sins.

For example, some of the remains uncovered at Qumran, near the region where John baptized, include mikvahs, or washing pools with steps where you could walk down into the water for ritual cleansing.

John’s Baptism was different; it was a one-time washing that brought forgiveness.

It was a one-time sharing of God’s forgiveness in a very tangible way.

Just as people were plunged under the water, they were washed of their sin through Baptism.

It was a Baptism that laid the foundation for the Christian Baptism you’ve received.

Jews did many ritual washings seeking purity from their sins.

For example, some of the remains uncovered at Qumran, near the region where John baptized, include mikvahs, or washing pools with steps where you could walk down into the water for ritual cleansing.

For example, some of the remains uncovered at Qumran, near the region where John baptized, include mikvahs, or washing pools with steps where you could walk down into the water for ritual cleansing.

John exposes our sin and summons us to the same kind of radical repentance that exposes our desire to reign over our own lives.

John’s Baptism was different; it was a one-time washing that brought forgiveness.

It was a one-time sharing of God’s forgiveness in a very tangible way.

John’s Baptism was different; it was a one-time washing that brought forgiveness.

It was a one-time sharing of God’s forgiveness in a very tangible way.

Just as people were plunged under the water, they were washed of their sin through Baptism.

It was a Baptism that laid the foundation for the Christian Baptism you’ve received.

We continue to prepare the way for Christ in this Advent season as we live in and treasure our baptismal grace.

John the Baptist said, “He who is coming after me is mightier than I. . . .

He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire” (v 11).

As amazing as John the Baptist was with his preaching and Baptism, you have received the very preaching and Baptism of Jesus.

When you were baptized, you received the Holy Spirit, who united you with all the saving work of Christ: his entire obedient life, his death as a payment for sin, and his resurrection victory!