Wednesday of Ad Te Levavi

In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea (Mt 3:1). John, who prepared the way for Christ, is the model for all pastors who would follow him: not afraid to call sinners to repentance, not burdened by worldly pursuits, not dressed in soft clothing, not delicate or effeminate, not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ. How different John is from the hip, emotionally sensitive, politically correct, skinny-jeans-wearing, ideal pastor of our day. Jesus said, “If you’re looking for a man in soft clothing, you’ll find him living in the king’s house, on the king’s payroll (Mt 11:8). But that is not where you’ll find John. That is not where you will find a prophet, that is, a man with the words of Jesus. A true preacher can only be found in one place: in the wilderness.

In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea. So it is today. The gospel is only ever preached to those who live in a barren wilderness. When it is preached anywhere else, it falls upon deaf ears. Where did God give his people manna, the Bread from heaven? In the wilderness. Where did Jesus feed the five-thousand? In the wilderness. Where did Jesus overcome the temptations of the devil on our behalf? In the wilderness.

On the other hand, we remember that when Adam and Eve lived in paradise, they abandoned the preaching of God’s Word and succumbed to the smooth words of the serpent. In all the Old Testament, when did the people of Israel repent of their sin and return to God? When they lived in plenteousness and luxury? Never. Only when they were destitute. Jesus said, “The poor have the gospel preached to them” (Mt 11:2). Blessed are the poor in spirit, but the rich have no need of a Savior. The hungry are filled with every good thing, but the full are sent away empty. Jesus came to heal the sick, but those who are well have no need of a physician. John the Baptist is sent to prepare the way for Jesus, but he is only sent into the wilderness.

You might ask, “What must I do to be in a wilderness so that a preacher can be sent to me?” My dear Christian, you don’t need to do anything. Send us the cure—we have the sickness already. We live in a culture that is devoid of life, parched and dry, without the water of God’s Word. We have gadgets galore but empty souls. We have communication at the speed of light, but people are lonelier than ever before. And you wouldn’t even need to look at the outside world to find the wilderness. Your own heart is cracked and dry, desperately sinful, in urgent need of the life-giving water of life.

So join the people of Jerusalem who flocked to the wilderness to hear the rough words of an uncouth preacher. Join the rest of the Church this Advent, as you too confess your sins and return eagerly to the water of your baptism. As you find yourself once again in a wilderness this year, take heart, for this means that the Word of God is sent to you. Christ alone makes your wilderness to be like Eden and your desert like the garden of the Lord (Is 51:3). He sends his saving flood, drowning the sin born in you from Adam—to which you have added—and raising you to new life in him. He places you safe and secure in the Holy Ark of the Christian church, where he feeds your hungry soul with the Living Bread from Heaven. He sends you a preacher, so that your faith in Christ would continue to grow and finally bear fruit unto life eternal.

Today John the Baptist comes, once again preaching in the wilderness. And we who heed his call to repentance rejoice, for the kingdom of heaven is truly at hand. Amen.