Prepare The Way!
Notes
Transcript
We begin this morning with our Scripture readings:
Our Old Testament reading is from Isaiah 61:1-4:
The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me,
because the Lord has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor;
he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives,
and the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor,
and the day of vengeance of our God;
to comfort all who mourn;
to grant to those who mourn in Zion—
to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness instead of mourning,
the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit;
that they may be called oaks of righteousness,
the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified.
They shall build up the ancient ruins;
they shall raise up the former devastations;
they shall repair the ruined cities,
the devastations of many generations.
And our New Testament Reading:
There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light.
And this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Christ.” And they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” And he answered, “No.” So they said to him, “Who are you? We need to give an answer to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?” He said, “I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’ as the prophet Isaiah said.”
(Now they had been sent from the Pharisees.) They asked him, “Then why are you baptizing, if you are neither the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?” John answered them, “I baptize with water, but among you stands one you do not know, even he who comes after me, the strap of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie.” These things took place in Bethany across the Jordan, where John was baptizing.
Let’s Pray
Lord God, we have gathered here today to hear from your Word. In the midst of this Advent Season speak to our hearts and minds for preparation for your arrival. We know the day is coming where every knee shall bow, and every tongue confess that Jesus, the Christ, is LORD. We have gathered LORD to have that be true in our hearts today.
Now Lord, may the words of my mouth and the meditations of all of our hearts be acceptable to you our Rock and Redeemer. AMEN.
Last week we began with the Scout motto, “Be Prepared”. When we hear those words we tend to think of being prepared for anything that could possibly go wrong - and being a Murphy with Murphy’s Law hovering over my head, I admit that is often the tack I take.
In April of 1775, three men stood prepared to warn the colonists of Concord if the British were to show up. You’ve heard no doubt of Paul Revere, and perhaps of Samuel Prescott and William Dawes as well. These three men stood ready to sound the alarm if the British were indeed coming. Except the ride did not go at all as planned.
After the three left Lexington, all three were arrested and detained by a British patrol. Prescott was the first to escape and it was Samuel Prescott that was able to warn the people of Concord. Dawes later escaped as well though some accounts say he got lost in the dark and never made it to concord. Revere never made the ride, he was eventually set free, but without the horse he’d borrowed. He walked back to Lexington.
The alarm sounding ride that we’re all familiar with comes from a poem written by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow in 1860 under the title, The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere.
We can sometimes be misled by writings and traditions that come later. Our Christian faith is no different.
Think about these questions?
According to the Bible, how did Mary and Joseph get to Bethlehem?
A. Camel
B. Donkey
C. Walked
D. Joseph walked, Mary rode a donkey
E. Who knows.
Remember your answer, I’ll tell you in a moment.
Next question:
What does the Bible say that the Inn Keeper said to Mary and Joseph?
A. There is no room in the inn
B. I have a stable you can use
C. Come back later and I should have some vacancies.
D. Both A and B
E. None of the above.
One more:
How many Wisemen came to see Jesus?
A. 3
B. 6
C. 9
D. 12
E. We don’t know.
Okay, now the answers:
According to the Bible, how did Mary and Joseph get to Bethlehem?
What does the Bible say that the Inn keeper said to Mary and Joseph?
The answer to both is...
The Bible doesn’t say.
It doesn’t tell us how Mary and Joseph got to Bethlehem, nor does it record any conversation with any innkeeper. Both of those are things we learn from paintings, songs, traditions, and lore built around the biblical story.
How many wisemen came to see Jesus?
We only know there was more than one because it is plural. Many assume there were three because of the three gifts (Gold, frankincense, and myrrh). However, in ancient times these men usually travelled in caravans of 10 to 12, along with a full entourage for protection.
Now unlike Paul Revere and his entourage, there were multiple messengers that foretold Jesus. You have the prophets that we read in the Old Testament, and then his immediate forerunner (if you will), John, the one we refer to as John the Baptist.
We can learn a lot from John in our journey of preparation for Jesus arrival.
John is the one who identifies himself as:
He said, “I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’ as the prophet Isaiah said.”
He had the opportunity for glory, but he knew his role.
John understood though the people were willing to lift him up as the promised Messiah, but he declares, “I am not the Christ.” Okay, so you’re a great prophet like Elijah! “I am not.” Are you a prophet? “No.”
Who are you then? they ask. He says, “I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord’ as the prophet Isaiah said.”
One of the things we lose in our western tradition is that when you quote a specific Scripture, especially a familiar one it brings in to it what follows. It’s like in modern times if you quote the beginning of a movie line people get the reference. The prophets writings were that familiar to the people of the day. They would often quote the beginning of a psalm to infer the entire thing. Perhaps one familiar today I can do that with is, “The Lord is my shepherd...” and those that know the 23rd Psalm automatically begin reciting it in its entirety in their mind.
Jesus called upon this on the cross when he references Psalm 22 and cries out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” And those familiar with the Psalms immediately recognized the reference.
Here John is referencing Isaiah 40:3. More than that, he’s reminding the people of the prophecies and declaring they are coming true.
And yet, though he has an opportune moment to make much of himself John actively humbles himself.
John answered them, “I baptize with water, but among you stands one you do not know, even he who comes after me, the strap of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie.”
Just two verses later,
The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!
And two chapters later:
He must increase, but I must decrease.”
John was given every opportunity to bring glory upon himself, at least here on earth. But he knew where it was to go. He knew his role was to introduce to the world, the Lord of Lords and King of King. The Messiah, the Savior, the one that all the prophets had pointed to. In the words of one evangelist, John was a signpost simply pointing to the Messiah.
At John’s birth, Zechariah, his father, was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied saying,
And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High;
for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways,
to give knowledge of salvation to his people
in the forgiveness of their sins,
because of the tender mercy of our God,
whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high
to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the way of peace.”
In other words, Prepare the way of the Lord.
Make way, He’s coming, He’s coming! He’s Coming!
To borrow some words from the child hood game and perhaps have them spoken by our Lord, “Ready or not, here I come!”
So what is our task in this Advent Season?
It’s Christmas time - people are preparing, though differently this year. Perhaps this is the perfect time to remind them to Prepare the Way!
Prepare The Way!
Prepare The Way!
The Lord is coming. Are we ready?
To borrow a phrase from the movie The Dead Poets Society, “Carpe Diem!” - Seize the Day!
If you’ve not seen the movie, I realize it’s over 30 years old, it’s a very poignant movie about boys coming of age, about influence, about leadership, and the best and worst of it all. In one of its foundational scenes, Robin Williams’ character, the teacher Mr. Keating, challenges the boys to make their lives EXTRAORDINARY.
As we prepare our hearts to receive our King, it is also the perfect and opportune time to be sharing with others about your faith.
Christmas is not about getting lots of toys. It’s not about shopping. It’s not about giving. It’s not even about family and large celebratory meals.
In that Christmas classic Charlie Brown cries out, “Isn’t there anyone who knows what Christmas is all about?”
Linus Van Pelt: Sure, Charlie Brown, I can tell you what Christmas is all about.
[moves toward the center of the stage]
Linus Van Pelt: Lights, please.
[a spotlight shines on Linus]
Linus Van Pelt: "And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, 'Fear not:"
[Linus drops his security blanket on purpose]
Linus Van Pelt: "for behold, I bring unto you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the City of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.' And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God, and saying, 'Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.'"
Linus Van Pelt: [Linus picks up his blanket and walks back towards Charlie Brown] That's what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown.
Prepare the way, friends. Jesus is coming.
I hope you and I can be more like Linus, and drop our security blankets (on purpose) and share the Good news of Jesus Christ. This really is the perfect opportunity.