Prepare Ye The Way

Message presented to my church on December 5, 2021, the Second Sunday of Advent

Texts for the day:  Malachi 3:1-7, Philippians 1:2-11, Luke 3:1-20 (The Proclamation of John the Baptist)  Please read the texts prior to reading this post to get the full meaning of the message for today.

Psalm 19:14 - Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.  Amen.

A man I know, T, spent his life working and planning toward the day when he would retire, and he and his wife would be able to travel and explore the world and enjoy the family and life that they created together.  He did everything right, by the world’s standards.  He saved his money, he built a retirement fund, he planned and dreamed about that future day when everything would be fulfilled and they would reap the reward of all their labors.  He was all set.  He was prepared.

Then, two years before he retired, he was diagnosed with a terminal illness.  All the plans, all the preparations, everything they had dreamed of and planned together was suddenly, in an instant, gone.  In its place was illness, pain, struggle and, in the end, death.

But T’s faith never faltered.  Certainly he had moments of wondering why this happened to him, as we all would, but he never once got angry at God.  He accepted everything that he endured, because he knew that he was prepared in the only way that ultimately matters - he was ready, he was even eager - for the eternal life that was to come.

T knew that it was important to plan and think ahead in this life so that his family was cared for and their earthly needs would be met.  Even in the last few days of his life, he got his brothers out in the shop working on his snowblower so his wife would be able to take care of things when he was no longer there.  He didn’t slack on earthly preparation, he did everything that he could to plan ahead.

But he understood that ultimately, only God has control.  And he had already prepared himself spiritually long before he got ill, for whatever plan God had for his life.  When his earthly plan went upside down, he was ready.  He was truly prepared for eternity, not just the here and now.  And in his preparedness, he influenced many others to seek a stronger faith, as well.

That same imperative, to be spiritually prepared, and to exhort others to be spiritually prepared, is what speaks to me in all of today’s texts.  John the Baptist was called by God to spiritually prepare people for the Savior who would bring salvation to a fallen humanity, and he was in a hurry to get the job done.  People everywhere he traveled were puffed up with their own self-importance, glorifying themselves over how well they followed every little rule and losing track of God in the process, and he wasn’t bashful about putting them in their place.  His language was harsh, direct and to the point.  His ministry was one of urgency and haste, because he knew his time was short and temptations were all around them.  He exhorted them to repent of their sinfulness and be baptized into new life in the coming Messiah.

We see this same sense of urgency elsewhere in the New Testament.  In 2 Timothy 4, Paul writes:

In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I solemnly urge you: proclaim the message; be persistent whether the time is favorable or unfavorable; convince, rebuke, and encourage, with the utmost patience in teaching.  For the time is coming when people will not put up with sound doctrine, but having itching ears, they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own desires, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander away to myths.  As for you, always be sober, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, carry out your ministry fully.

And in Matthew 25, we have the parable of the Ten Bridesmaids, five foolish (unprepared for what is to come) and five wise (spiritually ready.)

Even Jesus jumped into his ministry as quickly as possible, knowing his own time was limited, and understanding how much there was to be done.  From the moment he started teaching in the temple, he was proclaiming God’s word and preparing for the inevitable.  

Life rarely goes according to plan.  Pastor Shannon planned to be here this morning to give his message, but he can’t be here because illness overtook him.  I didn’t plan to be here until last evening, and here I am, anyway.  Last night, when I should have been working on this message, my furnace went out, and I had to spend precious time finding someone who could and would come out to repair it right away instead of working on what I would say today.  Life is unpredictable, no matter how well you think you have prepared.  We are not really in control, however much we may think we are.

John’s life was probably not what he planned, either.  I am pretty sure he did not grow up expecting to be imprisoned and beheaded on someone's whim for preaching the coming of the Savior.  But he took on the mantle God gave him, even when it must have been nearly unbearable.  He didn’t shirk.  He didn’t hesitate.  He didn’t pull back or make nice with the authorities or the people who sought to undermine him in order to save himself.  God called him, and he answered the call.  (He was no Jonah!  He didn’t run away.  He didn’t rail against God for asking too much of him.  He didn’t whine about how unfair it all was.)  He continued to preach with the full force of his conviction because God called him to do it, and he was prepared, even at the risk of his life, to speak the truth of the coming of Jesus.

Perfect though he was, it wasn’t even in Jesus' personal plan to die for us, as we see from his prayers in the Garden of Gethsemane in Matthew 26:39:

 And going a little farther, he threw himself on the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; yet not what I want but what you want.” 

It was God’s plan, and the very human Jesus was willing to submit to God's will and do what God asked of him, even when it was difficult, even when it wasn't what he wanted to do, even when it cost him his life on a cross, because he was spiritually prepared.

It is all too easy to get caught up in the everyday concerns of our worldly existence and lose track of our spiritual preparedness.  We need to have food and clothing and heat and all the stuff of everyday life in order to survive, so it is important.  Today is Sock It To Me Sunday, where we are literally called to give to others whose lives are in crisis, just as John exhorted the crowds of people to do.  Share coats and food, be satisfied with your wages, don’t take more than your share or what you need.  Sharing what God has given us is part of our church mission, part of the way that we live the Word, and it bears good fruit.

So the material things themselves are not the problem.  Our worship of them is.  The idolatry of things, attention, adulation from others, derails us from focusing on our spiritual preparation.  John brings us right to the heart of this with his analogy of an ax lying at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.  If we are focused on the wrong thing, we are useless, and bear bad fruit.

In this season of Advent, we are reminded that we need to be prepared, spiritually, for whatever comes, because our lives are not really under our control.  This earthly life is not promised to be easy simply because we are Christians.  Jesus died on a cross.  John the Baptist lost his head in prison.  Most of the apostles were martyred for their faith and ministries.  Christians face hardship of all kinds - illness, financial distress, failed crops or failure on the job, addiction, homelessness - all the problems of the world can afflict us just like anyone else.  But when we focus on God instead of ourselves, we are refined, we are refocused and ultimately, we are redeemed.

When we are spiritually prepared, when we have returned to God from our sinful pursuits, he, who is unchanged, has promised to return to us and we will not perish but have eternal life.  Our dear brother in Christ, T, left this life confident in his faith, with his eyes on his Lord.  He had been through the refiner’s fire, especially in these last years of his illness, and in so doing, he influenced the lives of many people who saw his faith and were inspired by it.

This is John’s message - Repent.  Prepare.  Keep your eyes on God, and spread the good news of salvation to those who need to hear it.  Bear good fruit for the kingdom of God.  This life is temporary, a waiting room on the path to heaven.  God has his ultimate plan for each one of us, which may not be the plan we want, but which will bring us to him in the end if we are prepared.

Let us pray.  Unchanging Lord, we ask you to refine our lives so we can remain focused on you.  Give us courage in our spiritual preparation, so we can bear good fruit for your kingdom.  Give us patience to use this Advent season of waiting to share your good news with others who need to hear about you.  Baptize us with the Holy Spirit, that we may feel your presence with us each and every day.  In Jesus name, we pray this.  Amen.