A pastor tells the story about a time he was preparing his
sermon during Advent. His 5 year old
daughter approached him and said, "Daddy,
can we play?" He answered,
"I'm sorry, Sweetheart, but I'm
right in the middle of writing my sermon.
In about an hour I can play."
“But daddy, you always say that,
are you sure?” “Yes,” he replied. "Okay, she said, when you're finished, Daddy,
I am going to give you a great big hug." She ran to the door and then did a U-turn and
came back and gave him a bone-breaking hug.
The pastor said, "Darling,
you said you were going to give me a hug after I finished." She answered, "Yes Daddy, but I just wanted to help you prepare faster.”
What is the message of Advent? “The
Lord is coming, let every heart prepare Him room and heaven and nature sing.” Today the spotlight shines on John the
Baptist. Why John? He seems more like a Grinch rather than one
who represents the true spirit of Christmas.
But John keeps showing up in this season whether we like it or not.
Our lesson from the Gospel of John says: “There
was a man sent from God, whose name was John.
He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe
through him. He himself was not the
light, but he came to testify to the light, the true light, which enlightens
everyone, was coming into the world.”
John was the quintessential prophet. He looked like one, he acted like one, he
sounded like one, he dressed like one and he smelled like one. A common reaction today to John is: “What a kill-joy. I’m stressed already at Christmas, I'm busy
enough this time of year, you mean I have to repent too?” “John
is very un-Christmas like.” Would you like to invite John over to your home
and spend an evening with him?
John’s presence that day fulfilled the age-old prophecy from
the prophet Isaiah: “See I am sending my
messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way.” God sent John to get people ready for the
Lord’s appearing.
The Jewish leaders asked John – “Who are you?” John first
told them who he wasn't; “I am not the
Messiah, let's make that perfectly clear.”
They asked again. John
replied: “I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, make straight the way
of the Lord.” John didn't give a
name. Instead, he said: “I am
the voice of another.” In other
words: “It’s not important who I am, it’s
not about me, I am a disembodied voice.”
“It’s all about the one who is
coming after me.” God called John
to be the forerunner, the herald, the messenger, to witness of the coming
Savior of the world. John was sent to
set the stage.
Think of the crowds that turned out to see him. Yes, some were curiosity seekers, others
undoubtedly came to mock him, but many came because they were discontented with
their lives. They were spiritually hungry,
they felt a spiritual void, an emptiness, an inner-longing, they wanted to
change their lives and get right with God.
They were seeking forgiveness and purpose, hope and joy. Isn’t that true for some, perhaps many people
today?
Advent is a time to get ready for the coming celebration of
the birth of Jesus at many levels. How
will you prepare yourself? There are
practical ways of preparing the way. We
host friends and family in our homes and prepare special meals and
activities. We decorate our homes and
churches, like we have here at PBPC and even some cities and communities in our
nation still decorate for Christmas. We
buy gifts; send cards. Parents plan Advent
activities for their children. We
donate to special charities to help the poor this time of year. We continue the cultural debate about whether
our commercialism has crowded out Jesus' birth at Christmas or whether there is
still room in the inn of our of hearts, our homes and our communities.
Further, there are spiritual ways to prepare the way. John the Baptist challenged people to be
spiritually vulnerable, to open themselves to God, to turn away from their
sins, to turn from their pride and self-deceptions. God sent John to disturb consciences, to
awaken a spiritual need, to expose the darkness in people’s lives, to free us
from self-centeredness, to shake folks up.
John called people to repent and re-dedicate their lives to God. John called people to trust in God for
forgiveness and peace. Spiritual ways
include coming to worship services, reading advent and Christmas stories in the
Bible, engaging in prayer.
If you don’t prepare spiritually, if you get lost in
busyness, the time from now through Christmas will pass by with no special
significance, no special meaning, no special joy. It will be like any other month. You will miss being surprised by God’s grace
this season.
Finally, there are witnessing ways to prepare for the
Lord. When John the Baptist shouted
prepare the way of the Lord, he was serving as God's announcer, forerunner,
herald, messenger, and witness to prepare others for the coming of the
Messiah. Announcers are important
aren't they?
We need people who will prepare the way for us, blaze a
trail, go before us, set the scene, open doors of opportunity, pave the way,
lay a foundation. I think of Dick
Enberg, the television announcer for the SD Padres. I also think of special people who have paved
the way in my life over the years.
To whom is God calling you to be an announcer, a herald, a witness? To whom is God calling you to prepare the way
of the Lord? For example a neighbor, a
colleague, a cousin, a family member, a friend?
Whom has God laid on your heart this season?
I think of a famous composer whom God called to be a
messenger of the lord - George Frederick Handel. He spent most of his life in London , England London ,
night after night, in hopeless despair.
Only memories of his past glory, when the brilliant man was touted by
the court society of London and Europe remained with him.
It seemed as if his genius had deserted him. Once the favorite of kings and queens, he had
been forced into bankruptcy and had become a pauper.
One bitterly cold morning during the winter of 1741, Handel
returned to his lodging, to find a thick package on the table. It contained a text made up of scripture
verses from the opera writer, Charles Jennens.
Dazed by cold and hunger, Handel leafed through the pages and the words
from the prophet Isaiah caught his attention.
“Comfort ye, comfort
ye, my people, says the Lord. Behold, a
virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and you shall call his name Emmanuel, God
with us. The people that walked in darkness
have seen a great light. For unto us a
child is born, unto us a son is given, and his name shall be called Wonderful,
Counselor, Mighty God, Prince of Peace. I know that my Redeemer liveth and that
He shall stand at the latter day upon the earth - King of Kings, and Lord of
Lords. Hallelujah.” The
words burned into his soul. He began
composing the music to the immortal oratorio, the Messiah. For two weeks he labored incessantly, until
it was finished.
God used Handel as His herald, his forerunner, his witness. Nearly, three centuries have passed and
people are still thrilled by the music of the Messiah and by the inspiration of
a man whose faith, creative energies and talents God used to announce the
coming of the way of the Lord to new generations.
We live in a world where there is joy and light and love and
yet, at the same time, a world racked with uncertainty, violence, and darkness
and we need during Advent, to focus our hearts and minds upon the one whom God
sent to save us. May God use us today,
like God used John long ago, to help people get ready for the coming of the
Lord. Pray for God to prepare you in
surprising ways this Advent and Christmas season. Amen!
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