In this season of Advent, we prepare for the arrival of Christ, by looking back, and by looking forward.  We look BACK to the story of Jesus’ dramatic entry into the world, his life and his death, on Earth. We look FORWARD  to Jesus’s return which is a day that no one but God knows – in which Christ calls those who are his home. But also in this season of Advent, we prepare ourselves for the coming of the Lord, in our lives today. TODAY in our hearts, in our minds, and in our actions.    TODAY,  in our homes, in our jobs, in our schools, in our cars, on the streets, in our church, in this city, in this nation, in this world. TODAY. TODAY, we prepare.  Or are we preparing????

When I know I’m having guests over our house, I tell my teenagers to clean up.  Clean that bathroom which is a mess and light that candle so that we can present ourselves ready and spotless before our guests. Why? Because I know that they are coming and I want to be ready.  I prepare a menu that is thoughtful and make a meal specifically with my guests in mind as I look forward to the time that we will get to spend together.  I get ready.  And likewise, when it comes to this season in the church, this season of Advent, the four weeks leading up to the time that we celebrate Jesus’s arrival- this is a time of preparation.  You see God cares about how we live our life.  

But we don’t have to clean it all up before inviting him into our home and into our hearts.  There is no need to hide our mess.  Why? Because the Scriptures paint the picture of our God who somehow knows even every hair on our head. So, what will trying to throw all the stuff we don’t want others to see into our closet and shutting the doors have on God?  Jesus is more than just a guest. Jesus is God. And God already knows everything that there is to know about us, even the things we try to hide or try to make look better. God is gracious. Now see, our guests may hold it against us if we showed them who we really were and how we really lived, but Jesus?  I think Jesus cares more about what’s INSIDE of the cup rather than the outside. He cares about what’s IN our hearts. WHERE is our heart ?  WHO HAS our heart?  These affections that we hold onto cannot be easily seen. But I think THOSE are the things that really concerns God about us.  Jesus looks beyond the surface into the heart of the matter. Jesus is more than skin deep. Jesus asks us, who are you? And how is your soul? 

Last week, we started Advent. As we started, we started by preparing for the arrival of Christ, Pastor Roy talked about the barren and aged couple, the high priest Zechariah and his wife of faith, Elizabeth. He was talking about how they were confronted by the angel of the Lord that told them they were going to have a son.  So, after this son was born  and Zechariah confirmed his wife’s declaration, that his name will be called John, he grew and its recorded in Luke 1:80 says, “The child (John) grew and was becoming strong in spirit and he lived in the deserts (or the Wilderness) until the day of his public appearance to Israel.”

So, TODAY,  our text today is going to be continuing on from Luke 3: 1-6 as we continue on in this season of preparation I’m going to read this text to you.  It says, “  In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar—when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, Herod tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea and Traconitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene— 2 during the high-priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness. 3 He went into all the country around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 4 As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet:

“A voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord,     make straight paths for him. Every valley shall be filled in,     every mountain and hill made low. The crooked roads shall become straight,  the rough ways smooth. And all people will see God’s salvation.’”[a] (NIV)

God’s word is Unstoppable.

God’s Word came into the Wilderness. When John was all alone.

It came to one ordinary person,  John. It. He was a person with no power. No Authority, no position. Yes, he was the son of Zechariah who served as the high priest, at the time of his conception, right, yes he was. But, he was by himself in the woods, just hanging out there, waiting on God. 

2 during the high-priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness.

And the word of the Lord came to JOHN.  This word did not come to the rulers of the day. Or even to the religious leaders of the day (Annas and Caiphas). Instead, it came to this ordinary man. Who was waiting expectantly for God.  

God’s word changes people. 

John believed God’s word when it came to him in the wilderness and he acted on it. He immediately went into all the country to pass on what he received to others.  Remember the text? It says, “

3 He went into all the country around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.”

John preached the word that people needed to go and prepare themselves for the coming of the Lord. There were things that the people needed to do to get ready. This message was not new. It was a continuation of the Old Testament prophets’ message- a call for repentance. A call for radical change in our lives. Repentance is the door to forgiveness.  God CAME to US through JOHN and other messengers so that we may have LIFE.  PREPARE YOUR HEART and MAKE IT CLEAN through GOD’S MERCY AND SAVING GRACE so that we all can be made new through HIM. But God doesn’t just bulldoze his way into your life. He doesn’t. GOd does not do that. He wants you to PREPARE YOURSELF, prepare yourself INSIDE, and out,  FOR THE COMING OF THE LORD.  

God’s word changes people. The Word of God commissioned John, son of Zechariah to go before the Lord to prepare the way to shine the Light. 

“to shine on those living in darkness

    and in the shadow of death,

to guide our feet into the path of peace.”

That’s what we heard today read from Luke 1:79 by Tiffany this morning when lighting our 2nd Advent candle today. .

God’s word leads us into the way of peace.

Now, I know, I know this season is not easy. I know. Party, I know because of my work. I listen to people in the toughest of times in the hospital. Even as we prepare and remember God’s coming. And even as we are open to what God is doing in our heart and in our lives and even as we remember that God’s word is Unstoppable, that it changes people, that it leads to the way of peace, there’s STILL a lot happening! There’s STILL a lot going on in our lives, And in this world. We are suffering in various ways. If it’s not us personally, then it’s somebody that’s near and dear to you.  There is somebody who is waiting for a miracle of physical healing, praying for God to intervene or praying for the strength to get through all of their medical treatments before their insurance runs out.  There are people here grieving the death of their loved ones- recent deaths, unexpected deaths, and loved ones who died even a while ago but others who care for us seem to have just moved on.  There are unanswered questions of WHY??? WHY ME/ WHY US/ WHY NOW?? There’s bill collectors, who don’t understand the specifics of what’s going on in your life and frankly don’t care. They just want their money and we don’t know how to make it happen because we don’t have it.  There are students who are taking finals and end of semester tests right now and wondering if they’re going to pass. Or they are thinking about what happens next. There’s no school for the next couple of weeks and they need to make plans for where they’re going to be or how they will stay safe.  There are people living in places that are emotionally unhealthy and loneliness abounds.  There’s others who haven’t seen their family because they don’t talk to each other. Actually, they haven’t talked to each other in years and it bothers them and they don’t know how to move forward. Every time they talk, it’s an argument. And yet, they’re afraid of losing the relationship. For others, there is anxiety about the upcoming presidential term and the changes that will come with that. Such as funding for shelters and for vulnerable people- who will help them and where will they go?  There are people who are hungry, children that are abused, elderly who are forgotten, people that are trafficked right here in our State against their will. There are wars going on in the world and chaos. (DEEP BREATH) So YES there is a lot happening with us today. 

And, And even in the middle of ALL of these things, which are known by God, we prepare.  We prepare. We trust in the Lord. We wait for the Lord. and we look for the Lord. The Word of the Lord is unstoppable. The word of the Lord came, in the wilderness. THe Word of the Lord changes people and leads to peace.  The peace that surpasses all human understanding- that kind of peace. The peace that the WORLD cannot give, but that only GOD can give.  That peace. We prepare and we STILL PREPARE, For the Lord’s coming. Right here in the middle of our busyness. And our grief. And our distractions. And our pain.  

The Word of the Lord came, to the ordinary, and to the one that was looking for it. In fact one might say that John, son of Zechariah, BECAME important he became important because of his faithfulness in preparing the way for the Lord by taking the Word of the God that came to him in the wilderness and sharing it with others. Energizing others in the way that the Spirit gifted him to do.  He helped others prepare for the coming of the Lord.

So, I think, we gather here together today, not just to be here because it’s Sunday, although that might be the reason why some of you are here.  We are here because we are looking for God. We come, because we want to be reminded in the middle of our busyness, in the middle of our grief, in the middle of our distractions, of our joy, and of our pain, we want to be reminded that there is more.  There is MORE to our lives.  There is MORE for the future. There is more BECAUSE the Word of The Lord CAME.  

The word of the Lord comes now today, The word of God comes now today, It comes today. inspiring us to act, and to MOVE, and to BE, for others.  We share through our lives and through our actions the Word of the Lord. We shout through the witness of our everyday lives, “Go! And GET READY for the coming of the Lord! Don’t just live like it’s business as usual. There’s something happening here. And we’re getting ready for it. Together.  

So, how will you ‘pass the peace’ to others this week?

How is God calling you to prepare? 

Are you looking for the Word of the Lord to come to you? 

God is here! GOd is here. How will you respond? 

How will you help others prepare for the coming of the Lord? 

Let us pray,

Dear Lord we pray… We pray for compassion, for empathy, and for hearts to stay open to those in worse need than we are. For all those whose lives were ripped away, for all those who have faced rubble with courage. For all those who remain afraid. Grant them and grant us your peace. Amen.— Donna Schaper in Prayers for People Who Say They Can’t Pray