“Preparing the Way”
Luke 1:5-17
Adam Hamilton’s book: “Prepare the Way for the Lord” was used as a template for this sermon.
This is the first Sunday of Advent.
The word “Advent” means coming, arrival, or presence, and Advent starts four Sundays before Christmas.
If we could summarize the aim of Advent, it might best be found in the words of Isaiah, words that foretold the life and mission of John the Baptist: “Prepare the way of the Lord.”
We often think of Advent as a season to celebrate the birth of Jesus—His first Advent—but it’s more than that.
Advent is also about preparing for Christ’s return—His second coming.
And it’s even more than that—it is also about preparing for Christ to enter into our hearts or preparing the way for Christ to enter into the hearts of others.
And that is what John the Baptist did.
John was the messenger sent by God to prepare the people for the arrival of Jesus Christ—God made flesh.
In Malachi 3:1 God says, “I am sending my messenger, who will prepare the way before me.”
(pause)
Our story for this morning begins in 5 BC when Herod the Great, with support of the Romans, ruled as the king over Judea.
Zechariah, John the Baptist’s father was a priest and his mother Elizabeth was the daughter of a priest.
They lived in the hill country surrounding Jerusalem, sort of like living on Lookout Mountain or Signal Mountain if we were to think of Chattanooga as Jerusalem.
Their home was about 4 miles from the Temple.
We are told that both Zechariah and Elizabeth were childless and were now getting on in years.
They lived lives of faithfulness to God, but had also endured a long journey of sorrow and disappointment because in the ancient world, everyone was expected to have children.
We are told that “once when Zachariah’s division was on duty and he was serving as priest before God, he was chosen…to go into the temple of the Lord and burn incense…”
While in there an angel of the Lord appeared and said, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will call him John.”
“Your prayer has been heard…”
For years he must have prayed, again and again, that Elizabeth would become pregnant, but most likely, he had stopped praying and had given up hope now that they were both getting older.
I wonder if there are things you have prayed for a long time, for years perhaps but have seen no answer?
My mother, several years ago, told me about the answer to a prayer she had prayed almost daily for about 30 years.
At times, she had been tempted to stop praying about it, wondering if her prayers for it really mattered.
At first, she would tell the person that she was praying for her, but eventually, she stopped telling.
Then, one day, the woman said to her, “That prayer you have been praying for me—I didn’t think what you’d prayed for was even possible.
But now, I feel like the exact thing you asked for is what I’m experiencing.”
Our prayers are always heard, even if we don’t see the results we are hoping for or if they don’t come in the time frame we had hoped.
Prayer is mainly about communion with God, giving thanks, offering praise, putting our lives in God’s hands, asking God to lead us and guide us, forgive us and use us.
Just like our conversation with friends, prayer isn’t just about asking for things.
It’s not our place to advise God on how to run the universe.
Just the same, there is nothing wrong with praying for “grand-slam, out of the park” miracles.
I do it all the time, how about you?
But more often, I pray things like:
“God, I can’t face this mountain without you.
Please give me the strength to help me through, no matter what happens.”
And that’s not to say God can’t bring about out-of-the-park-home-run miracles.
I’ve seen them.
I’ve experienced them.
And I’d imagine you have as well.
And the story of John the Baptist’s conception is an example of one of those miracles.
But notice the miracle occurs not when Zechariah and Elizabeth are in their early 20’s and praying so fervently for a child.
It happens later than they expected, later than they had prayed for.
It happened according to God’s will, when God’s unfolding plan needed a messenger to prepare the way for Jesus.
Garth Brookes has a song called, “Unanswered Prayers.”
In it, he sings about going to a hometown football game with his wife, only to run into his old flame.
And he remembers how, every night back in high school, he prayed that “God would...” in his words… “make her mine.”
But as he thought about his life since then, his marriage and family, he thanked God that God hadn’t answered his high school prayers.
(pause)
In all reality, God does answer all of our prayers…
…just not in the way we think He should.
I’d imagine most of us have had painful things we’ve endured, the things we’d wished God would miraculously take away.
But many of those things have profoundly shaped our lives and made us the people we are today.
God can make good things come out of difficult and painful experiences.
(pause)
God heard Elizabeth’s and Zechariah’s prayers all through the years.
And God was no doubt moved by their prayers.
God walked with them, cared for them, and redeemed their pain…
…and surprised them in the end, in a way they never would have expected and for reasons they never could have imagined.
And God does the same with you and with me.
If God had answered some of the prayers I’ve prayed in my life the way I wanted Him to I’d have been dead a long time ago or, in the very least, in a mess of trouble and heart-ache.
For instance, when I was a teenager I prayed to be a rock star.
I’m so glad that didn’t happen, and I’m thankful I didn’t have the talent that could have made that even a possibility.
What a horrible life to lead.
Serving God and loving others as best you can…
…Allowing God to change your life…
…That’s the most important thing.
That is what makes life worth living.
That is the most exciting thing we could ever do.
That is the kind of life I want to have.
That is the kind of life I want to be able to look back on and not have to say, “Gosh, I wish I hadn’t done that.”
Of course, we all, I would imagine, have times of wandering when we take things into our own hands, get lost and hurt ourselves and others.
That’s one of many reasons that prayer is important, that communion with God is important, that staying connected to church is so important—even if we don’t feel like it.
There are a lot of temptations in this world.
There are a lot of ways to mess up our lives.
But God is so good, so trustworthy, so loving, so true.
Never let go of His hand; He will never let go of our hand.
Faith, the faith God gives to us for free is the most important thing—it’s more important than gold.
It is the treasure found in the field, the pearl of great price—it is worth our everything, our all.
I love what the angel Gabriel told Zachariah about John: “He will be a joy and a delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord…
…he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born.
He will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God.
And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of righteousness—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”
The prophets promised that before Jesus, a messenger would come prepare the people, to call them to repent and turn to God so that when Jesus came, their hearts would be ready and open to Him.
To this day, faithful Jews, end their Sabbath by asking for Elijah to come.
And at the Jewish Passover meal, Jewish families have a cup at the table for Elijah, and they literally open their door inviting Elijah to enter so that the Messiah will finally arrive.
The angel Gabriel makes it clear that John the Baptist is coming to be the Elijah that the prophets had spoken about.
And for us, today as it was in John’s day, being prepared and ready involves turning back to the right ways of thinking.
It means turning us toward our children and parents.
It means turning us toward God.
God says in Malachi Chapter 3: “Return to me and I will return to you.”
This turning, or returning has a name: repentance.
It’s never too late to turn to God, ask forgiveness for our sins and invite Jesus into our hearts.
Don’t miss out.
Don’t miss the most important thing in life.
Several years ago a high school junior started a group called “Impact of Words.”
Their goal was to spread kindness and love through small messages they would write and then put on people’s lockers.
Every Wednesday a group of about ten kids met for thirty minutes and wrote messages to teachers, administrators, students and faculty.
The messages consisted of encouragement, gratitude and thankfulness.
The idea had come to them because of the increasing number of suicides in their community.
They were also inspired by going to their church and hearing about trying to make God’s Kingdom a reality on earth by helping others.
They wrote those small acts of kindness to help people that felt depressed, anxious or isolated know that they are loved and cared for.
In a sense, they were acting like modern-day John the Baptists—they were being messengers preparing the way for the Lord by helping people remember that their lives matter, and that they are loved and important.
They did this by spreading kindness instead of hate or hurt or feelings of worthlessness and despair.
They were seeking to help our world look like the Kingdom of God; to be filled with people prepared for the Lord.
This Advent what am I doing, what are you doing to help prepare the way for Jesus to enter the hearts of the folks in this community and in our lives?
There is nothing more important in all the world.
Let us Pray:
Lord God, thank You for always hearing our prayers.
Thank You for Your compassion and love.
Please transform, from our disappointments and pain something good and beautiful.
Help us to help prepare the way for You to enter the lives of others.
Help us be ready for to celebrate anew Your birth into this world and to be ready on that day when You return.
In Jesus’ name and for His sake we pray.
Amen.
