Advent 2: Preparation
Luke 1:26-38
Today, we celebrate the 2nd week in the Advent season. We continue with our sermon series on the Advent wreath. Last week, we talked about the first candle and its’ representation of Hope. This week, we will look at the 2nd candle which represents preparation.
Many of us go through our own version of preparations to get ready for the Christmas holiday. We set-up Christmas trees and decorate them with lights, fancy ornaments and perhaps a star on top. We purchase gifts for our loved ones in honor and remembrance of the gifts brought to Jesus by the wise men. We may even put decorations on our laws of a nativity set or other Christmas cheer. We prepare for the holiday by setting many physical reminders of Christmas all around us.
But, we are not alone in the preparations. Department stores, malls and shopping centers all have their own activities to get ready for Christmas. Some set up extravagant trees decorated with colorful balls and tinsel. Others have large wreaths hanging on walls and from ceilings. Santa and snowmen, ice skating and caroling are all a part of the celebration. We all have our own way of preparing for Christmas.
But, God had his own way of preparing. His preparations took longer than a day or a week. His preparations required thousands of people and centuries to complete. He sent the savior into the world at a specific time of his choosing, to a specific woman with her betrothed. A certain town, in a certain country, at a certain time to a certain family. There was nothing by chance as to when, where, who and to whom the coming messiah would arrive in this world. It was not an accident that this all occurred that this moment in history. It was not a fleeting response to a nice situation, but a meticulously planned event that was designed to change the history of the world. The coming of the Christ was well rehearsed, projected centuries earlier and all by the knowing hand of God. He had this idea from the very beginning.
In the Beginning
As early as the book of Genesis, God already had a plan for the future. Our earliest ancestors, Adam and Eve, fell into sin in the Garden of Eden. It wasn’t until this sin that a plan of salvation was needed. After all, the sinless do not need to be saved. It is only the sinner who has been condemned. But, as soon as God had man and women admit to their error, God already had a plan for renewal. Through the coming savior, all mankind would have hope for the future and rescue from damnation. Preparations were already being made to save a world full of souls that hadn’t even been born yet. Here, in the Garden of Eden, God spoke of the coming savior. He said to the serpent:
“I will put an enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.” (Genesis 3:15)
The woman spoken of here is Eve. This was not a chance occurrence, but the beginning preparations for the coming Messiah. This earliest of prophecies spoke of an offspring, it spoke of our coming Lord and savior.; preparations for Jesus who would come centuries later. The plan was already created and set into motion from the very first sin.
But, the coming Messiah would not have had the same impact to us if he had come immediately in Eden. We needed to learn about ourselves. God saw this and built time into the preparations. The God fearing Israelites needed to grow before they could receive the Christ. They had to explore their world and explore their faith before the world was ready for Jesus. Although the elements were present in the Garden of Eden, time was a tool that worked towards God’s plan. God chose to use this time to institute some of his prophecies to show His people the truth. After all, Adam and Eve were given the pleasure of being able to talk directly with God. The spoke with God, not in prayer, but just as I am speaking to you. They didn’t pray to God, they conversed with Him. As time moved forward, God used his prophets to write down the events of the future. I’m sure God intended to show us His truth by allowing us to compare the prophecies with the actual events. God used time, and the prophets as tools. In this way, scripture validates itself and His plan is revealed. In fact, much of the Old Testament is a story of a people not yet ready to receive the coming Messiah. God chose the time, the place, and the players who would be involved with the nativity.
The Lineage of Jesus
One of the ways God revealed His plan was through the lineage of Jesus. Repeatedly in the Old Testament, we find references to the House of David and the royal lineage. God spoke to David directly in the book of 2nd Samuel when he said:
He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever.’ ” (2 Samuel 2: 13,16)
This conversation was talking about the Messiah who would come in the future. He would be from David’s family and would rule on David’s throne forever. God fulfilled this through both Joseph and Mary. This lineage was so important that the Gospel of Matthew in the first chapter (Matthew 1:1-17) explains a concise lineage of Jesus showing how King David was related to Joseph. Our Gospel message from Luke tonight in verse 27 clearly states that Joseph was of the House of David. In a similar fashion, another genealogy of Jesus appears in Luke chapter 3 (Luke 3:23-38). This is the line of David on Mary’s side of the family. The roots of Jesus were important to validate that He truly was from the Royal family of David; Joseph from David’s son Solomon and Mary from David’s son Nathan. In this way, the Old Testament prophecy in 2nd Samuel referring to David’s throne was shown to be true. The throne would not be an earthly one, but it would be eternal.
Jesus would be born of a virgin
Lineage was not the only preparation made for Jesus. As we read in the Gospel message earlier, Mary was prepared by the angel Gabriel for the events that were to follow. Imagine if you will, the events that unfolded with a young woman like Mary. She was engaged to be married. Around this point in history, an engagement of this type would normally occur at the age of 12 and continue for a full year. Its likely that Mary was somewhere between 12 and 15 years old. By today’s standards we would consider her a girl not ready yet for a family. However, times were different back then. This engagement was normal. However, a young teenager then as today would react much the same way. How would a 13 year old young woman react when confronted by the angel Gabriel? Think about it, how would you react at that age? How would your son or daughter react? A being sent from God is in your midst, and he’s there to talk to you. An angel sent from God, not by accident, but by design. He’s there to prepare you for something.
The message that God sent to Mary was not the only message sent that day. He also sent a message to those around her. God chose to use an unusual situation to grab the attention of those around the true Messiah and his earthly family. Everyone understood how babies were created. Through the union of one man and one woman, a child would form inside the mother. Yet, Isaiah predicted this would not be so with the coming Savior. In Isaiah 7:14 the prophet wrote:
Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
The fact that a virgin would conceive was not something that would stay a secret. It was to be so evident that something special happened, that the name of the child would be Immanuel, which means “God with us.” Obviously, this was not to be a normal pregnancy. This was a very unusual series of events. And here we find in Matthew 1:23, the Gospel writer quotes Isaiah 7:14 as referring to Jesus. He was the Immanuel and was born of the virgin Mary. Again, prophecy fulfilled.
Joseph and Mary Chosen for the Task
The selection of Mary and Joseph for the task of raising Jesus was not a random choice either. With both being from the lineage of David, part of the equation was already present. However, to raise Jesus properly, both parents needed to be faithful servants of God. They had to be willing to take on the responsibility of raising Jesus according to the law. This, of course, would include following the customs of circumcision at the proper time. Angels appeared to both Joseph and Mary to help prepare them for what was to come. But, they would have a challenge on their hands. They would have to flee to Egypt to escape the wrath of Herod. (Matthew 2:13-15). Mary and Joseph were the right people, with the right qualifications, with the right outlook toward God, at the right time in history. They were obedient even with those actions they did not understand. They were Godly people ready to do their part in the preparations God set out before them. All of these factors had to come together at one time.
Why at this Time?
As we can see, God’s plan took a tremendous number of preparations for it to come to pass. Adam and Eve would have viewed a Messiah in their lifetime in much different terms.
Lets take a look at this in more modern terms. For example, if a police officer gave you a speeding ticket, then immediately took it back and destroyed the ticket in front of you, you would likely be grateful that the ticket was destroyed. You would be grateful that you did not have a ticket to pay. However, you likely forget the ticket soon. The idea of the speeding ticket is to change how you drive. Destroying the ticket immediately would not force you to learn from the mistake. Instead, you would likely continue with your previous habits.
In much the same way, God’s plan was designed to change how people behave. Man committed the first sin in the Garden of Eden. But, God did not destroy the debt immediately. Instead, he set up a plan to forgive the debt in due time. He set up the preparations right away, but allowed us to learn from the mistake. History in the form of the Old Testament is used as a learning tool even today, even in this building. God used time to demonstrate his faithfulness while still allowing the Messiah to come into this world to forgive the debt of sin.
God’s plan required time. But it also required certain elements to come together. It required the lineage of the House of David. It required a virgin ready and able to take on the responsibilities as the mother of the Christ. It required a set of parents brought up in the law who could raise Jesus in the faith and customs of Israel. All of these pieces had to come together in one place, at one time. Through Mary and Joseph, they did. Through them, Jesus entered the world and changed it forever.
Out Role in Preparation
But, our preparations are small and insignificant compared to what God set-up. But, we too have a responsibility to prepare for Christmas. Although Jesus has already come into this world, we remember his coming every year during the Christmas holiday. It is not just our houses, malls, schools and churches that need to prepare for the season. It is also our hearts and the hearts of those around us. As Christians, it is our duty to be the example for others to follow during every part of the year. But, it is more apparent during the Christmas season with all the hustle and bustle of the shopping sprees, sales and stores filled to capacity with customers. It is our duty to prepare ourselves to be examples for others to see.
God used centuries to prepare the world for the coming Messiah. We don’t have the time to do that, but we do have the time to share the story of Christmas with those who have not experienced God’s love. We have the time to show God’s love in our attitudes. We have time to show the Christ in Christmas.
A simple greeting of Merry Christmas or a smile to those who are lonely or depressed can often be a better gift for Christmas that any boxed present. A simple caring heart can prepare the way for others to enjoy the gift of the Christ. We have a few weeks to get ready for Christmas Eve. Just as God prepared his people for the coming of Jesus, we too should strengthen and encourage one another to prepare for the coming holiday. We are here as Christians. We are here to prepare for the celebration of Jesus. We are here to prepare for the blessing of eternal life that Jesus gave to us.
We have hope for the future because of the coming of Jesus. We should have joy in our hearts because of the promise of eternal life that we have been given. We should have love in our actions because of the love God showed us with the sacrifice of his own son. We have a lot to be thankful for because of the actions of Jesus, not because of our own.
We are here today to prepare for Christmas because God prepared so much before us. Let us continue to remember in thanksgiving what that truly means to us as well as all mankind.
Amen.
