“Preparing the Way” – Luke 1:68-79 – December 6, 2009
One by one, people are removing the pumpkins from their porches and taking down the fall decorations from their shelves, tables and front yards. Thanksgiving is gone and once again we are making the transition toward Christmas. Christmas lights, snowmen, angels, wreaths and Christmas trees are appearing. Folks are shopping, baking cookies, attending Christmas events, addressing Christmas cards and making plans for Christmas.
As a society we are preparing the way. In less than three weeks Christmas will be here. Few are ready and many will not be totally prepared until the last minute. Historically the season of Advent was a time of meditation, worship and penitence. It was a time to withdraw from worldly activities and be a time of quiet reflection. But for us the season of Advent has become busy, overwhelming and frantic. Although we are preparing for the arrival of the “Prince of Peace,” the days of Advent are anything but peaceful.
In her book, Stepping onto the Invisible Bridge, author Julie Olmsted said that Advent is to be a time of anticipation. She states: “Regardless of your income, your circumstance or your past, you can stop, breathe, look around, and sense that good things will come to a heart empty of resentments and fear and a mind full of peace.”
In the gospel of Luke, Zechariah was preparing the way for the coming of Christ. His message, known as the Benedictus, in Latin, prepared Israel and the early church with a message of promise in the saving work of Jesus. He had been blessed by the miracle birth of a son, John, who was born to his wife, Elizabeth. John would prepare the way for the arrival of Jesus.
Zechariah, who had been silenced due to his unbelief, was healed of his affliction and praised God for the Christ Child who would soon be among them. However, his preparations for the coming Lord were quite different than ours in the days prior to Christmas.
For me, three things stand out in Zechariah’s message as he prepared the way for Jesus’ coming. First: that a savior was coming who would “give knowledge of salvation to his people by the forgiveness of their sins.” During the season of Advent emotions run high. It is easy to lose patience and forget who we are as people of the Christian faith. And yet it is a time when we come together as families, co-workers, friends and a church. Advent lends the opportunity for forgiveness and reconciliation.
One of the classic movies that is aired during Advent is Home Alone. I specifically recall the scene where Kevin is sitting in church with Old Man Marley, his neighbor. He had not visited with his family in years and Kevin suggested he go to them which would create an opportunity for him to make peace and reconcile. Marley took Kevin’s advice and by forgiving his family and himself he was able to reunite with his family.
Forgiveness helps us reconnect with people we care about and opens the door to restoration and peace.
Secondly, Zechariah said that Jesus was coming “to give light to those who sit in the darkness and in the shadow of death.” Jesus was “the light to the nations” who calls us to “let our lights shine.” Advent is the season where we give to those who have need, sharing ourselves with others around us who are less fortunate than ourselves.
In the book, My Favorite Christmas, by Amy Hammond Hagberg (Integrity House, 2006), Jimmy Carter tells a story about one of his favorite Christmases. In 1991 he and his family helped to build a home for Curtiss Jackson, a man who worked for Rosalyn’s grandfather. Jackson had eight brothers and six sisters. After retiring he got a job at a saw mill to provide for his sick wife, Martha. They were living on fifteen dollars a month. While he was sawing, the chain saw slipped and Curtiss severed his right leg above the knee. When he could finally walk again he got a job at a nursing home doing yard work. Jimmy Carter’s mother had been a nurse at the home and Carter and Jackson became friends. When Jackson’s mother became ill, Jimmy Carter visited the shack where they lived. It had no heat except for a small wood stove and you could see through the walls in several places. The roof leaked and on a clear night you could see stars through the ceiling.
Jimmy and Rosalyn rallied some friends from their church and made plans to build the Jackson’s a home. They linked up with Habitat for Humanity and went to work. The people responded enthusiastically and their goal was to complete the house by Christmas Eve. They spent the last two nights laying carpet, tiling floors, planting shrubbery and installing appliances. The Carter children and grandchildren came to the site and helped. They completed a multitude of tasks and on Christmas Eve, they picked up the Jacksons so they could sleep in their new home. The Carter family was so engrossed in the mission they forgot all about their own family Christmas. But, it was one Christmas they would never forget.
When we find a way to helps others we remove the shadow of death and darkness and the light of God can shine.
And lastly, Zechariah’s final words in his message were these: The Lord is coming “to guide our feet into the way of peace.”
One time I was driving through the town square of a small town in Ohio. There were a few folks holding up signs that read, “Peace on Earth” and “Make peace, not war.” I respect them for their commitment and they reminded me of the importance to work for peace. Nevertheless, the real way toward peace is to make some steps. We can bring peace to a situation when we step back from conflict. We can make peace when we take a step toward justice. We can also make peace when we join together and be God’s children of light and forgiveness.
In our town no one is protesting, at least at the moment. But if you drive through the city square you will see a nativity on the South side. It is there to remind us that we continue to be blessed by the peace of God.
The Advent season doesn’t have to overwhelm us. As Zechariah intended, it can be a time of promise and hope. May each of you prepare the way; for God has blessed us just as he blessed Zechariah. May you receive the gift of salvation, may you walk in the light of Jesus Christ and may you experience God’s peace.
Dr. Keith Wagner
"Possibilities Unlimited" - Luke 3:1-6 - December 10, 2000
My wife has a co-worker who is really excited about Christmas. During this Advent season she is absolutely giddy. Her colleagues think she is living in some sort of fantasy world. She is just too optimistic, most likely in denial of reality. But perhaps the rest of us are just plain jealous. Maybe she has been touched by the magic of the season. She is after all a very religious person, extremely involved in the life of her church. Could it be that her positive outlook on life at this time has something to do with the intervening spirit of God?
Personally, I’m a little skeptical. Like most of you, I am preparing for Christmas too, buying gifts, planning for activities and on Sunday afternoon, I actually put up a few Christmas lights on the house. But I honestly can’t say that I have been touched by the magic of Christmas.
I have yet to feel the excitement and to be truthful I am more overwhelmed by all that has to take place in the next few weeks. Christmas is expensive. It’s impossible to arrange a time so everyone in the family can be together due to everyone’s busy lives. In fact, maybe it would be easier to UPS my children’s gifts to their homes and let them open them at their convenience.
Recently we received a program schedule of all the Christmas television specials that occur during the next few weeks. I keep it on the end table next to my recliner. I’ve yet to watch one in its entirety. For some reason I keep flipping over to CNN to see if the nation has decided who is the next president. Is it possible that all this political meandering in the background is keeping the Christmas spirit from intervening?
Ironically, Luke’s message is also back dropped by politics. The society at that time was structured around those who were in political power; Tiberius, Pilate, Herod, who were Roman leaders and Annas, the High Priest. These religious and political leaders were in total control, taking advantage of the masses, especially the poor and disenfranchised. Things seemed very hopeless for the community of faith.
Do we really believe times are much different today than they were two thousand years ago? We live in an age when partisan politics is deadlocked in Washington. Special interest groups dominate our legislators. And the presidential election has raised many questions about the validity of the voting process. Here we are, in the season of Advent, anticipating a time of great expectation, joy and peace but many are skeptical and some are losing faith.
John the Baptist, however did not let the political cloud that dominated his people prevent him from giving a message of hope. For that to happen there needed to be some adjustments, a change of minds and hearts. Repentance meant to change one’s mind, to turn in a different direction.
In other words, John was proclaiming a possibility of a "new age", one that is realized with a commitment to change. "Prepare the way of the Lord," he said, "Make his paths straight." We can’t keep going down the same old crooked roads. There needs to be some fine tuning; smoothing out the rough edges, filling in the potholes, removing the obstacles that get in the way. Advent is much more than just waiting on the birth of the Christ child. It is a time of preparation and especially transformation. And to open ourselves to the possibility of change is no easy task.
Down the highway from Sidney, in Miami County, they are adding two new lanes to Interstate 75. They are removing hills, filling in valleys and straightening curves. The project will take about a year. Unfortunately the road is lined with orange barrels and will be a real bottleneck this winter.
To endure this change means we have to slow down, drive cautiously and tolerate slow-moving truck traffic. It tests your patience and sometimes means we have to take alternative routes. The good news is that at some point in the future it will be much smoother, wider and safer.
I believe that John was trying to give the people of his time hope. That hope would come however with some effort on their part. They could not expect the kingdom of God to come upon them without some preparation. So what then must we do to realize God’s kingdom in our time?
First, we need to be committed to change. If we’ve learned anything in the last month it is the fact that our nation needs to makes some changes in the way we vote for president. Perhaps each of us needs to make some changes in our lives. Perhaps we have a few "hanging chads" of our own.
A good friend of mine told me recently that he enrolled in a program to lose weight. He has a counselor and has started on a special diet. He is committed to losing 100 pounds. He has already made changes in what he eats and he seems optimistic about his goal. What my friend is doing is opening his life up to new possibilities. He is building a new road for his life, one that will be much simpler to travel in the future.
A hundred feet above the Apurimac River, near the remote village of Huinchiri, Peru there is a suspension bridge that connects the Limi-Cuzzo Road. It has been there since the 14th century. Using four miles of braided coya grass, the Inca constructed the bridge in phases. First a bowman attached a fine thread to an arrow and fired it across the gorge. A man on the other side tide a cord to the thread and fired it back across the gorge. The cord was then pulled across. One by one the Inca added thicker and thicker ropes, finally hauling into place a 200 pound floor cable.
The bridge which today is still suspended across the river continues to sever as a major highway for the people in that part of Peru. It began with a single thread. Think how many changes take place in life because of a single phone call, the implementation of one idea, one visit, or a single letter. All great bridges stem from tiny beginnings.
Its the same for our faith. A single act of forgiveness, a personal commitment to be more involved in the life of the church, a gift or an invitation to a stranger. Major construction is overwhelming. But every change that is made for the betterment of humankind starts with a single act.
Isn’t that what God did with the birth of Christ? God introduced the possibility of total transformation with the gift of a child in a manger. In a remote place of the world and through a humble peasant couple, God set the stage for a new kingdom to emerge.
Just exactly how change occurs is a mystery. Yes, we have to take steps by filling in the low places and removing the obstacles and straightening out the curves. Nevertheless, we are still not in complete control. But, what these actions do is open our lives to the mysterious, transforming power of God.
My wife’s co-worker could easily be labeled "pollyanna." The good news, however is that at the very least the is expectant. In other words, she is open to the possibility that God will intervene with God’s grace and infinite love.
Do we really believe that God can work miracles this season of advent? Are we open to the possibility that wondrous things can happen and our lives can be improved? Or, are we just traveling down the same old routes, never considering alternatives?
A parable is told of a farmer who owned an old mule. The mule fell into the farmer’s well. The farmer heard the mule braying and went to the site. After assessing the situation the farmer sympathized with the mule but decided that neither the mule nor the well was worth the trouble of saving. Instead he called his neighbors and asked them to bring their shovels and bury the poor mule and put him out of his misery.
The mule seemed hysterical. When the dirt struck his back he shook it off. As the farmer and his friends continued to shovel a thought struck the farmer. After each shovel of dirt was thrown onto the mule he said, "Shake it off and step up." The mule did what he asked, after every shovel of dirt. After a time the old mule stepped triumphantly out of the well. What seemed to bury him actually became his road to freedom.
There is an alternative to every impossible situation. The way is not always visible to us. But our task is not to work miracles for that is up to God. Our responsibility is to prepare the way, committing every ounce of energy we have to the possibility of the transforming power of God, remembering that a single act of kindness can bring hope to generations yet to come.
Dr. Keith Wagner