The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. As it is written in Isaiah the prophet, “Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way, the voice of one crying in the wilderness: “Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight!” Mark 1:1-3
With the first Sunday of Advent behind us, the Church has begun a new year in her liturgical cycle. For the past twelve months we have heard the truth regarding Jesus Christ from Matthew’s perspective. This year we will primarily dwell in Mark’s gospel as he shares with us his account concerning God’s saving grace made available through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth.
On a personal note, the year we read Mark is perhaps my favorite within our lectionary cycle. Mark’s gospel is different, he does not begin his account like the other gospel writers; he skips over what we now call the birth narrative of Jesus, and gets straight to the heart of the matter, recalling the words of the prophet Isaiah concerning God’s promise of a Savior and Messiah who is Jesus of Nazareth.
I think that at least once every three years, this is an important step in our earthly journey. It allows Christians to avert so much attention from our worldly Christmas activities and busy-ness, and focus our hearts and minds on the Advent of our Lord, his coming at his nativity, yet also his coming again in glory. From the beginning of Mark’s first chapter and at the dawn of Advent, we hear the words from the prophet “Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight!” (Mark 1:3).
This exhortation, whether we hear it from the prophet Isaiah, or from Mark’s gospel as quoted by John the Baptist, calls God’s people to action. Israel’s prophets foretold of his coming. Then for centuries, the people of God waited for the fulfillment of his promise to send a savior, yet God seemed distant and quiet. Then as if from nowhere and following four hundred years of silence, a strange looking fellow wearing camel’s hair with a leather belt around his waist prophetically shouted out what we now consider a familiar Advent refrain: “Prepare the way of the Lord!” John called God’s people to repent of their sins and ready themselves for the coming of God’s Messiah.
Now, two thousand years removed from this scene, we hear these same prophetic words: “Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight!” The question becomes, “How do we do that?” What does it mean for Christians today to make the Lord’s paths straight? Traditionally, congregations begin the liturgical year making preparations for the celebration of the Nativity of our Lord at Christmas. Our most visible preparations include hanging evergreens, setting up Christmas trees, lighting extra candles and singing a fair number of Christmas songs. Yet, listening to John the Baptist as he cries out in the wilderness, I’m not so sure this is what he is talking about. It seems that in order to prepare the way of the Lord, we are to be about preparing ourselves and actually doing the work of the Lord.
Our world and the non-believers who live in it are separated from God by the great chasm that is sin. No matter how much we try, we cannot escape the consequences of human disobedience without the grace provided by God through our Lord Jesus. Our Advent preparations, therefore, must include repentance, thankfully receiving the forgiveness made possible through Christ, and sharing the good news that is the Gospel of Jesus.
Our response to God’s gift of grace calls us to take Christ’s commandments seriously, to love God and love our neighbor. We offer our lives in service for the sake of others, exhorting others to prepare themselves to receive their Lord and King. This evangelical mission culminates with inviting others to join us in worship, take their place at God’s table of grace, and assist them in making their preparations for receiving the gift of Christ.
I invite you to make this Advent a time of preparation of self. Dwell in God’s Word, give thanks for His mercy and grace. Then, as we celebrate with one another, let us all join in worship and praise upon the Nativity of our Lord and the joy of heaven and earth at Christmas.
Grace to you and peace during this time of Advent preparation, and may you and your family have a very blessed Christmas!
Grace and peace,
Pastor David Nuottila
