Second Sunday of Advent

Matthew 3:1-12

Preparing to preach on today’s gospel, one pastor described John the Baptist’s appearance as crashing the Christmas party. Setting aside the anachronisms, it does feel a little like that. Hearing this text on the second Sunday of Advent, when we are celebrating hope, peace, joy and love, and especially here at Ascension when we are hanging the green in the sanctuary, John’s call to repentance hits us like a bucket of cold water.

Instead of appearing on the streets of Jerusalem or in the temple, John draws people out of their familiar surroundings to come and see him in the stark and barren wilderness of the desert.

The gospel writer tells us that “the people of Jerusalem and all of Judea” came to see him and while that was likely an exaggeration, the account of John’s appearance shows up in all four gospels, so there is no doubt that it was significant.

The gospel tells us that the people were confessing their sins to him and he was baptizing them in the river Jordan.

But it’s the words that the prophet Isaiah that describe John that caught my attention today. In Chapter 57 of the book of Isaiah it says, “And it shall be said, Build up, build up, prepare the way. Remove every obstacle out of the way of my people.” (v.14)

Prepare the way.

Eugene Peterson in his paraphrase of the Matthean text says, “Prepare for God’s arrival.”

So instead of a party crasher, I think John is actually the party planner.

As we adorn this sanctuary with the evergreens and bells, candles and ornaments, he invites us to prepare the way not only for our celebration of Christmas in a few weeks, but, as disciples, for God’s arrival, for the kingdom come on earth.

We are here to prepare the way, to remove the obstacles and repent of our sin, to clear the way that others may see God’s love, and to make space for God in our lives.

Repenting of our sin isn’t just about us naming our failures and trying to do better. It isn’t the result of earnest, self-directed soul searching. In Scripture God is always the actor, and we respond to what God is doing. Repentance, then, is “inviting God to do what we can’t do ourselves.”[i] It is inviting God to lead us in changing not only how we act and what we believe, but who we are.

Clearing the way for others to see God’s love means getting out of the way. Church hurt is real; there are congregations and people who cause harm in God’s name. Don’t do that! Clearing the way may mean welcoming people as they are, even when they don’t look or smell or talk like you. It’s recognizing that a church is a strange place on Sunday morning, with a lot of unfamiliar words and people up here in the chancel dressed oddly, and we don’t learn how to read a hymnal, say the creed or even pray anywhere else. It takes courage to be in this space, and be open to listening to God.

Making space for God in our own lives, in a time of year that is so full, may be the biggest challenge. But John invites us to get out of what is familiar, and go someplace, stripped of distractions and advertisements shouting at us, and listen for God’s Word.

That’s what we see happening at the river with John. The people make their way to the river where they hear God speaking through him and respond with repentance.

In our text in verse 11, John says, “I baptize you with water for repentance , but one who is more powerful than I is coming after me.” Peterson’s paraphrase is, “I'm baptizing you here in the river, turning your old life in for a kingdom life. The real action comes next.”

The action that we anticipate is not ours, but God’s. God ignites the kingdom life within us and God changes us from the inside out. (v. 12)

Let us prepare the way. Amen.

[i] Brian Stoffregen, “Exegetical Notes for Epiphany 3B.”