Scripture Reading:  Luke 3:4-6   …the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness. He went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, as it is written in the book of the words of
the prophet Isaiah, “The voice of one crying out in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways made smooth; and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.’”

My dear friends,

I don’t mind being alone.  I am pretty comfortable in my own skin.  Being alone in a wilderness, either physical or spiritual, is a different matter. When you are alone in the wilderness, it is nice to hear a reassuring voice reminding us that the Lord is coming.  Christians have always interpreted John’s words metaphorically.  Part of the reason the church includes this text in our Advent lessons, is to reassure us that there is no place God is not present.  God is ubiquitous.   The narrative of Christmas and the
incarnation of Jesus remind us that God is present in our psychic wildernesses.  The God who crossed the wilderness to save his people in exile in Babylon is the same God who crosses the wilderness to save us from despair, grief, guilt, and death.  We prepare ourselves to receive God every day.

Lord, we need you in our wildernesses.  Remind us that you are here.

God bless you,
Pastor Tom

Scripture Reading:     Luke 3:4-6   …the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness. He went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, as it is written in the book of the words of
the prophet Isaiah, “The voice of one crying out in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways made smooth; and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.’”

My dear friends,

“Prepare the way of the Lord.”  These words soar and ring out during Advent. Originally, they were written for the exiles in Babylon.  They thought that God could only live in their homeland, Judah.  The prophet exults that God will come to Babylon.   “They shall see the salvation of God.”  The Lord will free them and they will go back to their homeland.

John the Baptist uses the same imagery.  He speaks to a people oppressed and
exploited, living without hope.  He uses the words of Isaiah, “Prepare the way for all flesh shall see God.”  These words buoyed up their sagging spirits and filled the despairing with hope.

What about today?  Do these words still have meaning?  Is their somewhere in your life that needs the presence of the Lord?  Prepare the way.  The Lord is coming to bring the water of life to thirsty and parched souls.

Salvation will come to the dispirited.  Mountains of despair shall be made low and the crooked lines of our lives can be made straight.  Prepare the way. Your Lord is coming.

God bless you,
Pastor Tom

Scripture Reading:   Luke 3:4-6   …the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness. He went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, as it is written in the book of the words of
the prophet Isaiah, “The voice of one crying out in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways made smooth; and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.’”

My dear friends,

I wonder if John felt that his message was unheard.  If you shout in the wilderness, who is there to hear you?  At sometime our lives, we have felt that what we say falls on deaf ears.  I wonder how many times this Christmas season we will hear, “We should spend less time shopping and running around and more time enjoying our family and preparing our hearts for the birth of Jesus.” I dare say most of us have said something very similar to this. The deaf ears, however, are our own.  When we say we should spend more time celebrating the birth of Jesus and less time on peripheral things, we are speaking to ourselves.  In reality, it is hard not to be overcommitted during the holidays.  We don’t want to disappoint people.  Its not that our motives are wrong it is our expectations of what others want.

I love to give gifts. I enjoy shopping and generally get my Christmas shopping done by Thanksgiving.  The last few years however, I decided that most folks I know don’t need another trinket.  I began to make a donation to a charity in another’s honor.  Last year I chose Heifer International.  You can go on-line to see what they do.   http://www.heifer.org/   It seems like a no brainer that during the Christmas season we give the gift of hope in honor of someone we love.   It certainly would seem to fit with the season. You will be happy you did.  So will the charity who needs the gift and the
person in whose honor you gave the gift.

God go with you,
Pastor Tom