In those days John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness of Judea, proclaiming, 2‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.’* 3This is the one of whom the prophet Isaiah spoke when he said,

‘The voice of one crying out in the wilderness:

“Prepare the way of the Lord,

   make his paths straight.” ’

4Now John wore clothing of camel’s hair with a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. 5Then the people of Jerusalem and all Judea were going out to him, and all the region along the Jordan, 6and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.  Matthew 3:1-6

What does it mean to “Prepare the way of the Lord” in our lives?…in our church?

John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness proclaiming, “

“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”

Through God’s grace the wilderness of our lives is turned into a paradise of God’s presence, individually and corporately.

God is continually preparing us, bringing us to new stages of spiritual growth and understanding.

 I am reminded of the words of C.S. Lewis in Mere Christianity (adapting):

“Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what God is doing. God is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on; you knew that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised.  But, presently, God starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts terribly and does not seem to make sense. What on earth is God up to? The explanation is that God is building quite a different house from the one you thought of – building a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were going to be made into a decent little cottage; but God is building a palace and God intends to come and live in it.” 

In Ephesians it says that we (the Church/the Body of Christ) are being built together spiritually into a dwelling place for God.

In this season of Advent we can ask ourselves some questions:

• How would I assess the nature of my spiritual life at this time?
• Is there anything God is calling me to confess? (Confession is agreement with God.)
• Is God calling me to an area of repentance? Repentance involves the idea of traveling in one direction and then stopping, turning around and going the opposite direction. Is God asking me to go another direction in my life?
• Do I need to ask forgiveness from any one?
• Do I need to forgive anyone?

The words of John Greenleaf Whittier speak to us:

“Search thine own heart,

What paineth thee in others, in thyself may be;

All dust is frail, all flesh is weak;

Be thou the true person… thou dost seek.”

I believe that God is continually preparing us to be the kind of people who are:

• Compassionate & forgiving
• Looking for the best in others
• Concerned with being real, vulnerable and transparent, taking the risk of sharing our lives with others
• Overwhelmed with a sense of spiritual need, while at the same time aware of God’s grace to meet those needs.
• Motivated to serve others through sacrificial service.

Finally, in Matthew 3:11 we find the promise that Jesus will baptize us with the Holy Spirit, giving us power to carry the Good News of Christ’s love to a needy world:

• The Spirit brings gifts for ministry in the Church and to the world. We are all gifted.
• The Spirit produces love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
• The Spirit energizes us, gives us optimism and joy in sharing our faith with others.
• The Spirit creates an atmosphere, a climate if you will, where people know they are experiencing the very presence of God in worship, service, study, fellowship…in and through one another.

Come Holy Spirit; Prepare the way of the Lord.