Last week Paul challenged us in this season of Advent to commit to what will last. We want to be prepared for eternity, Jesus is going to come back and we want to encourage others to be prepared to meet with Him too.
Be prepared is the scouting moto. Skills are taught that are to help mould young minds and give them the ability to grow into self sufficient adults. It equips them with skills to withstand crises, survival skills are also taught. Being prepared is an important skill to have in whatever circumstance.
With regard to Christmas I wonder how prepared you are feeling right now? Christmas is only 15 days away. There are cards to think about if you send cards, making Sure you get them in the post in time. There are presents to think about thinking about what gift would be great for each particular person that you might want to give a gift to. Then with the cost of posting you might think well let’s be prepared and arrange to meet up and exchange presents. If you’re going to attempt a roast dinner on Christmas Day preparation is key. I Quite like Jamie Oliver and he has a plan for Christmas dinner and all the things that can be prepared for in advance and a plan of how to get it all prepared in time on the actual day. If you’re travelling this preparation of your vehicle mode of transport the route that you’re going to take the clothes that you might need snacks for the journey lots to prepare for. The idea is that the better prepared you are the more smoothly things might go.
Advent is the time when in the build up to Christmas we are not only thinking about that first Christmas or counting down to this one but also thinking as Paul touched on last week about being prepared spiritually – thinking about how advent points us to think of when Jesus will come again – are we prepared to meet him. I love the time of advent and lighting the advent candles helps us to think about Gods whole story with hints in the stories of the patriarchs pointing to Jesus – Abraham being told all nations will be blessed through his family and David being promised that there would be a king sitting on the throne from his family forever.
This Christmas are we prepared to relive Gods story in the build up to the good news of Jesus? are we prepared to learn new things about God? about ourselves? are we prepared to put things right?
God wants his people to be prepared.
In our passage this morning, in the NIV Bible, the heading at the start of marks gospel is ‘John the Baptist prepares the way’ and he begins his gospel by saying ‘ the beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ the son of God’ the people who added those headings obviously feel that that sums up this section of marks gospel that it was John the Baptist who came to prepare the way that John came to make sure people are prepared to receive the good news of Jesus Christ and we’re gonna unpack what that means this morning
Marks gospel is action packed. It doesn’t contain much of Jesus’ words and sermons – there’s no sermon on the mount as in Matthew’s gospel or sermon on the plain as in Luke’s. There’s no nativity story. There’s lots of action. And Mark’s action begins by drawing his readers back to what has been written.
Mark includes two prophecies here one for Malachi chapter 3, verse one, and then another from Isaiah 40 verse three here amalgamates, these two prophecies into one. In the second week of advent is lit to remember the profits, and the profits were often pointing God’s people back to him. They said of being prepared was part of the Jewish history, and Mark is framing it a fresh and linking it closely to the good news of Jesus.
He continued to build on this theme by introducing John the Baptist. He describes what John was wearing his appearance that he wore camels hair clothes and a leather belt, and he ate locus and wild honey. It’s very similar to the description of Elijah in second kings chapter 1, verse eight. Again, Mark is using this imagery from the old Testament to make connections between the prophets who were preparing the way and John.
At Saint Georges next week the readings will be focusing again on John as John is the third candle that we light in advent. The purpose of John was that he was a modern age of his time prophet. He was revealing God’s plan and getting people ready.
How was John getting them ready? Well he offered a baptism of repentance and forgiveness of sins? What was the response to that offer? the whole of the countryside and all people are Jerusalem went out, confessed their sins and were baptised. There is a sense that the people needed to be ready to come across their messiah. Their hearts needed to be ready they needed to be right with God. That’s why we confess at the beginning of every service, so that we prepare ourselves to meet with God afresh in worship. John was getting them ready to encounter Jesus when he came.
And we know by his words John didn’t just come and baptise, but he had a message and the message was ‘after me, will come more powerful than I.’ The rest of Mark ‘s Gospel shows us Jesus’ power. Even in the rest of the chapter, we read how Jesus healed many, people from leprosy and how he drove out impure spirits. Just like the hymn I wrote about in our church email this week – There’s power in the name of Jesus. because of Jesus: demons will flee, captives are freed, God’s enemies shall be crushed, we are saved and given the ability to stand in faith. That is the good news of Jesus, and he has the power and not need to give forgiveness, but to transform our lives. Jesus can transform our lives because he has defeated sin and death on the cross at Easter. That is the good news of Jesus that he made a relationship with God possible again by dealing with this in that often gets in the way. John‘s message is pointing to one more powerful than him. John,In the second part of his message says this ‘ I baptise you with water, but he will baptise you with the Holy Spirit.’ The good news about Jesus doesn’t end with his death and resurrection sign posts his followers to the sending of the Holy Spirit. John 14:26, we read that the’ advocate the Holy Spirit, whom the father will send him my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. This is the good news of Jesus we are not alone we can be transformed by the power of his Holy Spirit
So, when Mark uses, the Isaiah quote ‘prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him – he’s communicating to his listeners, but Jesus is a fulfilment of God story that repentance forgiveness baptism, part of that journey for Gods people.
What does making straight path look like for you?
How can we be prepared to receive from God today?
We’re gonna do something I’ve never done here I want us to sit quietly for a moment, and to ask God this question, what does making straight Path look like for us? There might be something we need to ask forgiveness for or to even forgive ourselves for there might be behaviours and habits that we need to adopt? You might have never done this before and sat quietly. Some people might be comfortable with this for others It might help you to just read through those eight verses again. I want us to sit there and ask God how do I need to prepare to meet you Jesus?
How do you need to prepare to meet Jesus?
Father help us this season to be prepared to meet with you and to refocus on you.
St. Luke's Church Ramsgate 