Prepare for Change

 

Isaiah 40:3-5    Matthew 3:1-12

 

     The second candle on the Advent wreath is the candle of preparation.  Today we are going to ask the question, "What are we preparing for?"

 

     According to the writer of the gospel of Matthew, when Isaiah proclaimed "The voice of one crying in the wilderness: prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight," he was talking about John the Baptist.  We are in the midst of preparing our homes for Christmas, the home that is our place of residence and the home where we worship.  Some of the decorations that are put up are outside.  They are for everyone to see who goes by the house.  And then there are the inside decorations, many of which will only be seen by the family living in the house.  All of it is done to prepare for Christmas.  We are preparing to welcome Emmanuel, God with us.

 

        John the Baptist wasn't interested in the outward preparations.  He didn't care about how people combed their hair or whether they shaved or not or what kind of robe they wore.  He was interested in what was inside a person.  To prepare for the coming of the Messiah means getting yourself ready to be changed inwardly.  When Jesus comes into your life, you won't be the same person.   You will see God, yourself and others in new ways. 

 

        The prophet who spoke the words we find in Isaiah 40 was speaking to a people in exile.  He was talking to them about homecoming.  You know all those obstacles that seem to be in the way of your return to Jerusalem.  Those mountains will be leveled and those deep valleys will be lifted up.  You cannot do anything to remove the obstacles but they will vanish.  The leaders of Babylon want to keep you here under their thumb but God's will is stronger than their will.  God wills that you return home.  The bad times are about to be over.  God is going to do something new.  Prepare for the coming of the Lord. 

 

         You are forgiven.  Now rise and walk.  That is always the way it is.  It is never rise and walk and then your sins are forgiven.  It is always your sins are forgiven, rise and walk. 

 

         The message, God's presence changes everything.  The deaf hear, the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, people have good news proclaimed to them. What we are preparing for is not more of the same.  We are preparing for change. Change within and change without. 

 

         Frederick Buechner writes that what we are preparing for is an invasion of holiness.  We are in the dark and what we look forward to is the coming of the Light of the World, Jesus Christ.  What is an invasion of holiness?  It is healing, it is hallowing.  We are preparing to be given faith that will help us journey through the dark in to the light.  

       

          Snoopy is on top of his dog house looking out.  He can see that it is a stormy night at sea.  He pretends he is the captain of a ship.  The ship is in trouble and the crew is frightened.  The storm rages as the hundred-foot waves smash against the ship.  What an inspiration it is to the men to see their captain standing bravely on the bridge.  Linus sees Snoopy and yells out, "Abandon Ship."  At that point Snoopy dives off of the ship into the snow. 

 

         Advent is about being prepared so that we don't abandon our faith at the first sign of stormy weather ahead.  It is getting ready so that we don't jump ship when the first wave knocks us sideways.  Advent is about preparing ourselves to be changed by cleansing fire of God.  One of the questions we might want to ask ourselves as we journey through Advent is this, "Are we ready?  Are we ready to be changed?" 

 

          Yes, at times there seem to be mountains blocking our path to God and deep valleys that we keep falling into.  But we can trust that God is at work, leveling the mountains and lifting up the deep valleys, preparing to welcome us home.  As the people of Judah returned home from exile people watched them walk by, they were able to see that it was God who brought about this joyous return.

 

            As our lives change, people will see the changes that God has brought about in us, and they will come to know that it is God who made us new.  Prepare to be changed for the glory of God.