The voice of one crying out in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord. So begins Godspell,
the musical based upon the gospel of St Matthew. But it is more than just a song, more than just
a show. And it is more than just the beginning of Matthew’s gospel. In fact all four of the gospels
begin in a similar way. None of them begin with the birth of Jesus, they all begin before it. For
something new is coming into the world, something that will change life as we know it. A change
of such magnitude doesn’t just happen, there needs to be a time of preparation.
As the song says, a baby changes everything. The birth of a child requires a great deal of
preparation. There are many things to do to get ready to welcome the child; to feed, to clothe
and protect the child. The list of things to buy, to make, and to organize is quite daunting.
But these are mere logistics compared with the deeper preparation that must take place. For the
coming of a child is far more than simply another mouth to feed and a body to clothe. Bringing a
new life into the world changes a couple into a family. Where they were once two, they are now
three. They will no longer be simply a wife or a husband, but will now and forever be a mother
and a father. They will be fundamentally changed as people because of the birth of the child, and
they can never go back to what they were.
Once a child enters your life, the way you relate to your spouse, your extended family, and to the
world around you changes. A change of such magnitude requires a time of preparation, of joyful
and sometimes fearful expectation. The stakes grow incredibly when you realize that what we
await now is not just the birth of a baby, but the coming of the Messiah, the son of God.
You may have noticed that humans are not terribly fond of change. We Episcopalians know a bit
about that. But one of the ways of coping with change is to prepare for it. So, despite what the
TV ads are telling you, this is not the Christmas season. It is the Advent season, which is a time to
prepare ourselves for the coming of a new life into the world. A life that will change everything.
‘Prepare ye the way of the Lord’ is part of Luke and Matthew, but it is actually from Isaiah. The
prophets of the Old Testament foretold the coming of the Lord. Malachi tells us to “prepare the
way, for the Lord whom we seek will suddenly come to his temple.” Zechariah says, “You my child
shall be called the prophet of the Most High for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way.”
From the Old to the New Testament, scripture tells us that we should prepare for a life changing
event. But how are we to do that? Preparing for the birth of a new baby involves buying clothes,
furniture, diapers, etc. But while we are waiting for the coming of a new child, this is not the
preparation that the prophets have in mind for us. Instead, they tell us to repent of our sins. This
morning’s collect prays that we may give heed to the prophets’ warnings to repent and forsake
our sins as we prepare the way for the coming of our salvation.
But what does it mean to repent? Aren’t we after all sinners by nature? And if we are, how can
we repent of our sins?
It is one thing to acknowledge that we are sinners and can never turn completely from sin, but it is
quite another to use this as an excuse to not even try. We may fail, indeed we will fail, but it is
not an absolute. For if we cannot succeed in refraining from sin, but we sin even a bit less, then
that is repentance. Offering that improvement to God as a sacrifice in thanksgiving for His
blessings, and even when our improvement is miniscule, the attempt is pleasing to God.
If you are like me, you are probably looking for something a little more concrete here, beyond just
repenting. For how do you really put repentance into action? Again, we turn to Isaiah, “Every
valley shall be filled, every mountain made low and the crooked shall be made straight and the
rough ways made smooth.” This is how we are to prepare for the coming of the Lord. We are to
make things better for our brothers and sisters. Our task in preparing the way is to feed the
hungry, to clothe the naked, to shelter the homeless. Remember what Paul tells us, “For all of
you share in God’s grace with me”. Our sisters and brothers share God’s grace, so we repent of
our sins when we help to lift them out of the valley of poverty, or remove the mountain of
homelessness; when we help them to straighten the crooked path of their addiction, or smooth
the rough place of their hunger.
In the letter to the Philippians we hear, “And this is my prayer, that your love may overflow more
and more with knowledge and full insight.” Paul prays that our love may overflow; our love for
God and our love for our brothers. We do that when we care for them. He also prays that we
determine what is best so that we may produce the harvest of righteousness that comes through
Christ Jesus. We do that when we share the gospel with others.
This time of year is particularly stressful for many. As Christians we know that this is indeed a
wonderful time of year, but for many it can bring about feelings of despair, loneliness and fear. It
is important for us to share the good news that Christ is coming into the world for all of us. As we
heard in the canticle from Zechariah, “the dawn from on high shall break upon us, to shine on
those who dwell in darkness.” Since we all share in God’s grace, it is important for us to bring the
light of Christ to those who dwell in darkness without the gospel. To offer that thrill of hope to
the very weary world.
So, in this Advent season, prepare the way of the Lord. Bring food for the Epicenter food bank.
Donate to Family Promise or Habitat for Humanity. Help us select the best beard by donating to
ERD. Put some money in the Salvation Army kettle when you are at the store. Visit a friend who
may be having a hard time this year. Call someone you haven’t spoken to in a while. Make peace
with someone you are mad at. Invite a friend to come to church with you. Smile at someone.
These may appear to be small things, but they are acts of love, and it on such things that the
Kingdom of God is built.