Advent 2 - Prepare the Way

St. Andrew's Church

4 December, 2005

The reading from Isaiah starts out with such comfortable words: "Comfort, o comfort my people, says your God, speak tenderly to Jerusalem....." And then, two verses later, we have images of great upheaval. Mountains shall be made low and valleys shall be lifted up.

Anyone who has seen a road being built knows how much work it is. It seems that it is a ritual of Spring to see all the road crews out digging, filling in, and generally making a racket. All that is simply to maintain a road. But road-building is a great deal more work, and much noisier. In order to cut through hills and mountains they have to blast their way through. And then mountains of crushed stone and gravel have to be brought by a seemingly endless column of trucks. Only when the road is level enough does the paving actually begin.

I wonder what Isaiah would have made of our modern highways. Would he have been totally impressed? Perhaps he would have changed his writing and added more detail! So what is with this guy, Isaiah anyway? Does he have something against scenery? Making the mountains flat and raising the valleys sounds pretty boring!

Of course Isaiah is not really writing about road-building. He's writing about preparing hearts not roads. The mountains and valleys are the obstacles in our lives which get in the way of God's access to us. And, just like road-building, it can be a lot of work to make the way smooth and plain for God to come to our hearts. Even still, it seems that there is something in us which yearns to feel the closeness of God.

So what was it that sent all those people out from Jerusalem and their towns and villages to see John the Baptist? Something must have drawn them. It seems as though the time was just right for people to be searching. Sort of like now. It seems that more and more people are interested in finding answers to the deeper things in life. Of course in Jesus' time they really went out of their way.

They trekked across the wilderness to see this prophet dressed like a wild man and scrounging a living off the land. It says that they came from all over the country. And what kind of a man did they come all this way to see? What was the attraction? It wasn't his pleasant preaching. Let's put it this way, John the Baptist never did go to a Dale Carnegie course. He was mostly fire a brimstone kind of guy. And yet there was something in his message which was very compelling. I think it is compelling for us today as well. The essence of the message is that there is a way to God, and we can choose that way in our lives.

How do we do it? John's message is repentance. And that word means to change direction. It means turning away from whatever might be impeding our way to God and getting back on track. Once again, it means road-building, making a path for the Lord.

One amazing thing about building this road is that you don't have to build it alone; God will give you all the tools to build it. Another amazing thing is that it's not a one-way street. It is designed for you to get closer to God, but also for God to get closer to you.

The most amazing thing of all is that the road isn't travelled alone. It can be travelled with other seekers and, most importantly, it is travelled with Jesus as a companion.

Some of you know that my favourite story in the Gospels is in the last chapter of Luke: the story of two disciples on the Emmaus road. I have a print of a painting, done by Georges Rouault, of the Emmaus road, hanging on my office wall, to remind me that it is in travelling our path of faith with others that we find Jesus there, walking with us. We might not have realized it on our journey but at some point in our lives, we will see that Jesus was with us in our journey as we have shared it with another.

What's important for us to do is to build that road - to make that path. Road building is something which we need to do regularly, even daily. In order for the way to be smooth and easy to travel, it needs to be a well-worn path: one which we are familiar with. It is done by two things:

The first is changing direction and returning to the path. The second is walking the path frequently.

Firstly, we need to regularly get our bearings, to remember to check to see if we are on the path. Ask ourselves if there is something impeding our connection with God. Be honest with ourselves. How is the general direction of our lives in accordance with God's way? What do we need to do to get back on track?

Secondly, how often do we walk the path? Do you pray daily? If not, make a plan. Early morning or last thing at night or both are logical times to pray. Also: say grace at meals. It might seem that it's only for children, but that's not the case. Give thanks to God every time you sit down to eat; yes - even at a restaurant. It's a simple discipline which reminds you several times in a day that you believe in God, and you believe God provides for your life. And, as I mentioned before: walk the path with someone else - with your spouse, with your children, with a friend or with a group of friends. Go on a retreat, join a bible study or a book study or some other spiritual group.

And, when you are more and more familiar with the path, be prepared to know Jesus' presence with you. The one who John the Baptist says is more powerful than he; the one John says will baptize us with the Holy Spirit is the one who walks with us as a companion and a friend. And there is nothing greater in this world than to know that friendship in your heart.

This season of Advent, listen to the voice of the prophet: prepare the way of the Lord. Amen.