Loving God, even now you call us to prepare the way, turning our hearts to you as we get ready to meet Jesus.  Cleanse our hearts and our minds by the power of your Spirit, renewing us in your love, through the same Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

           You may have noticed that the gospel of Luke always makes an effort to place the events that are described in their historical context.  Today’s gospel begins with a list of the important people in that region: the Roman Emperor Tiberius, who is described by others as cruel, perverse and self-indulgent (workingpreacher.org); Pontius Pilate, who also has a reputation for cruelty; and Herod the ruler, who takes his brother’s wife for himself.  Even the high priests who are listed don’t have the best reputations, as Annas was actually deposed as high priest, but then continued to have influence through his son-in-law Caiaphas.

         After this list of the important people who are in positions of power, the word of God is revealed – not to any of them, but to John, the son of Zechariah, who is in the wilderness.  John urges anybody who will listen to repent, confess their sins, and be baptized – cleansing themselves in order to be prepared to meet their God.  After all, since before John was even born, his mission in life was to prepare the way of the Lord “with the spirit and power of Elijah” (Lk. 1:17).

         The contrast between John and those in the aforementioned list of people in charge is breathtaking to say the least.  John’s ministry is conducted outside the halls of power, in a society full of corruption and greed, with a target audience of all those who are looking for God’s salvation.  At the same time, those who were familiar with the Hebrew Scriptures might have recognized some of the things that were happening.

         For one thing, there are all of those prophecies from Isaiah, Malachi, and others that describe the voice in the wilderness, and preparing the way of the Lord, and the messenger who will be like Elijah (cf. Is. 40:3-5; Mal. 3:1; 4:5).  Those who are really astute would recognize that there are echoes of the return from exile in these verses – the journey through the wilderness and back to the promised land.  However, there were also echoes of the Exodus from Egypt in the location of John’s ministry.

         At that time, too, the people of Israel had spent many years in the wilderness before they finally reached the Jordan River – right around the place where John was baptizing people.  At that time, Joshua (or Jeshua, the same name as Jesus) was the one who led Israel across the Jordan River and into the promised land.  There were echoes of salvation in this place – salvation that involves a journey through water – which sounds an awful lot like baptism.

         The baptism of John, we are told, is “a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins” (Lk. 3:3).  It is this repentance and cleansing that will prepare the way of the Lord.  As we hear these words in this time and in this place, a sign comes to mind that I have noticed in various locations: “Prepare to meet thy God!”  It is a quote from the prophet Amos that warns of the coming judgment (Am. 4:12).

         While some these days might ask, “are you ready for Christmas?”, this time in the church year asks us to prepare to meet Jesus.  This meeting could happen in any number of ways, including when we die, or at Jesus’ final appearing, or at the baptismal font or altar, or even in and among the people whom we meet.  And, in order to be ready to meet him, repentance and forgiveness may be needed for us, as well.

         Do any of us suffer from overconsumption or greed?  Are any of us weighed down by material things and the tendency to accumulate more?  Do any of us make what we can, can what we make, and sit on the lid?  Do any of us sit in judgment of others – especially those who simply don’t measure up to our standards?  Have any of us allowed hopelessness and pessimism to take over our lives?

         At least one person describes the call to repentance as “an invitation to turn from our hopeless ways, directing our feet toward new things” (sundaysandseasons.com).  The song of Zechariah also ends with guiding “our feet into the way of peace” (Lk. 1:79).  One of the illustrations from the Crossways Bible study materials shows some feet with sneakers on them turning around to go in a totally new direction.  The GPS voice might be saying “re-calculating.”  Each of these things describes repentance.

         However, just like in the ministry of John the Baptist, it doesn’t end with repentance.  We are cleansed in the waters of baptism.  We have forgiveness through Jesus Christ whenever we come to God in repentance and faith.  We are saved, we are loved, and we are forgiven, empowered by the Holy Spirit to cleanse our hearts, clear a path for God, and practice justice and mercy – even in a world that is full of greed and corruption.  Thanks be to God for the gift of Jesus – the light that shines in the darkness.  Amen.  Come, Lord Jesus.  Amen.

Advent 2(C)                                      Luke 3:1-6

December 8, 2024                           Malachi 3:1-4

St. Luke’s Zion Lutheran Church

Pastor Lynne Hutchison

© 2024 Lynne Hutchison  All Rights Reserved