Isaiah 40:1-11; Mark 1:1-8
John had a very peculiar personality, and his message was according to it. He did not sugar coat his message; he presented it bare and straightforward: repent for the Kingdom of heaven is near.
What a great Advent greeting for us today from the gospel of Mark, a call to repent from a strange person. I am sure that there will never be a Hallmark Christmas card featuring John the Baptist because he seems out of place in this season of lights, colors and carols. He is out of place in this season of love and peace even when he introduced the powerful One who is to come after him. The One who is coming after him does not sound too lovely either: He will come and will baptize His followers not with water –as John did- but with the Holy Spirit. Matthew and Luke say, with the Holy Spirit and fire. Water seems better than fire for baptism, especially if it’s done by immersion, do not you think?
John the Baptist is the one who prepares the way for the Lord. He is the One inviting people to the party; He is the One giving the appetizers. He is the One prophesied by Isaiah and Malachi, and his message is clear, “I am not the one you are waiting for; someone else is coming after me” He is the One with the main entry; He is the One you are waiting for.
John the Baptist as well as Isaiah the Prophet a few hundred years before, seem to share a common message, this message is: something has to change, something needs to be left behind, something needs to go. In Isaiah, the road from Babylon to Jerusalem had to change; valleys shall rise, mountains and hills made low, rough level, and the way back home straight. For John the Baptist, what have to change is peoples’ attitude; they have to repent. People had to change. In other words, Isaiah and John the Baptist are inviting us to a “clean up your act season.” To do with our life what we are doing with our houses. For all of us, this is a time to prepare our homes, clean, take out the garbage, and do some housecleaning because we will have visitors because we must make room for our guests. But, what does all this clean-up-your-act have to do with the picture of peace in this second Sunday of Advent? 2 Peter 3:11 tells us why we must be prepared. This is what Peter says, “Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming.” And verses 14 and 15 says, “So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with Him,” Him means God.
Isaiah, John, and now Peter are telling us today that we must be prepared, and repentance is the key to our preparedness; repentance is what opens the doors for God into our lives, so God’s presence can fill our whole being. And His holy presence is what brings hope and peace to us; Peter also seems to imply that God’s absence in one’s life drive us to destruction.
As you might already know, repentance in Greek is METANOIA, literally means “change of mind.” When we repent, God’s presence changes our whole thoughts, and from enemies of God, we become friends of God; from strangers, we become family; from slaves, we become free. Paul, in Romans 5:10, says, “Once we were God’s enemies. But we have been brought back to him because his Son has died for us.” Why were we God’s enemies? James 4:4 tells us why “don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.
We are God’s enemies when we are this world’s friends. But when we repent, those relationships change, and when the risen Christ abide in us, we become God’s friends and this world’s enemies. Repentance is being aware of my spiritual condition and my need for change; repentance leads us to realize that God is not our enemy. Our neighbors are not our enemies; our enemy is Satan, who is trying to destroy and harm all God’s creatures. Paul, before his encounter with Jesus, thought that Jesus and His followers were his enemies. After his encounter, everything changed.
When people came to John and repented, they acknowledged they had fallen short of God’s perfect will for their lives, that there was a spiritual sickness within them that required the help of a Master Healer. When they confessed their sin, they found authentic forgiveness. After they confessed their sins, John asked them to be obedient. John challenged those who came to demonstrate their faith through specific, concrete acts of service. If we continue reading after verse 8, we will see that he said, “Anyone who has two shirts should share with the one who has none, and anyone who has food should do the same.” To the tax collectors, he said, “Don’t collect any more than you are required to,” and to the soldiers, “Don’t extort money and don’t accuse people falsely—be content with your pay.” Just as a good tree produces good fruit, so also a repented and faithful life will have actions of obedience and service for Christ. The same is true with us; if we want to live a healthy spiritual life, we must repent and confess our sin if we’re going to enjoy the blessings from God.
Our personal repentance must also be shown thru our actions; our actions will prepare the way to God for those who do not know Him as their personal Savior. John the Baptist is here on the Second Sunday of Advent to remind us that repentance must take us to confession, confession to obedience, and obedience to action. Therefore, sisters and brothers, Advent is a “rolling up our sleeves and getting to work season.” Advent is a call to action, not just an opportunity to decorate our homes and feel good about ourselves. Advent is the spark to put our worship into action in the world around us.
Advent is a call to be members of a clean-up crew to make a difference in the world and in the lives of those around us. As a clean-up crew, we have plenty to do. We have valleys to raise, mountains and hills to make low and rough roads to make straight. God helps us to do so always.