Are you ready for the big day—Christmas? I bet you’ve made your list and checked it twice—maybe more. Tree? (check). Black Friday, Cyber Monday sales? (check, check). That special gift ordered on-line that’s sitting in a shipping container somewhere at the Port of Los Angeles? (check, check, check, check, check). You can tell a lot about a person’s view of Christmas by their list. Consider the list I found in the Twitter-verse of an eight and ten-years old:
Dear Santa, I hope you’ve been good this year. If so, here’s our list…
They made their list, but kind of missed the concept of the “list”. Well, don’t fret kids. Grown-ups’ kind of miss it, too. We make list, but miss the bigger picture behind the big day. We decorate trees, throw parties and give gifts. We call this season Christmas. There is nothing wrong with that, if you’re the world. But for Christians, we also share a bigger view—not just celebrating the first coming of Christ as a baby in a manager,but also His second coming as a reigning King. We call this season Advent. Advent is Latin for “coming”. We recognize it with a four-week calendar of candle lightings, special music and scripture readings. Today’s second Sunday advent candle represents the love of God who promised to send his Son again to claim His church, to judge the quick and the dead.
Such a day—the Day of the Lord—requires an altogether different list. You need a Christmas list for Advent times—the recognition and preparation for His second coming. What should you want for the preparation of that coming? The Prophet John shared his list in Luke 3:1-6—the scripture reading for the second Sunday of Advent. Revealed in John’s message and ministry, his Advent list is short and simple: (Item 1) a change in direction and (Item 2), a change in construction.
First, put on your list, repentance—a change in direction. John’s message and ministry was the right message for the right time: You’ve got to change your moral compass in preparation for the second coming of Christ. Look at verse 3:
3:3 He went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.
First, we need to understand the times of the Prophet John. It was not unlike our times. It was a dark time for God’s people. Rome ruled with a powerful pagan hand. To Rome, Caesar was God. You faced the possibility of persecution if you did not bow. Israel had their own corrupt leadership. The three off-springs of Herod the Great ruled with a selfish and cruel hand. We should not be surprised. They descended from Esau, the twin who was more concerned with his stomach than the program of God. Then, there was corruption in the God’s house. The priestly rule of Annas and Caiaphas was more concerned with personal gain than the divine righteousness of God. Power, greed, violence and lust ruled the day.
Not to worry, God always has a word and a man of his Word for the times. The man was John. The Word from John to the people, then and now, is repent—change direction.
John’s cry to the people for baptism—to baptizo—was a call for them to immerse themselves fully in acknowledgment of their sins, and to identify publicly with the coming Savior. Baptism was symbolic of the need for a spiritual washing. Repentance—metanoia in the Greek—means to have a change of your moral mind and heart. The basic idea comes from the Hebrew shub, to turn from sin to God. Turn, but not 360—from sin back around to the sin that so easily besets us. But turn 180, from sin to God.
So, what sin is so easily besetting you that has you in a 360 loop? Turn and be blessed.
Turn from pride to God, for “blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth.”
Turn from lust to God, for “blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God.”
Turn from abuse and violence to God, for “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.
If you want to have a Christmas like no other, celebrating the first coming and prepared for second coming of Christ: repent—change directions. Put repentance on your Christmas list. It was on John’s short list.
Not only do you need a change of direction, you need on your Christmas list, a change of construction—a life style and ministry that removes obstacles to salvation so it is available for all. In Luke 3:4-6, Luke quotes Isaiah 40:3 and 4 to introduce us to John the Baptist’s ministry as a way maker, an obstacle mover, a path straightener to the coming Christ. Look at verse 3:5,6:
3:5 Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways made smooth; 3:6 and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.'"
John’s ministry had an end time view —an Advent end—when Christ returns so that “all flesh” will see the salvation of the Lord. To that end, John’s ministry was to remove all obstructions to seeing One who is our salvation.
Think of John’s ministry as one of metaphorical bull-dozer for metaphorical obstacles to God, namely our sins that get in the way of others getting to Christ. We’ve got some construction to do, especially, the church:
“Every valley shall be filled”: We need to fill our potholes of depravity with a life of right-living so no one stumbles over our lust on their way to Jesus. Sex scandals in the church keeps people away from the church and Christ.
“Every mountain and hill shall be made low.” We need to level the heights of our hubris with humility so no one stumbles over our puffed-up chest on their way to Jesus. Pride in in the church keeps people away from the church and Christ.
“And the crooked shall be made straight.” We need to straighten out our cheating ways with honesty so people won’t be robbed by our scams and schemes on their way toJesus. Money scandals in the church keep people away from the church and Christ.
“And the rough ways made smooth”: We need to mitigate our abrasive, divisive, unjust behavior with compassion and justice so people will not be treated as less than but equal to. Racism in the church keeps people away from the church and Christ.
Instead of a new “his and her” pick-up trucks wrapped in bows and ribbons parked out front of your home on Christmas morning, wish for matching bulldozers (bow sold separately).
Don’t be in the way. Be a way-maker—like John—so all flesh shall see the salvation of God. Be a bulldozer, knocking down walls rather than putting them up.
You’ve made your list. You’ve checked it twice. You’re all ready for the celebration of the fist coming of Christ. But if your list reads like the tweet of the eight and ten-years old:
Dear Santa, I hope you’ve been good this year. If so, here’s our list…?
...yov’ve missed the big picture for the big day—the second coming of Christ. For that you need an Aodvent list from the message and ministry of John the Baptist: (Item 1) Repentance—a change in direction and (Item 2)—a change in construction —a ministry of way-makings.
To help you with your Advent list, consider this closing word, a variation of a familiar Christmas reading:
Twas The Night Jesus Came
Twas the night Jesus came and all through the house,
not a person was praying, not one in the house...
The Bible was left on the shelf without care,
for no one thought Jesus would come there...
The children were dressing to crawl into bed,
not once ever kneeling or bowing their head...
And Mom in the rocking chair with babe on her lap,
was watching the Late Show as I took a nap...
When out of the east there rose such a clatter,
I sprang to my feet to see what was the matter...
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
tore open the shutters and lifted the sash...
When what to my wondering eyes should appear,
but Angels proclaiming that Jesus was here...
The light of His face made me cover my head,
it was Jesus returning just like He'd said...
And though I possess worldly wisdom and wealth,
I cried when I saw Him in spite of myself...
In the Book of Life which he held in his hand,
was written the name of every saved man...
He spoke not a word as he searched for my name,
when He said "it's not here," my head hung in shame...
The people whose names had been written with love,
He gathered to take to his Father above...
With those who were ready He rose without sound,
while all of the others were left standing around...
I fell to my knees but it was too late,
I'd waited too long and thus sealed my fate...
I stood and I cried as they rose out of sight,
Oh, if only I'd known that this was the night...
In the words of this poem the meaning is clear
the coming of Jesus is now drawing near...
There's only one life and when comes the last call,
We'll find out that the Bible was true after all...
So make a list, and check it twice,
Celebrate Christmas, but what would be nice,
An Advent list for repentance, for the forgiveness of sin,
For rapture and reward, Christ is coming again.
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