THE SECOND SUNDAY

Luke 3:1-6

The Second Sunday of Advent introduces us to John the Baptist, the forerunner of Jesus. John's purpose is clearly stated: He is one "crying in the wilderness," proclaiming the coming Messiah and calling for people to prepare for His coming. That preparation was an arduous and unpleasant task. It involved the painful discipline of repentance, the precondition for forgiveness of sin. Christmas is not usually thought of as a time where repentance is emphasized; yet Luke clearly understands John's prophetic ministry to be a part of the coming of the Messiah, thereby giving John's message prominent place in setting the stage. The words of the Prophet Isaiah originally referred to the redemption which God brought to the people when they returned from their exile. In referring to John they emphasize the appearance of one through whom God speaks, summoning people to preparation through repentance.

Repentance, in Isaiah's imagery, encompasses two important realities:

1. Repentance is turning away from sin. Jesus Christ never forces His way into a person's life. None who are unwilling or unprepared can receive Him. He will not overcome the barriers of a human heart by compulsion. It is the person who has prepared the way through confession and contrition that is able to receive and appropriate the grace of God. Every life is marked by "crooked places" that have been warped by sin and its consequences. All of us have the "ravines and hills" of hatred, jealousy, greed, and pride. The Lord enters only as we make ready His way by the act of repentance, the turning away from all that would block Him.

2. Repentance is a turning toward the righteousness and holiness of God. There is a great healing in repentance. We cannot change ourselves by our own efforts; the crooked places cannot be straightened out by acts of our own will. However, when the way is made for the coming of the Lord through the process of repentance, the miraculous occurs. The crooked places begin to straignten; the jagged, rough roads are made smooth.

Our lives begin to take on the quality of righteousness as hurts are healed, deficiencies made whole, and new life takes shape. These are the effects of salvation, and are wholly the work of God. Yet we have a part in the relationship when we leave behind the self-defeating behaviors of sin and open ourselves to the life-giving presence of the Lord Jesus Christ.

THIRD SUNDAY

Luke 3:7-18

John the Baptist's preaching provides the content of the sermon on the third Sunday. John was blunt and outspoken, given to direct statements and colorful phrases. His messages were not essays or theological treatises; they were short and very much to the point. He literally confronted people with their sin and their need of repentance. John's preaching set the stage for Jesus' coming by creating a moral climate for the hearing of the gospel. His words prepared the people by presenting them with hard realities:

1. In God's sight, your ancestry doesn't matter, (vs. 7-9). They protested that John's harsh condemnation failed to take into account their descent from Abraham. Perhaps they weren't perfect, but as Abraham's children, they surely had some merit, didn't they? John's answer was a ringing no! Even now God is testing the trees, seeing if they are bearing good fruit.