12-10-23 Prepare the Way for the Lord!

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“Prepare the Way for the Lord!”

I want to start with something funny that I found on an internet site: A Christian guy named Bill saw an advertisement online for a Christian horse, so he went to check it out. The horse’s owner said, “It’s easy to ride him. Just say “Praise the Lord!” to make him go, and “Amen!” to make him stop.” Bill got on the horse and said, “Praise the Lord!” Sure enough, the horse started to walk. “Praise the Lord!” he said again, and the horse began to trot. “Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord!” he yelled, and the horse broke into a gallop. Bill enjoyed his ride so much that he almost didn’t notice the cliff he and the horse were about to go over. Bill shouted “AMEN!” at the top of his lungs, and the horse stopped right at the edge of the cliff. Relieved, Bill said, “Phew! Praise the Lord!”

It is the most exciting season waiting for Christmas. We decorate with many greeneries, Christmas trees, and lights on the streets, at home, and at church. Why do we do that? Are you decorating, expecting to get lots of food and presents, having family gatherings, seeing friends, and having lots of fun? Or are you decorating to celebrate Jesus’ birthday? Yes, indeed, we do some of these things to celebrate Christmas with family, exchange presents, have fun, and share food. But remember who the main person is on Christmas Day. Have you ever been to a birthday party without a birthday person?

I talked about the meaning of “Advent” last Sunday. It is “to wait for the coming Jesus.” Yes, indeed! The church, home, and street decoration should be for Jesus Christ. It should be preparing the way for Jesus Christ. In other words, we should prepare the way for the Lord to come into our minds and hearts. If you have anything you are focusing on rather than Jesus, you should prepare the way for the Lord so that the Lord comes to your mind as the main focus.

Today’s scripture talks about preparing the way for the Lord. John the Baptist is there. We know John the Baptist was the person who prepared the way for the Lord before Jesus worked his public ministry and who baptized Jesus. The center of his world was Jesus Christ. He waited for Jesus his whole life. He came from the wilderness to prepare the way for Jesus Christ and proclaimed a baptism of repentance to forgive sins (Mark 1:3-4). At that time, nobody knew about baptism. John the Baptist was the first person to perform a baptism. That’s why we call him “John the Baptist.” He taught people that baptism is the way to prepare for receiving Jesus Christ as the Savior and the Lord. The people thought the Messiah would come as the King of the world. Jesus Christ indeed came as the King of the Kings. But, he came to serve all people, not to be served by the people. Many people didn’t believe that Jesus Christ was the Messiah God promised because he was born into a poor family.

The Prophet Isaiah wrote, “See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way; the voice of one crying out in the wilderness; Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.” In Israelite society, if the Roman King planned to visit an Israelite city, all the Israelite people worked hard to make a way, renovating the buildings and cities to show the King. The Israelites should make their way straight for the King because the King came riding in a carriage. So, the King’s visit was a big event for all the citizens of Israel. The words, “Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight” is a parable to

Jesus Christ, which means that the King of kings, Jesus Christ comes to you, you should repent all your sins, and purify your minds to receive Jesus Christ as your King. That’s why John the Baptist proclaimed, “repent for the forgiveness of your sins, and receive baptism” to prepare for the coming Jesus.

You may say, “Pastor Jenny, I received baptism already. So, do you think I am ready for the coming of Jesus Christ?” I would say, “Yes and No.” The baptism we received already is only to initiate the unity of the body of Christ. John the Baptist says, “I have baptized you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit” (Mark 1: 8). We learned that one baptism by water is enough in our lifetime, but the baptism by the Holy Spirit is as good as we can receive. So, it is time to prepare for the Holy Spirit by renewing our minds, hearts, and souls. And, the Christmas season is a good time to prepare our minds and hearts for the coming Lord by the Holy Spirit.

I want to share about a man who never knew how to prepare the way for the Lord. He is the author of the Gospel of Mark. He was not one of the twelve disciples of Jesus. But, he wrote a Gospel book, written and is the very first in the New Testament. Mark was there when Jesus was arrested. You may find his story in the Gospel of Mark. He wrote about himself as an unnamed young man: “A certain young man was following him [Jesus], wearing nothing but a linen cloth. They caught hold of him, but he left the linen cloth and ran off naked” (Mark 14:51). Imagine that he went to sleep early that night and heard an unusual noise outside. He woke up about midnight because of this noise and went outside wondering what was happening. He wasn’t wearing regular clothes. The linen cloth he wore was like a bedsheet. He went out wearing a bed sheet because he was in a hurry to see what was happening. At the moment, when he followed the crowd, he saw that Jesus was arrested and that all disciples left Jesus and ran away (Mark 14:50). Finally, he also ran away naked.

Mark was a person who looked things over curiously. He lived in the place Jesus offered to his disciples at the Last Supper and the First Communion, and where the Pentecost event happened. We know it was the upper room. That was his house. Mark looked over everything that happened around Jesus and was never involved in it. However, he joined in the Apostle Paul’s first missionary trip as his helper (Acts 13:5). It took a long time for him to grow in faith, which he became the person preparing the way of the Lord. He started inviting Jesus to the center of his mind. He found in faith that Jesus is the Son of God and the center of the world, as he wrote in the Gospel of Mark.

He prepared the way for the Lord, writing the Gospel of Mark that the good news is Jesus Christ. Even though it was written in the Prophet Isaiah a long time ago, he found it much later than five hundred years. He proclaimed the good news for all the people, especially for the poor, the weak, the powerless, the oppressed, and the sick, that Jesus Christ came to the world as a human being to serve all the people and save all the people from their sins. He says, “For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve and to give his life a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). He asks the people to see what he saw, Jesus Christ. He says that Jesus Christ coming to us is the beginning of the good news. In his first chapter, he introduced John the Baptist, who prepared the way for Jesus Christ because he indirectly tells us through his book, the Gospel of Mark, “Prepare the way of the Lord.”

Now, we are in the advent season. Christmas is around the corner. How could you prepare for the Lord? Two weeks ago, I talked about “Jesus will be everywhere, such as the sick, the hungry, the thirsty, the prisoners, the homeless, and those in need.” Remember, Jesus came to the world to serve the people, not to be served. We are Christians who follow Jesus. You may also prepare Christmas for your neighbors who need help and share your food and presents with them. God bless you all who prepare the way for the Lord! Thanks be to God. Amen.