Luke 3:3-6

Posted by DJL on Jan 8, 2013 in Daily Bread | 0 comments

He went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah, “The voice of one crying out in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. 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; 
and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.’”

Two things mark John the Baptist’s preaching. First, he proclaims the need for repentance and forgiveness and invites those who listen to come and be baptized – that is, quite literally, to be “covered over” by water and washed clean. Second, he announces the coming of the Lord and bids the people to get ready.

He draws his language and imagery from the prophet Isaiah who proclaimed that they only fit response to the news that the Lord is coming is to do everything possible to make it easier for God to get here. The beautiful images of filling valleys, leveling off hills, straightening what is crooked and smoothing what is rough are ultimately all descriptions of a major highway construction project. Isaiah, that is, wants to build a road that runs as clean and straight as possible from God to us.

What would that look like for us?

We don’t, I suspect, often think like this. Perhaps we have lived long enough in our very secularized world where faith and talk of God is entirely private, or perhaps we have been steeped in Reformation theology that stresses that salvation is entirely up to God and we can’t (and shouldn’t!) do anything to assist. Whatever the reason, I think many of us probably have some difficulty in imagining what we can possibly do to make it easier for God to reach us.

And yet as soon as we put it that way, we realize in an instant that there are lots of things we can do. We can, for instance, read devotions. (In fact, you already are! :)) Even taking the three or four minutes to read a few verses from the Bible and reflecting on them, whether with devotions, or on your own, draws you more deeply into the story of God and helps you look for and see God’s activity in our lives.

We can pray – at mealtime, when we wake up, when we go to bed, when life is stressful. They don’t have to be long and elaborate or elegant prayers, they can be the short, heartfelt ones like “Lord help me be patient” or “Thanks for good colleagues” or “Calm my heart as I approach this exam” or “Take care of my friend who is sick” or “Bless our leaders with wisdom” or “Thank you for the rain” or whatever it is you’re thinking about. Prayer isn’t simply about expressing concern or gratitude; prayer is also about nurturing a relationship, and as we pray we focus on God and tune in to God’s presence all around us.

We can also look for God. What do I mean by that? As we grow more familiar with the biblical story, we recognize what I would call “characteristic activities” of God. For instance, and to give just two brief examples, we often see God encourage people to do what is right and good and to offer comfort and help to those in need. This continues to happen all around us, but I don’t know if we imagine or sense God’s presence when they occur. But what if we were to go through the coming day and each time we saw someone doing something good or helpful we thanked God for working through this person and each time we saw someone in need and we reached out to help we thanked God for using us to make a difference. As we claim God’s presence in strengthening the good, resisting the bad, comforting those who are hurting, and helping those in need, we are strengthened in our own ability to join such efforts and in this way be used by God to care for the world God loves so much.

So how will you fill valleys, level mountains, straighten the crooked, smooth the rough, and help build an interstate highway by which God can reach out to us and all the world today? However you choose to do so, just trying will make it a more interesting – and blessed – day.

Prayer: Dear God, give us eyes to see you at work and the world and hearts to be eager to join you in giving help, hope, and encouragement wherever they are needed. In Jesus’ name, Amen.