Straighten the Way

Text: John 1:6-8, 19-28

Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

There’s so much light in our sanctuary this morning. The Christmas tree is shining. The third Advent candle is lit. We even have our Paschal candle lit today for the joyous occasion of Wielandt’s baptism. The light reminds us that darkness has been overcome through the entrance of the light of Christ into the world. This third Sunday of Advent is a little different than the others. The colors have changed from blue to rose as we focus on the joy of the season. And yet, there’s still much more joy, and light to come. These four Sundays of Advent pass quickly, like the 4,000 years of the Old Testament. The number of years between God’s first promise to Adam and Eve that the offspring of the woman who would crush the serpent’s head. 4,000 years between that and the birth of Christ. We’re also reminded of the 400 years between the final prophecy of the Old Testament and the coming of the Savior. Throughout these weeks we remember the themes of the Advent season. Christ came in humility to give His life in payment for our sins. He will come again in glory to judge the earth. He sustains His Church in joy under the cross until He comes again in glory.  And today, in the words of Isaiah and of John the Baptist,

“MAKE STRAIGHT THE WAY OF THE LORD!”

We’ve talked about preparing the way for the Lord, but how do you make His way straight? How do you finish preparing for His coming? Listen to His messenger. Listen to John the Baptist as he cries from Jordan’s banks announcing that the Lord is nigh.

John, if you remember, was about six months older than Jesus, and he likely started his ministry about six months before Jesus started His. But we don’t know many details about John’s ministry, because John’s ministry wasn’t about John. His ministry was about Jesus. Going to John would certainly mean that you would hear about Jesus. And many people did go out to see John.  Even a delegation from the Pharisees came to John in the wilderness where he was preaching, wanting to learn more about John. “Who are you?” they asked.

But rather than tell them about himself, John told them who he wasn’t, so that they could focus on the one they should be focusing on. Christ. “He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, ‘I am not the Christ.’”  I’m not the one you should be focused on. Who I am will not determine where you spend eternity. Don’t worry about me. Worry about Christ.

How opposite that is from the modern-day popular preacher, where it is all about who the preacher is, his charisma, his personality, his charm, his sense of humor, his engaging style of preaching. Maybe even the clothing he’s wearing. But it’s not supposed to be that way. The true preacher sent from God minimizes himself and emphasizes Christ.

John’s whole ministry was about who he was not. Last week we talked about the fact that John was not an ordinary guy. He certainly wasn’t a man who made the people around him feel comfortable. He was, after all, a preacher of repentance. He told the people, you may not go on living as you are. You can’t go on ignoring your sin, ignoring your soul, ignoring God’s Word and God’s kingdom, and ignoring, or even mistreating your neighbor. You just can’t do it. Not because, I, John, am making up rules for you. Not because I tell you so.  But for one reason; the kingdom of heaven is near! The Lord is coming! Wake up from your slumber, from your apathy, from your self-security. What I’m telling you is serious business. Christ is coming!

But who was John to preach such things? The delegation prodded him, “’Who are you, then? Are you Elijah?’ He said ‘I am not.’ ‘Are you the Prophet?’ And he answered, No.’” The people of this world can’t comprehend a preacher who is not seeking fame and fortune. They can’t grasp a preacher who actually points away from himself to Christ. They think that he must be claiming something greater for himself. And surely, if John had claimed to be Elijah, that would have made him great. During Elijah’s time, some 800 years before Christ, there was no greater prophet. If the people wanted to hear from God, they had to go to Elijah and listen to him. If someone wanted to hear from God, Elijah was the man. He was God’s voice on earth at the time. Not so with John though. John was not the destination, but a mere road sign pointing to the destination, because there was a greater prophet on earth at the time of John—far greater.  The voice of God on earth at that time was the Son of God Himself.

And if John had claimed to be the Prophet—the one referred to by Moses, then he would have been claiming greatness for himself, because Moses told the Israelites that when that Prophet comes, “You must listen to Him!”  But that’s not John. If nobody ever heard of John the Baptist, that would be perfectly alright. But the Prophet—the Christ—if a person doesn’t hear about Him and listen to Him, then he or she will be lost eternally.

“Who are you, then?”, the people asked John. But notice, he still doesn’t give them his credentials. Once again, he defers their question away from himself to talk about Jesus, quoting from the prophet Isaiah, “I am ‘The voice of one crying in the wilderness: “Make straight the way of the Lord.”’

Yes, they were to listen to John, but only as a sign pointing them away from their sin and toward the coming Savior. As he points away from himself to the coming Lord, he says, “Make straight the way!” That’s repentance. Stop worrying about yourselves. Stop living for yourselves. Stop trusting in yourselves and in your good works, which aren’t good at all if they’re judged by God’s holy law. Stop making up your own right and wrong. Stop making God an afterthought in your heart. Put away your pride. Recognize your sin and turn from it. Seek mercy from the Lord, for He is merciful! He brings with Him comfort and mercy and peace for the penitent. He comes with healing. He comes to pay for your sins and give you eternal life.

But the Pharisees were unimpressed with John’s quote from the prophet Isaiah. They obviously didn’t believe that he was the prophesied voice crying in the wilderness. They didn’t see any need to repent. They were already living according to God’s law, so they thought. They weren’t interested in who John was pointing to. Did you notice that? They didn’t ask, “The way of the Lord? Where is He coming? When is He coming? How do we find Him? How do we make straight His way?” No. They don’t ask that. They don’t want to hear about Christ.

But their questions do give John the opportunity to tell them about Jesus. “Then why are you baptizing if you are neither the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?” He replied, “I baptize with water, but among you stands One you do not know, even He who comes after me, the strap of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie.” John even points away from the baptism that he’s doing, because for as important as his God-given baptism was, it was still a pre-Christian baptism. It wasn’t yet the baptism in the name of Father, Son and Holy Spirit. It wasn’t yet the baptism that unites a person to the death and resurrection of Christ. It wasn’t the incredible faith-giving baptism that Wielandt received this morning. So, he says, don’t worry about my baptism. Worry about Christ. He comes after, and He comes before, and I am not worthy to untie His sandals.  In other words, He’s a Man who comes after me—He’s younger than I am and hasn’t even begun His ministry yet. And yet, He comes before me. He is God, far older than I, and infinitely greater and more important than I am. He’s the one you should be looking for. He stands among you! You don’t know and you don’t realize it yet. But your God is already here.

Such is the ministry of the Word still today. Christ is already here among us. The world doesn’t know, the world doesn’t realize, Christ has truly come and stood among us in this world. God’s Son was born in Bethlehem. And that changes everything. How could we go on living in our sin and ignorance and apathy toward God and neighbor when we realize that the Lord has come to earth. When we recognize that God is with us?

With this recognition, we now know that God has called us into the same type of ministry he sent John the Baptist to do. Today, He has given to His church the responsibility to prepare and straighten the way of the Lord. And we do this by preaching the Law which says that on our own we just can’t make it. And by preaching the Gospel that through the One proclaimed by John the Baptist our sins are forgiven. It’s a load to bear, but one we’re privileged to carry. And it’s not a generic message of Law and Gospel. It applies to our lives and the situations we face every day. We can preach it to ourselves, but don’t neglect to apply it in all circumstances. When you’re feeling like whatever you do is not enough, remember that it isn’t enough. And that’s ok because Christ is the One bearing the load anyway. When you’re feeling like what you’ve done is too much to be covered up, remember that Christ’s blood can cover it all. When your neighbor needs to hear about the love of God in Christ Jesus, don’t be afraid to tell them. Beginning with your nearest neighbors, right in your own homes.

Russell and Michelle, you hold in your arms the pure joy of a newborn baby. One now brought into the family of God through the waters of Holy Baptism. And you’re now privileged to have Wielandt as one of your nearest neighbors. He needs to hear the Word of God. He needs to continue to be strengthened in the walk he’s begun today. Don’t neglect to bring him to the Lord’s house. And don’t neglect to make your home a place where the Word of God dwells richly and vibrantly. And congregation, remember that promise you just made as you welcomed Wielandt. Brothers and sisters in Christ are to lift one another up and concern ourselves with the spiritual growth of the entire flock.

These are all opportunities we have to straighten the way for the Lord. To smooth out the rough patches and to allow Christ to work in our lives. And that’s what He does. He works, through the waters of baptism. Through His precious body and blood. And in the words you hear. Words that echo those of John the Baptist. Word that are not my own, but act as a road sign to point you away from sin and toward Christ. That’s the role of the church today. To point you to the One who came and stood among us, who was born, lived, died, and rose again and is coming again. The Light of the World, sent to overcome darkness, bring good news to the poor, bind up the brokenhearted, and to proclaim liberty to the captives. Come, Lord Jesus. Amen.

The peace of God which surpasses all understanding guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.