Our Christmas Guest: Itinerary
Here for Everyone
Luke 3:1-6
Rev. Tim Callow
Preached Sun. December 5th, 2021
John the Baptist was a strange man. But then again, all of God’s prophets seem to be strange people. He was the son of Zechariah, one of the priests who served the Temple. But after he is born the first thing we are told about him is that he was out in the wilderness. Strange man that. Other gospel writers tell us he wore camel’s fur and subsisted on a diet of locusts and wild honey. Jesus will say that those who went to see John the Baptist preach didn’t go to see a reed swayed by the wind, a man dressed in fine clothing, but they went to see a prophet. And that’s what he was. A man possessed by the word of God, a man who preached fire. He was, as we hear this morning, a voice crying out in the wilderness. Prepare the way of the Lord.
John the Baptist is the forerunner of Jesus, who is sent to prepare the hearts and minds of the people of Israel for his coming. He is the herald of advent. The divine RSVP. Jesus is coming. The Kingdom is near. Prepare yourselves.
But if John the Baptist is the divine RSPV, where is that RSVP being sent? If he is the herald of Christ’s arrival, where is Christ arriving? Who is this message for? Who’s heart is to be prepared? To whom has salvation come?
We, in fact, get two answers in our scriptures this morning. So it is worth sorting this out.
Our responsive reading is Zechariah’s song, the Benedictus. After John was born Zechariah’s lips were loosed and his burst out in song. That divinely inspired song tells us about God’s plan, and John’s role in it. He sings, “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has looked favorably on his people and redeemed them.” Zechariah, priest of Israel, understands God’s advent as the redemption of the people of Israel. Jesus is a mighty horn of salvation, spoken of by prophets of old, who will defeat the enemies of Israel so they are free to worship without fear. This is God’s mercy to Israel, as was promised to their ancestors.
John is sent to be a prophet of God, to prepare the people of God for salvation by the forgiveness of their sins. In other words, John’s preaching and baptism will prepare the way for Jesus’ own preaching. He will till the soil, make straight God’s paths. But his preaching is to the people of Israel, and God’s activity is on behalf of the people of Israel.
The gospel reading gives us a different perspective, even though it’s from the same gospel! Here Luke quotes from Isaiah and says, “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.’" Luke expressly tells us that the word John was sent to proclaim is not only for one nation, but it concerns a salvation that will be seen by all flesh.
So which is it? Does John preach “knowledge of salvation to God’s people for the forgiveness of their sins?” Or does John preach that “all flesh shall see the salvation of God? Who is on God’s itinerary? Who is Jesus coming to visit? Is Jesus visiting some? Is Jesus visiting all?
The answer is both.
God brings salvation to Israel, and their salvation is the salvation of the world. God fulfills his promise to Abraham, to bless him and make him a blessing. God fulfills his promise through the prophets, to reign in Jerusalem and bring peace. God fulfills his promise to bring about the forgiveness of sins and the new heaven and new earth. God fulfills his promise to send us his Son. And in fulfilling those promises to Israel God’s salvation overflows to all. The salvation of Israel is the salvation of the world. And we are made part of that salvation.
So, then, the message of John is a message (in the words of Paul) to the Jew first and also to the greek. It is a message for all who would hear. It is a message even for us today. Especially for us today in this Advent season. Repent. Prepare the way of the Lord. Change your ways. Clean your hearts. Tidy up your house. Be ready for the Lord’s coming.
For indeed he is coming. He is coming soon. And we await that coming in great joy. The fulfillment of God’s promises to Israel. The fulfillment of God’s promises to us. The salvation that is meant for all. For all who hear the call to repellence. To all who turn from sin and death. And “by the tender mercy of our God, the dawn from on high will break upon us, to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace."