Sunday, December 9, 2018

“Road Construction” (Luke 3:1-6)


We have all heard the joke about seasons in Montana . . . that there are just two of them—winter and construction.  Winter is marked with snow, ice, and frigid temperatures.  Construction season is marked with orange cones, traffic delays, and lots of people running around in orange vests or leaning on shovels.  Thankfully we have entered the winter season,
whatever potholes that didn’t get filled during construction are now filled with snow and ice.  We all know that it’s not true, but it sure seems as if it is. 

In our scripture reading this morning, John the Baptist talks about road construction: “. . . make straights paths . . . Every valley shall be filled in, every mountain and hill made low.  The crooked roads shall become straight, the rough ways smooth.”  Sounds like he is describing the construction they have been doing on the bypass from Laurel to Rockvale for the past couple of years!  Yet, the truth is that he is not talking so much about actual road construction.  No, he is talking about the promise of God to restore the relationship between God’s children and God’s self.  He is talking about that intimate relationship between God and all of humanity.  He is talking about God’s invitation to restore that intimacy and love . . . an invitation to come home once again.  And, to prove it, God is removing all the obstacles and barriers making the path straight and easy.

In other words, God is paving the way.  All we must do is to travel down that road . . . accept the invitation.

I think that if we were going to be honest, we would probably like to see that road from God’s vantage point because the road we have been traveling down hasn’t always been that smooth or straight.  I don’t know about the rest of you, but the road of my faith journey has not always been smooth or straight.  I have encountered bumps and potholes, washouts, delays, detours, and lots of other wonderful obstacles and barriers that have not made the journey seem much like what John the Baptist is describing.  The road from most of our vantage points looks nothing like the road that God sees from where God is looking down.

But, no matter what the road looks like from our end, we can see the end from here.  The problem is getting there.

That is why John the Baptist proclaims: “Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.”  And then, he goes into filling in the valleys, plowing down the mountains and hills, straightening out the curves, and making things smooth.  The prophet is letting his hearers—and us—know that if God is willing to remove the obstacles and barriers from God’s end, that we need to be willing to do the same thing from our end.  He calls us to do a little road construction of our own.

Advent is a season or preparation . . . we are preparing for the “gift”.  The “gift” that restores that relationship between us and God.  And, we know that that “gift” is Jesus.  That is what we are journeying towards . . . yesterday, today, and tomorrow . . . and, Jesus shows us the way.  Yet, we still need to prepare.  We need to do some road construction . . . do a little removing of obstacles and barriers . . . a little straightening out and smoothing. 

We know that John’s ministry was based on a preaching of the baptism of repentance.  Surprisingly, the repentance that John preached was misunderstood by those who were hearing it.  Those who were hearing it were picturing it as a ritual or legal transaction to rid their consciences of their sins to go about their daily business.  Sort of like taking a bath to clean the dirt off themselves until the next time they needed a bath.  Thus, it was not unusual for people of this time to be baptized many times in their lifetimes.  But, that was not the baptism that John the Baptist was preaching.

No, he was preaching about “turning around and going in a different direction”.  The Old Testament term for “sin” means “to walk on the wrong path” or “to walk in the wrong direction.”  The term used for “repent” means to “turn around” or “to change direction.”  The people have gone the wrong way or direction . . . away from God.  Thus, it is that John the Baptist is calling for a deeper and more literal understanding of repentance . . . something more than a ritual or legalistic transaction.  He is calling the people to return to a covenant faithfulness that will be lived out in the reality of the world . . . a certain kind of lifestyle that puts into practice daily what it means to live in the grace of God.  He is calling for a different way of being religious . . . or being faithful.  That is the path shown by God through Jesus.

That is the “good news” that is being shared.  God has prepared the highway before us . . . shown us what could be . . . that the barriers and obstacles have been removed.  God has done God’s work.  It is right there for the taking.  Yet, at the same time, we need to do our work . . . we need to “turn around”.  We need to “turn around” and start living our lives in and through the grace of God daily.  We need to remove those obstacles and barriers we have constructed that keep us from fully loving God and others.  We need to enter the construction season. 

And, as I say this, I must admit, this doesn’t sound much like “good news” . . . it sounds like a lot of hard work.  Yet, it is “good news” because we have Jesus . . . the one who came to show us the way, the one who walks with us along the way, and the one we journey towards . . . we are not alone in the journey.  This is good news to us as the followers of Jesus as we have committed to live our lives in an attitude of humility, expectation, and repentance knowing that all of life is shaped by the One who came and is coming.

So, we discover that even though the snow has started flying, construction season is not over for those of us on the journey of faith.  In this season of Advent we are hard at work “preparing the way” for the “good news” . . . we are going home!  All we need to do is to turn around.  The road home has been built . . . the paths are straight, the valleys filled in, the mountains and hills made low, the crooked has been made straight, and the rough is smooth.  That is God’s message as we prepare for the “gift”.  Amen.

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