December 5, 2021 “It’s Christmas: Preparing, Repenting, Forgiving” Pastor Jacqueline Hines

 

December 5, 2021

“It’s Christmas: Preparing, Repenting, Forgiving”

Pastor Jacqueline Hines

As we enter the Advent season, we declare our hope that Jesus walks with us and talks with us and tells us that we are children of the king. We are part of the royal family of God. We affirm that peace is a possibility even when the world is neither kind nor gentle.

Our text from Luke 3 begins by telling us about a very important person, the emperor. At any given time in history, there are people who seem to matter more than others. In Jesus day, no one mattered more to the public than the Emperor. He had reigned – not four years, or 10 years, but 15 years. During that time, the emperor declared himself to be God and acted like a god as long as Pontius Pilate had his back, as long as the Herod kept the Galileans in check and as long as Pilate’s brother Philip (for as much was kept in the family as necessary)  as long as the brother was in full control of the regions of Ituraea and Trachonitis. The emperor could play God as long as Lysanias could control the people of Abilene and all the others had his back, Emperor Tiberius was God in the eyes of the people. Even today we sometimes wonder if the men and women doing such evil deeds may be more powerful than the God WE worship. We do wonder sometimes.

Protesters who were brave enough to ask for more than an emperor would provide, protesters who advocated for human rights, were, of course, a real threat to Tiberius even after 15 years on the throne. Protesters received push back as well persecution.

We see from verse 2 in Luke’s account that there were two High Priests, Annas and Caiaphas. What’s going on? God only authorized one, whose name was Annas. Jewish law provided for ONE high priest. The emperor was in charge, so he thought. Tiberius chose the priest he could count on to do his bidding. Tiberius corrupted the priesthood and overstepped his boundary of religious authority. No problem, God’s got even those situations. It is said that Annas kept his title as high priest, but Caiaphas was the one who ruled the roost.

The backdrop of every spiritual movement is some political dynamic. It’s all good. God has a purpose and a plan that is greater than any of the politics humans may bring into the picture. Some say that Christians should not get involved in politics. Luke, however, insists that whether we get involved or not, it is good for us to know what is going on in the political arena, so he give us details.

After Luke gives us the name of the Emperor and the other political players, he presents the players that God has chosen, the people who are at God’s beck and call. Luke tells us that THE WORD OF THE LORD – We do know there is a word of the Lord. We do understand that God has something to say – to us and to all who are ready to listen!! THE WORD OF THE LORD CAME TO JOHN, SON OF ZECHARIAH. We know John; we know Zechariah!! They’re family! The word came to John – where was he when he heard God’s word? In the wilderness. We know the wilderness. The wilderness is a place of trial before God brings us to triumph. The wilderness is a place where we are surrounded by wild beasts and we long for better days. The wilderness has sounds of silence and sadness when we are waiting to hear joyful music. There are mournful cries and confusing chaos in the wilderness while God is creating something wonderful out of our darkness and despair.

Here’s the word of the Lord that came to John. It is the same word that came to Isaiah 700 years earlier. Prepare the way of the Lord, straighten the crooked paths, fill those low places in your life with the joy of the Lord, smooth and stabilize the way for Jesus to enter into your lives as a welcome guest, lower those high mountains you’ve constructed as barriers that separate you from your blessings and behind which you can hide your sins and selfishness. What a word – prepare the way of the Lord!!  The word is as precious today as it was two thousand years ago.

Luke says that John shared that wonderful word handed down from Isaiah. He proclaimed a baptism of repentance for what? For the forgiveness of sins. There are three points I want to share about the word that came to John and also comes to us on this second Sunday of Advent. The three words are - Preparing, Repenting, and Forgiving.  John says “Prepare the way of the Lord.” How do we prepare for someone to come into our lives and in our homes? First, we decide that preparation matters, that Jesus matters that Jesus is worth cleaning up and straightening up for.

Indeed, Jesus is more important than any guest for whom we could ever prepare. Jesus saves us, heals us, and loves us more than anyone. It is good that we are reminded to prepare the way of the Lord. It is good that we get our house in order. Once during my prayer time, years ago, my heart suddenly focused on a little drawer in the living room. I went to the drawer and found a piece of paper with a joke written on it. The joke was not an example of something to share and be proud of. I threw it in the trash. It was no longer there to grieve the Holy Spirit. There was just that much more room for the Holy Spirit to be at home in my home. The Spirit helps us to prepare the way for the Lord. If we do as the Spirit directs us, we can enjoy the fruit of REPENTANCE. And, how sweet that fruit is!

We first decide to prepare the way for the Lord, for Jesus to enter our lives again and again. For, Jesus matters. Secondly, we prepare by repenting, turning things around and getting our house in order as much as we have the faith and strength to do so. God knows. God is with us to lead and guide us in the way that we should go. We yield our every effort to God.

Thirdly, we prepare and repent for one purpose – the forgiveness of sins. What in the world does forgiveness have to do with Christmas? The answer is EVERYTHING!!!

We know it’s true. We know what happens when we sit down for Christmas dinner with someone we have not forgiven or with someone who has not forgiven us. We know. We know what it is like to be mad at God because we are spending Christmas without a certain loved one. It is good to accept God as we accept one another, for God’s ways are not our ways, just as the ways of the one sitting closest to us at this very moment are not the same as our ways.

What does forgiveness have to do with Christmas?  EVERTHING!! Back in the late 90’s, a Christian sister did me wrong. She pulled the rug from under me, though I did not stumble. I was shocked at the level of her insensitivity and callousness toward me, and I knew I had to forgive her. So, our gracious God, gave me a prayer image that saved my life. Every day – and sometimes multiple times a day in prayer - I pictured the three of us – her, Jesus and me with our arms wrapped around each other in love. I did not track the time, but it may have been as much as a year before I felt free of my feelings of anger and hurt. I was no longer perplexed and annoyed that it did not matter to her that we were family. Freedom to forgive is freedom indeed. God is so good.

When we know that Jesus matters in our lives, we prepare for him. We get our house in order. We let go and let God do whatever God wants to do. We do so with the help and grace of God, one step at a time. We cannot do Christmas alone. We need the companionship of the Comforter, the help of the Holy Spirit, the joy of our savior Jesus, the creating hand of our God. We cannot do Christmas alone. We need each other. What does forgiveness have to do with Christmas? EVERYTHING!! Go beloved, prepare, repent, and forgive!! Amen.