ADVENT 2024
Second Sunday of Advent
December 8, 2024
Preparing the Way
Shavon Walker
(Rev. Shavon Walker is Ministry Associate of Social Media for the Evergreen Association of American Baptist Churches)
Luke 3:1-6 (NRSVUE)
In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was ruler of Galilee, and his brother Philip ruler of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias ruler of Abilene, 2 during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness. 3 He went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, 4 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.
5 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,
6 and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.’”
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Loving God, as we journey through this Advent season, open our hearts to hear Your voice calling in the wilderness of our lives. Guide us as we prepare the way for Your coming. Amen.
In this passage, we see the divine interacting with the mundane. The writer notes that John’s ministry manifests during a time of political and religious authority; the emperor Tiberius, the governor Pilate and the ruler Herod were in power, among others, and the high priests Annas and Caiaphas were in charge of religious matters. John, instead of looking for a political position or even attempting to serve in the Temple, chose to heed his calling and go into the wilderness instead. When God intersects our ordinary lives, it transforms them.
Advent is a time of preparation. But how do we prepare? John gives us four methods: making paths straight, filling valleys, lowering mountains and smoothing rough places. Here’s how each one applies:
Making Paths Straight: We know that God is present in our lives, so we look for any obstacles that can hinder that relationship. For instance, we can address systematic injustices and, by doing so, create direct access between God and humanity.
Filling Valleys: Being in “the valley” means being in a place of sadness and misery. Filling the valley lifts up the lowly, addresses depression, despair and hopelessness, and builds up what has been torn down (physically and emotionally).
Lowering Mountains: This requires a willingness to speak truth to power. We challenge systems of privilege and authority, confront our personal pride and self-sufficiency, and create systems of equity and accessibility.
Smoothing Rough Places: In areas of turmoil, we work for peace and reconciliation, heal broken relationships, and create a welcome for all people.
I invite you to think about the following questions:
- Do you have a mountain, valley, rough place or crooked path that needs God’s intervention?
- What category can we use as a church to prepare the way?
- What does it mean for “all flesh” to see God’s salvation in our world?
God of transformation, as we wait and watch for Your coming, give us courage to prepare Your way. Help us level the mountains of privilege, fill the valleys of despair, and make straight the paths of injustice. May we be instruments of Your peace and preparation in this Advent season. In Christ’s name, Amen.