Last week we were exploring what it means for us to prepare the way of the Lord now. We talked about the importance of believing that Jesus is going to return, of sharing that good news with others, and of being that good news by caring tenderly for others. This week, we’re thinking about another way, again described by Isaiah, and also talked about by Jesus in his life and ministry. This is the way that the Lord has prepared for us. Last week, preparing the way for the Lord. This week: celebrating and walking the way that the Lord has prepared for us.
Once again we pick up God’s messenger, Isaiah, encouraging the people of God that on the other side of the disaster that is coming, there is hope, and a new way of life. If we read ahead a little bit, into the next chapter, we find the account of the threatening of Jerusalem by Sennacharib, the King of Assyria. Now Jerusalem doesn’t fall this time, but it won’t be long before it does, and the people of God are driven into exile. Isaiah shares this prophecy with them so that they have a hope to hold onto in that exile.
On the historical front, we can see elements of this prophecy fulfilled with the return to Jerusalem. God did redeem his people, and they did enter Zion with singing. However, that isn’t the whole story, there are some parts of this vision that weren’t fulfilled then.
Today we are thinking particularly about John the Baptist with our Advent Candles, and we heard in our gospel reading of the birth of John. Later in John’s life, after his ministry out in the desert, preparing the way for Jesus, he is imprisoned. Shut in his cell, and perhaps beginning to question, he sends his followers to Jesus to ask:
‘Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?’” Jesus … replied to the messengers, “Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor.”
Now, it’s not a one to one match, but that list of things that Jesus was doing looks a lot like the list of things that Isaiah prophesies. It is not yet a complete fulfilment, but it is, perhaps, an indication that we are on the way to seeing the complete fulfilment.
We’re not there yet, but we will be. This is the hope and faith of Advent. The preparations for celebrating Jesus’ birth are in full swing, but, more importantly, we are reminded that we are looking forward to Jesus’ return, the journey continues as we follow the way of the Lord, the way that has been prepared for us.
So, let’s think about this way a bit more. In John’s account of the good news of Jesus life, in John 14, Jesus is talking to his friends about the fact that he is going to leave them, to die, and go and prepare a place for them to be with him. He tells them that they know the way there. Thomas pipes up and says that they don’t know where he’s going, so how can they know the way. Jesus says, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life” Jesus is the way to where we’re going.
“The Way”. Did the you know that the early Christians were known as those who belonged to the Way In Acts 9, when Saul (who became Paul) is described, before his conversion it says,
“Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem.”
As those who wait for Jesus, who follow Jesus, we belong to the Way. So what does that mean? Well, one of the things I love about this way of describing being a Christian is that it captures so much meaning. So much, in fact, that I’m not going to be able to cover it all this morning, but perhaps I can provide some starting points for your own reflections. These are just a few of mine. Jesus is the way means that Jesus is the route, Jesus is the road, and Jesus is the manner.
Jesus is the route. Jesus is the answer to the question, “Which way shall we go?” Will we turn left or right? For those of you who use SatNav, you’re quite often given a choice of routes – shortest, quickest, most eco friendly. For those who use paper maps, perhaps you choose a scenic route, or one which avoids particular types of road.
Last week, we were visited by the Macnamara family, who described the way in which God had called them to go and use their teaching and leadership gifts, working with orphans in Kenya. That was the route for them. For each of us, Jesus has a route through life, which he is calling us to follow. And that means asking him which way we should go when we face decisions, and doing what he says.
Now, a couple of health warnings.
Some Christians seem to think that God’s plan for their lives is a bit like a tightrope – fall off, and you’re done for. Perhaps like one of the first generation GPS systems, that when you went off route just kept saying “perform a u-turn”. There doesn’t seem to me to be much grace or forgiveness in that. It seems to me that Jesus is much more like a modern GPS, which recalculates the route for us. There are off course limits to this – even the best GPS won’t get us to the right destination if we keep on ignoring it.
The second health warning is that it seems to me that we need to find a balance between activism and paralysis. In scripture we find both commands to wait on the Lord, and to get on with what’s in front of us. I find it quite difficult to get this balance. Sometimes I know that I charge ahead, when it would be wiser to wait for God’s direction. Sometimes I sit around, when there are things that God has put in front of me to do. This is where having good Christian friends that we can pray these things through with can be really helpful.
Jesus is the road. Jesus is the answer to the question, “How can we get from here to there?”
I was driving to Hereford on Friday, across country through Much Wenlock over to Ludlow. Just as I was heading down the road towards Ludlow racecourse, I discovered that the road was closed. The first indication that this was the case was a sign 100 yards before the closure. What to do. How was I going to get from here to there? Fortunately, there was a little lane off to the right, and a couple of other cars in front of me – so off we headed in convoy, for a couple of miles of adventure down a single lane road, until we came out just the other side of the closure.
When God created the world, we read that human beings were able to be in the presence of God. We walked in the garden together. But then, we decided that we knew better, and wanted to walk our own way. So the road was closed. Our shame and our guilt blocked the way for us to be in the presence of God. One of the things that Jesus came to do was to open up that way. As it says in Hebrews 10, “Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body”
Jesus death and resurrection deals with all our guilt and shame. He gladly lays down his body so that we can walk on it, into the presence of God. That is what Jesus has done for us. This is why we love him, because he is the road.
Thirdly, Jesus is the manner. Jesus is the answer to the question, “How shall we travel there?”
This could be a whole sermon in itself, so these really are only thought starters, the basis of all these is looking at Jesus and imitating him. Walking as he walked.
We travel in holiness. Isaiah talks about only the righteous being able to walk on the highway of the king, and we know that we are not righteous in ourselves. It is only by Jesus’ righteousness, given to us, that we are able to walk that way.
We travel with wonder. Those of us who have ever been on a walk with little children know that we’re not going to be going fast. Everything is fascinating. This can be annoying if we need to be getting somewhere, but Jesus did say that the kingdom belongs to those who become like little children. In his teaching he often said things like, “consider the flowers”.
We travel together. Isaiah talks about strengthening feeble hands, encouraging those with fearful hearts. We strengthen and encourage each other on the journey. In Matthew 12, we hear Jesus described as fulfilling another of Isaiah’s prophecies, “A bruised reed he will not break, and a smouldering wick he will not snuff out”
We walk in celebration. It seems to me that the whole of this passage in Isaiah is shot through with celebration – from the deserts being glad at the beginning, through the gushing springs in the middle, to the singing on the way into Zion at the end. We have Celebrating as one of our values here at All Saints, and it has been difficult to practice this over the last 2 years, but it is key to our Christian lives. Sometimes we are able to celebrate what is happening now, and sometimes we celebrate in faith because of what we can see coming, but either way we celebrate.
So, as we continue to walk through Advent, let’s walk in the way that Jesus has prepared for us. We follow Jesus as our route, as our road, and in the manner that he shows us, and as we do, we invite others to join us walking this way.
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