Prepare the Way

We’re taking a break from our series in 1 & 2 Peter to join millions of our sisters and brothers in the faith in celebrating the Advent Season — something the Church has done for centuries. Advent comes from the Latin word adventus which comes from the Greek word parousia. Parousia in the Scripture references Christ’s second coming (cf. Matthew 24:3, 27, 37, 39; 1 Corinthians 15:23; 1 Thessalonians 2:19; 3:13; 4:15; 5:23; 2 Thessalonians 2:1,8,9; James 5:7,8; 2 Peter 1:16; 3:4,12; 1 John 2:28). This is why — to many evangelical protestants surprise — the Church has always celebrated Advent with a dual focus on both the celebration of Christ’s first Advent and the anticipation of his second.

This Sunday we honed in on the ever-important figure of Advent, John the Baptist. John is prophesied in Isaiah 40:3 as being the one who “prepare[s] the way of the Lord;…” And it should seem as no accident that all four evangelists start off their gospel accounts with this preacher/prophet who so passionately sets the tone for the proclamation of the Messiah, Jesus Christ. Both John’s position and his posture are jarring to our contemporary/domesticated view of Christmas — and this is something we must sit with as we ourselves prepare the way in our hearts for Advent (both the past and the future).

Give the sermon, ‘Prepare the Way’ a listen and we hope to see you this week at a Family Meal and/or a DNA group to dive even deeper.