Luke 3 | Prepare the Way
The first part of this week was spent happily staging my home for the Christmas season. The tree and tubs full of winter wonderland goodies all made their way to the living room from their various places (via the vast muscle power of the fine men in my house). So too came the empty storage boxes to pack away the fall pumpkins and clear out the old, making space for the new.
Furniture was moved, regular decor put away, nooks and crannies more thoroughly dusted than they’ve been all year; all to make space for twinkling lights, snowmen galore, and my beloved nativity set.
As I pottered about (and wrestled with tree-related light drama), I thought of John the Baptist, and how his work, in a small way, was reflected in mine.
John had a very specific task: to “make ready for the Lord a people prepared” (Luke 1:17).
And how did he do that? With a message of repentance.
John came to brush off the cobwebs and clear out the clutter, preparing the people to receive the Messiah.
And the cleaning tool he used? It was no gentle feather duster. With stinging precision, he called out those who claimed God by name, but denied Him by their works: it’s not a person’s claim that shows they are children of God; it’s their obedience to Him.
John warned that a judgment is coming for all who do not bear good fruit. This is not the warm fuzzy part of Christmas, but it’s the reason we have anything to celebrate at all.
The good news is that Jesus, the One who will “gather the wheat and burn the chaff with unquenchable fire,” is also the one with whom God is “well pleased.” He came and showed us how to walk in obedience to God.
And His baptism is one of the Holy Spirit, who makes us clean and enables us to bear the good fruit He produces.
So as we prepare our homes for this joyous season, let us also prepare our hearts— asking Him to clear out the old and make way for the spotless Son of God; the true Light who fills us with His Spirit and shows us the way to the Father.
“A voice cries: ‘In the wilderness prepare the way of the LORD; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.’” (Isaiah 40:3)
“Bear fruits in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father’…Every good tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.” (Luke 3:8a, 9)
“…when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heavens were opened, and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form, like a dove, and a voice came from heaven, ‘You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.’” (Luke 3:21b-22)