If you know where you are going, it makes the task of preparing the
way a lot easier, than trying to prepare a way for a journey towards a
vague destination. Identifying our destination and getting the
directions drawn comes prior to commencing the actual task of preparing
the way.
In the case of this famous biblical cry, prepare ye the way of the Lord ,
one has to know the point of departure in addition to knowing the
destination for the journey at hand. In order to clarify these points I
have taken two specific tasks;
• The word became flesh and dwelt among us
Christ from within!
John
1:14-15, tells us the tremendous mystery of the incarnation.
Incarnation is a theological term used to explain the process of the
word becoming flesh. The word of God that became flesh and dwelt among
us is Jesus Christ, the Son of God. In the days of celebrating
Christmas, which is His incarnation or birth as a baby, we should not
overlook the fact that he came to dwell among us. He is currently
living in our midst. After living amongst his people for 30 years John
came proclaiming, prepare ye the way of the Lord.
In these days of celebrating Christmas which is His
incarnation or birth as a baby we should
not overlook the fact that he
came to dwell among us.
In
the prophetic texts the earliest record of this prophetic utterance has
been placed in the book of Isaiah. But it was very audibly echoed by
John the Baptist, in the earliest days of Christ's ministry. When John
came out of his solitary life in the desert he started proclaiming the
message that someone greater than himself was coming after him. By the time John was preaching this message Jesus was already in Nazareth living with Mary and Joseph as a carpenter.
He
was in the community, working hard for a living, going to the temple
for worship and learning, he was attending public gatherings and
community functions. Therefore this message was being given to remind
people that Jesus was coming from within the community where he was
living without being noticed by any as the Son of God.
In
the context of the church this message speaks to us, reminding us that,
this Lord of glory is living within our life. According to John
1:14-15, it clearly tells us that he was filled with truth and grace
and dwelt among us.
In the
context of the church this message speaks to us, reminding us that,
this Lord of glory is living within our life as individuals
and as a community of faith.
The church as a community of faith should see itself as the dwelling place of Jesus. When
we prepare the way, we do it for him to go out of the four walls of the
church and invite the people who are not yet in the fold. It is preparing the way for him manifest his presence to the surrounding world.
• Go into the whole world
Christ on the way to the World
When
we prepare the way of the Lord we are not called to prepare the way of
the Lord in a limited space and time. Christ said go into the whole
world and preach the Gospel and I will be with you. He will be with us
till we get to the borders of the world and the end of time.
When
we Christians think about preparing the way we have to look at the
community and take survey, as a good engineer would do. We should take
survey of the season, the space, and the resources, and pay attention
to both the opportunities and the challenges. As we do the survey we
sometimes get captivated with fear and despair, but the proper approach
we have to take should be driven by faith. When thinking about
preparing the way we have to concentrate on the fact that we are not
preparing our ways but we are preparing the way of the Lord. This way
is to be owned and used by Him. Therefore it should be prepared to his
fitting than to our styles and modes of operation.
When thinking about preparing the way we have to concentrate on
the fact that we are not preparing our ways but we are
preparing the way of the Lord.
God
is in love with the world. He seeks ways and venues of expressing that
love to the world. He wants to have dinner with the world. He want to
send gifts to the world and he want to create intimate relationship
with the world. As a church we mostly hinder this from happening just
by seeking God's entire attention to be on us and on us alone. Our
prayer is full of me, mine, my, myself and I. As much as God wants to bless us he wants us to make a way for someone to be blessed.
In this fashion we sometimes put Christ under the captivity of the
church. Trying to stifle his passion for the world, and divert his
entire attention towards our issues.
Remember we are
called to prepare the way, for the whole world to hear and know about
the limitless love of God for them. When we prepare the way for the
Lord we have to know that the set destiny is the whole world with no
gender, color, race and class distinction because Christ desires to
reach all and share his saving love.
The presence of Christ in us is constantly crying for a
venue to reveal himself to someone in
need of a savior.
As
we celebrate his birth during this Christmas, let us remember that, he
who was born in Bethlehem is born to dwell among us. He is living in us
and with us. Caught up in the spirit of holiday festivities let us not
neglect his presence in our midst. The presence of Christ in us is
constantly crying for a venue to reveal himself to someone in need of a
savior. Let me invite you to be a participant in making the way for the
Lord. Commit yourself to be a way maker for the Lord.
St.
Stephen will be committed to you in training and preparing you on how
to be a way maker for the Lord. Our pastoral ministry principle comes
from Eph. 4:12, to prepare/equip the people of God for the works of
service so that the body of Christ may be built. The office of the
pastor will be committed through training, directing and commissioning
you straight into the task. There is nothing impossible with God,
therefore let us continue trusting him as we strive to carry out the
great commission in the mission field at our disposal.
