Good Morning Friends,
I came to Southwest Florida in the late 1960’s before I-75 connected us to the Interstate Highway system. This road expansion was a catalyst that changed Naples from a sleepy fishing village into one of the fastest growing communities in the nation for a time. People from the Midwest followed I-75 to paradise on the Southwest Florida coast just as people from the Eastern states followed I-95 to Miami and Ft. Lauderdale. The effect spilled over into Collier County as straight six lane roads were built, and Alligator Alley connected us to the East Coast. Now after more than forty years of construction and reconstruction much of the inconvenience and noise and dust and slow traffic has been replaced with splendid roads and a few places where new roads are needed. So too, we have to prepare and plan for the road to Christmas as well, for a baby will change everything. Having Christmas visitors does too. The countdown is nearing its end. Ready or not, God might just come on a highway of holiness right through your living room. So, Are You Ready For A New Road And Willing To Share In The Journey?
Scripture: Comfort, O comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that she has served her term that her penalty is paid, that she has received from the LORD’s hand double for all her sins. A voice cries out: “In the wilderness prepare the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain. Then the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all people shall see it together, for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”
Isaiah 40:1-5 (NRSV)
In the fifteenth year of the reign of Emperor Tiberius, 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, during the high-priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness. He went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, 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. 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; and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.” ‘
Luke 3: 1-6 (NRSV)
Sing aloud, O daughter Zion; shout, O Israel! Rejoice and exult with all your heart, O daughter Jerusalem! The Lord has taken away the judgments against you, he has turned away your enemies. The king of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst; you shall fear disaster no more. On that day it shall be said to Jerusalem: Do not fear, O Zion; do not let your hands grow weak. The Lord, your God, is in your midst, a warrior who gives victory; he will rejoice over you with gladness, he will renew you in his love; he will exult over you with loud singing as on a day of festival. I will remove disaster from you, so that you will not bear reproach for it.
Zephaniah 3:14-18a (NRSV)
And the crowds asked him, “What then should we do?” In reply he said to them, “Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none; and whoever has food must do likewise.” Even tax collectors came to be baptized, and they asked him, “Teacher, what should we do?” He said to them, “Collect no more than the amount prescribed for you.” Soldiers also asked him, “And we, what should we do?” He said to them, “Do not extort money from anyone by threats or false accusation, and be satisfied with your wages.” As the people were filled with expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Messiah, John answered all of them by saying, “I baptize you with water; but one who is more powerful than I is coming; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.” So, with many other exhortations, he proclaimed the good news to the people.
Luke 3:10-18 (NRSV)
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:4-7 (NRSV)
Message: Jesus is calling us to prepare our hearts for His second coming not just the first. The first time He came in stealth mode as a baby to a poor family. For His second coming the event will be unmistakable. Here in our deserts and swamps we need to prepare for the coming of the King as to Jerusalem. We need to plan for God returning to take up residence. So today we need to get rid of every obstacle in our hearts and in our lives that stand in the way of us receiving Him. Today we need to listen to the voice calling us to repent so that we might see God’s glory revealed. We need to listen for the signs of spiritual life and grace of His unfailing love in our lives for His judgment is coming. Friends, prepare for the power and the presence of Jesus. He is coming again as the risen Lord.
Our Creator, Redeemer and Sustainer is a God of change and thankfully He makes us useful instruments for the Spirit to move in us and into the lives of others in the process. Here we see how God connects, changes, and transforms us now much like He did then in first century Israel. Just as the building of the Roman Roads allowed for the spread of our faith, extending a peace beyond that of the Pax Romana, we too have new roads to pave. So let us think about this highway we are traveling on the road to Christmas…let us be building with each step we take…let us be meditating on the fullness of time… let us realize that God wants to come hauling truckloads of blessings and that we just need to help build the road. Playtime is about over. Praise time is about to begin.
And So, we are to marvel at the miracle of love at Christmas that came down from heaven to guide us and save us. So, essentially today’s message is about the miracle of love and our response to it. Everyone needs to hear that they are loved, and people need to see it too. But we only really hear it when our soul glorifies the Lord, and that force is born in us in a way that brings peace. Mary, Elizabeth, and John the Baptist recognized the miracle of this love. They recognized that with God nothing is impossible. In the Christmas story we begin to understand the salvation and miracle Mary recognized in Jesus and the salvation and miracle the Wise men believed in manifested in the gifts they bring. We too must recognize and anticipate the power of the Holy Spirit at work birthing the Good News in us.
Pray we rejoice in the building of new roads. Pray they be highways of holiness. Pray we make straight highways connecting points of need to points of revival. Pray we prepare for the Lord. Pray that God has His way in our lives. Pray we experience a time of refreshing, renewing, restoring, and rejoicing as the people return to the Word of God, by the power of God, according to the plan of God, under the direction of God so we might all receive the blessings of God.
Pray this season we rediscover the blessings of giving. Pray we shine like lights in a dark world. Pray we show love. Pray we become more holy. Pray we declare the truth. Pray Jesus prepares our hearts so that we never be lukewarm about the work of His church. Pray we repent. Pray we are readied by grace for His return to take up residence in our hearts. Pray we prepare for Christ coming to be God with us. Pray we listen to God’s good news. Pray we usher Jesus into our homes this season. Pray we have the courage to look and the faith to see and the ears to hear God in our lives.
Blessings,
John Lawson
Daily Devotionals 