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“Prepare the Way for the Lord!” Isaiah 40:1-11 *Click for Audio* Pastor Kevin Vogts Trinity Lutheran Church Paola, Kansas Second Sunday in Advent—December 5, 2021 In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. In the annual cycle of the Church Year, the season of Advent has always had a dual emphasis. Originally, Advent was much more like Lent, a season of somber, penitential reflection, preparing for the SECOND coming of Christ, at the Last Day. Over time, Advent became more of a joyous season of celebration, preparing to commemorate at Christmas Christ’s FIRST coming into our world, as the Babe of Bethlehem. Over the centuries, the balance between these two emphases has fluctuated, with Advent sometimes more a season of penitential reflection, sometimes more a season of joyous celebration. My mother was born on December 18th, 1922. We have a very large extended family and always had big birthday parties. But, because my mother’s birthday fell during Advent, when she was a child, and even up to about the time I was born in 1960, her birthday was never celebrated. Because, the old custom was you didn’t have any kind of parties during the somber, penitential seasons of Advent and Lent. However, there has been a big shift in American society since then. Everything related to Christmas is coming earlier and earlier. This year in particular it seems to me lots of people have their outdoor decorations up and lit much sooner than ever before. I suppose after basically missing out on Christmas last year people are anxious for some traditional fun and a return to normalcy. Terry and I ourselves are having a Christmas Open House today at the parsonage, from one to five this afternoon, to which all you are invited. This trend in society toward an earlier and earlier observance of Christmas has had an impact in the church. Technically, the “12 Days of Christmas” and the Christmas season of the Church Year doesn’t begin until Christmas Eve. So, when I started as a pastor in 1986 most churches didn’t put up their decorations until late in December, the more traditional even waiting until the afternoon of Christmas Eve. But, over my 35 years of ministry that’s been pushed back earlier and earlier. Now, even the most traditional churches generally put up their Christmas decorations just after Thanksgiving. However, in worship services, the appointed Scripture readings, hymns, and prayers for the season of Advent still reflect the old emphasis, of Advent as a somber time of penitential reflection. So, even though it seems like we already started celebrating Christmas in America a few weeks ago, this morning we’re going to turn back the clock, and based on today’s Old Testament and Gospel Readings, focus on the traditional Advent theme of repentance: “A voice of one calling in the desert, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord; make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God. Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain. And the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all mankind together will see it. For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.’” Point #1) Is “Repent” a Dirty Word? It USED to be said that “Confession is good for the soul.” But, in our culture today, it seems no one is held accountable for anything, and concepts like “confession, sin, repent, repentance” are considered outdated—even offensive. How dare you say what I am doing is wrong! More and more, society is demanding that we accept and approve things that we know are wrong, false, sinful. Already in 1973 the famous Topeka psychiatrist Karl Menninger became so exasperated with this attitude that he wrote a book: “Whatever Became of Sin?” Unfortunately, even many in the Christian Church have adopted this prevailing viewpoint that there is no right or wrong, have succumbed to pressure from society and stopped calling sin sin. A church growth consultant advises that if you want your church to grow, the WORST thing you can do is start off your worship services with a confession of sins, like we did a few moments ago. He says people today just don’t like being told that they are “poor, miserable sinners.” It’s bad marketing. If you want your church to grow, you should tell people what they want to hear. But, Jesus declares, “REPENTANCE and forgiveness of sins will be preached in [my] name.” Like John the Baptist, Christian ministers are sent by the Lord to proclaim, not what you WANT to hear, but what you NEED to hear. A two-pronged message, which we call Law and Gospel, the bad news of our sin, and the Good News of our Savior: “Repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in [my] name.” Point #2) The Purpose of Preaching Repentance “A voice of one calling in the desert, ‘PREPARE THE WAY for the Lord!’” That is the purpose of preaching the Law, preaching repentance. NOT to tear you down or make you feel bad about yourself, but to “PREPARE THE WAY for the Lord,” in your heart. Because, your stubborn human heart, and my stubborn human heart, will not receive the Savior unless we first recognize that we are a sinners, in need of a Savior. Before he administers medicine, a doctor first diagnoses, and describes for you, your sickness. That’s what the preaching of repentance, the preaching of the Law, actually is. The GREAT Physician, diagnosing your spiritual sin-sickness, preparing you to receive into your heart HIMSELF—the cure for sin. Point #3) Only God Can Work Repentance in Your Heart “A voice of one calling in the desert, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord; make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God. Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain.’” Isaiah uses an image common in ancient times. Whenever a king would visit a city the roads on which he would travel would be repaired and improved, or even new roads built for the coming king. There’s an interesting example of this in the very wilderness Isaiah speaks of, not far from where John the Baptist was preaching. At the perfectly preserved Roman city of Jerash in Jordan there’s a impressive city gateway still standing that was specially built, along with a new road into the city, for a visit by Emperor Hadrian in 129 A.D. The unusual thing is what’s supposed to be a city gateway stands off by itself, a long way from the city walls. They wanted to impress the Emperor with how big they thought their city would grow, so they built the new gateway for him to pass through into the city way out there. But, it never did grow that far, so now this massive gateway and the Roman road passing through it stands by itself, out in the desert. “A voice of one calling in the desert, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord; make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God.’” One of the themes of Advent is: the King of Kings and Lord of Lords is coming, to your heart. Prepare the way with repentance! To repent means literally to “turn the other way,” to turn from sin and turn to God. But, actually, such repentance is beyond the power of any human. Also in Jordan, out in the very wilderness where John the Baptist preached and Isaiah proclaims “make . . . a highway for our God,” I once saw a crew of men laboring to build a new four-lane interstate highway. It fascinated me because our family business for generations was Vogts Earthmoving, and back in the 60’s and 70’s my Dad did a lot of earthwork for the new interstates across Kansas. But, these poor men were doing it all with buckets and hoes! In the wilderness of that rocky desert they were slowly leveling the hills and building up the valleys with their bare hands. Now imagine trying to build a road that way all by yourself. There are plans to widen to four lanes the eight miles of Highway 68 between Highways 69 and 169. Could you do that work all alone, with only a bucket and a hoe? Impossible! And just as impossible is for you to bring YOURSELF to repentance and faith. But, that’s the wondrous thing about God’s call to repentance. His very call to repent and believe the Gospel has within it the power to do exactly that, to change your heart, to turn you FROM sin and TO God. Martin Luther puts it this way in the Small Catechism: “I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or come to him; but the Holy Spirit has called me by the Gospel, enlightened me with his gifts, sanctified and kept me in the true faith.” “A voice of one calling in the desert, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord; make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God. Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain.’” Then, to hearts made repentant and ready by the Law, comes the wonderful Good News of the Gospel: “And the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all mankind together will see it. For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.” “And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them.” “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only-begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” The Lord revealed his glory that first Christmas in a most unconventional place, to the most unexpected people, in the most unusual way. Not at Rome or Jerusalem, but at the little town of Bethlehem. Not to the high, and mighty, and “holy,” but to lowly shepherds abiding in the fields. Not in a palace or temple, but in a stable, in the form of a Baby, lying in a manger. “And the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all mankind together will see it.” “Behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the Babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.” “Prepare the way for the Lord.” In the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, all building up to your Christmas celebration, don’t miss the whole point of what Christmas is really about—THE figure who is at the center of it all. And I don’t mean Santa Claus, but “the Babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.” “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.” Repent and believe that Good News, for he is YOUR Savior, Christ, the Lord. In today’s Old Testament Reading, Isaiah prophesies the Good News about him over 600 years before his birth: “Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her that her hard service has been completed, that her sin has been paid for, that she has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins.” His perfect life is credited to you: “[Your] hard service has been completed.” His sacrificial death is credited to you: “[Your] sin has been paid for.” And his resurrection is God’s way of announcing that his Son’s perfect life and sacrificial death has been accepted as payment in full for your salvation: “[You have] received from the Lord’s hand double for all [your] sins.” “A voice of one calling in the desert, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord; make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God. Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain. And the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all mankind together will see it. For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.’” Amen. 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“Prepare the Way for the Lord!”
Isaiah 40:1-11

Pastor Kevin Vogts
Trinity Lutheran Church
Paola, Kansas
Second Sunday in Advent—December 5, 2021

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

In the annual cycle of the Church Year, the season of Advent has always had a dual emphasis. Originally, Advent was much more like Lent, a season of somber, penitential reflection, preparing for the SECOND coming of Christ, at the Last Day. Over time, Advent became more of a joyous season of celebration, preparing to commemorate at Christmas Christ’s FIRST coming into our world, as the Babe of Bethlehem. Over the centuries, the balance between these two emphases has fluctuated, with Advent sometimes more a season of penitential reflection, sometimes more a season of joyous celebration.

My mother was born on December 18th, 1922. We have a very large extended family and always had big birthday parties. But, because my mother’s birthday fell during Advent, when she was a child, and even up to about the time I was born in 1960, her birthday was never celebrated. Because, the old custom was you didn’t have any kind of parties during the somber, penitential seasons of Advent and Lent.

However, there has been a big shift in American society since then. Everything related to Christmas is coming earlier and earlier. This year in particular it seems to me lots of people have their outdoor decorations up and lit much sooner than ever before. I suppose after basically missing out on Christmas last year people are anxious for some traditional fun and a return to normalcy. Terry and I ourselves are having a Christmas Open House today at the parsonage, from one to five this afternoon, to which all you are invited.

This trend in society toward an earlier and earlier observance of Christmas has had an impact in the church. Technically, the “12 Days of Christmas” and the Christmas season of the Church Year doesn’t begin until Christmas Eve. So, when I started as a pastor in 1986 most churches didn’t put up their decorations until late in December, the more traditional even waiting until the afternoon of Christmas Eve. But, over my 35 years of ministry that’s been pushed back earlier and earlier. Now, even the most traditional churches generally put up their Christmas decorations just after Thanksgiving.

However, in worship services, the appointed Scripture readings, hymns, and prayers for the season of Advent still reflect the old emphasis, of Advent as a somber time of penitential reflection. So, even though it seems like we already started celebrating Christmas in America a few weeks ago, this morning we’re going to turn back the clock, and based on today’s Old Testament and Gospel Readings, focus on the traditional Advent theme of repentance:

“A voice of one calling in the desert, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord; make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God. Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain. And the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all mankind together will see it. For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.’”

Point #1) Is “Repent” a Dirty Word?

It USED to be said that “Confession is good for the soul.” But, in our culture today, it seems no one is held accountable for anything, and concepts like “confession, sin, repent, repentance” are considered outdated—even offensive. How dare you say what I am doing is wrong!

More and more, society is demanding that we accept and approve things that we know are wrong, false, sinful. Already in 1973 the famous Topeka psychiatrist Karl Menninger became so exasperated with this attitude that he wrote a book: “Whatever Became of Sin?”

Unfortunately, even many in the Christian Church have adopted this prevailing viewpoint that there is no right or wrong, have succumbed to pressure from society and stopped calling sin sin. A church growth consultant advises that if you want your church to grow, the WORST thing you can do is start off your worship services with a confession of sins, like we did a few moments ago. He says people today just don’t like being told that they are “poor, miserable sinners.” It’s bad marketing. If you want your church to grow, you should tell people what they want to hear.

But, Jesus declares, “REPENTANCE and forgiveness of sins will be preached in [my] name.” Like John the Baptist, Christian ministers are sent by the Lord to proclaim, not what you WANT to hear, but what you NEED to hear. A two-pronged message, which we call Law and Gospel, the bad news of our sin, and the Good News of our Savior: “Repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in [my] name.”

Point #2) The Purpose of Preaching Repentance

“A voice of one calling in the desert, ‘PREPARE THE WAY for the Lord!’” That is the purpose of preaching the Law, preaching repentance. NOT to tear you down or make you feel bad about yourself, but to “PREPARE THE WAY for the Lord,” in your heart. Because, your stubborn human heart, and my stubborn human heart, will not receive the Savior unless we first recognize that we are a sinners, in need of a Savior.

Before he administers medicine, a doctor first diagnoses, and describes for you, your sickness. That’s what the preaching of repentance, the preaching of the Law, actually is. The GREAT Physician, diagnosing your spiritual sin-sickness, preparing you to receive into your heart HIMSELF—the cure for sin.

Point #3) Only God Can Work Repentance in Your Heart

“A voice of one calling in the desert, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord; make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God. Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain.’” Isaiah uses an image common in ancient times. Whenever a king would visit a city the roads on which he would travel would be repaired and improved, or even new roads built for the coming king.

There’s an interesting example of this in the very wilderness Isaiah speaks of, not far from where John the Baptist was preaching. At the perfectly preserved Roman city of Jerash in Jordan there’s a impressive city gateway still standing that was specially built, along with a new road into the city, for a visit by Emperor Hadrian in 129 A.D. The unusual thing is what’s supposed to be a city gateway stands off by itself, a long way from the city walls. They wanted to impress the Emperor with how big they thought their city would grow, so they built the new gateway for him to pass through into the city way out there. But, it never did grow that far, so now this massive gateway and the Roman road passing through it stands by itself, out in the desert.

“A voice of one calling in the desert, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord; make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God.’” One of the themes of Advent is: the King of Kings and Lord of Lords is coming, to your heart. Prepare the way with repentance!

To repent means literally to “turn the other way,” to turn from sin and turn to God. But, actually, such repentance is beyond the power of any human.

Also in Jordan, out in the very wilderness where John the Baptist preached and Isaiah proclaims “make . . . a highway for our God,” I once saw a crew of men laboring to build a new four-lane interstate highway. It fascinated me because our family business for generations was Vogts Earthmoving, and back in the 60’s and 70’s my Dad did a lot of earthwork for the new interstates across Kansas. But, these poor men were doing it all with buckets and hoes!

In the wilderness of that rocky desert they were slowly leveling the hills and building up the valleys with their bare hands. Now imagine trying to build a road that way all by yourself. There are plans to widen to four lanes the eight miles of Highway 68 between Highways 69 and 169. Could you do that work all alone, with only a bucket and a hoe? Impossible! And just as impossible is for you to bring YOURSELF to repentance and faith.

But, that’s the wondrous thing about God’s call to repentance. His very call to repent and believe the Gospel has within it the power to do exactly that, to change your heart, to turn you FROM sin and TO God. Martin Luther puts it this way in the Small Catechism: “I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or come to him; but the Holy Spirit has called me by the Gospel, enlightened me with his gifts, sanctified and kept me in the true faith.”

Then, to hearts made repentant and ready by the Law, comes the wonderful Good News of the Gospel: “And the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all mankind together will see it. For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”

“And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them.” “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only-begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.”

The Lord revealed his glory that first Christmas in a most unconventional place, to the most unexpected people, in the most unusual way. Not at Rome or Jerusalem, but at the little town of Bethlehem. Not to the high, and mighty, and “holy,” but to lowly shepherds abiding in the fields. Not in a palace or temple, but in a stable, in the form of a Baby, lying in a manger.

“And the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all mankind together will see it.” “Behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the Babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.”

“Prepare the way for the Lord.” In the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, all building up to your Christmas celebration, don’t miss the whole point of what Christmas is really about—THE figure who is at the center of it all. And I don’t mean Santa Claus, but “the Babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.” “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.” Repent and believe that Good News, for he is YOUR Savior, Christ, the Lord.

In today’s Old Testament Reading, Isaiah prophesies the Good News about him over 600 years before his birth: “Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her that her hard service has been completed, that her sin has been paid for, that she has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins.”

His perfect life is credited to you: “[Your] hard service has been completed.” His sacrificial death is credited to you: “[Your] sin has been paid for.” And his resurrection is God’s way of announcing that his Son’s perfect life and sacrificial death has been accepted as payment in full for your salvation: “[You have] received from the Lord’s hand double for all [your] sins.”

Amen.

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