By: Mike Kelly
Retired Pastor
“The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God, as it is written in Isaiah the prophet: ‘I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way’– “a voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.’” (Mark 1:1-3)
Thus begins the story of Christmas in the Gospel of Mark. We know that John the Baptist was the direct answer to that prayer. But God has a habit of sending out messengers.
Moses went to Pharaoh, Isaiah went to the leaders of Israel, Jeremiah went to Judah and Jerusalem, Gabriel to Mary and Joseph, and the list goes on.
Did you know that it includes you and me? Matt 28:19-20 reads “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Our calling is to do what Isaiah and Jeremiah and John and the other prophets and apostles…and angels, and all the others did… go and tell others about your relationship with Jesus.
And what better time to do it than during the Christmas holidays? People are already thinking about Christ in some fashion.
So, why not direct your conversations so that you find an opening to celebrate the Jesus you know? Does that bother you? Terrify you? Can you find a dozen reasons (excuses?) why you can’t do that?
Too often, we are just like Moses and think we can’t go and tell, so we make excuses. Moses tried several…he questioned his own identity and ability (“Who am I?”), he was not a good public speaker (“I am slow of speech”), he feared the people wouldn’t believe him, he didn’t know God’s name, and finally, he pleaded for God to send someone else. And God’s response? Ex 4:14…Then the LORD’s anger burned against Moses … “Did you get that ‘and Then the LORD’s anger burned against Moses”?
I don’t know about you, but that feels like a bad thing for God’s anger to burn against us. Jonah got drenched, Peter had to be tested, the Israelites were disavowed and told they were no longer his children, and Nebuchadnezzar ended up on a grass diet…I think I can safely say that God doesn’t like excuses.
“Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.” That’s our calling as members of the Body of Christ. It’s actually an order where we are expected to do the work.
That means that we are to prepare our hearts and lives to be ready for the coming of Jesus by giving him the green light to remove sinful desires and other obstacles to our submission.
It involves repentance, aligning our will with God’s, and clearing out spiritual and moral hindrances to live lives ready to submit to Him and allow His will to be done in us and through us.
In Prov. 3:6. The same idea appears, but there, it is God doing the work in us. “In all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”
So we can say that making our paths straight begins with submission to Him. God will align our thoughts, intentions, and actions with His own.
Just as a straight and smooth path is free from obstacles and leads directly to the desired destination, acknowledging God’s leadership in every aspect of life leads to our submission…and freedom.
We’re to be “a voice of one calling in the wilderness.” If nearly 60% of our neighbors are celebrating Christmas without any significant recognition that Christ is King, how much darker, more wilderness-like, can our society be than it is already? We have our orders: allow God to clear the path in our lives, and allow others to hear of the journey God has set us on.
So, commit yourself to entering into discussions during this season in which you share some of your journey with Jesus.
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Mike Kelly is the founding pastor of Bryan’s Grace Community Church (retired) and Board Chairman of Bryan’s Sanctuary Homeless Shelter and Williams County’s Compassion (free) Medical Clinic.