We Prepare
Elaine Poproski Download: Audio
Sermon Notes
Twice during this sermon, listeners are encouraged to pause and spend some time with a question. The first pause comes at the 6:15 mark. The question at that point is: Where is your wilderness? The second pause comes at the 13:01 point. the question at that point is: Of what do I need to repent this morning?
Scripture
Malachi 3:1-4
See, I am sending my messenger to prepare the way before me, and the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple. Read more…
Luke 3:1-6
In the fifteenth year of the reign of Emperor Tiberius, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was ruler of Galilee… Read more…
Looking to Sunday
by Elaine Poproski
How do you prepare for Christmas?
Some of us bake (have you ever tasted Veronica’s Christmas Cake?); some of us rent cars so we can go see family; some of us purchase plane tickets for the same reason; some of us decorate our homes; some of us shop, wrap gifts, write cards… How do you prepare for Christmas?
Advent is a time of waiting. But it’s also a time of preparing. When we think about Christmas less as the birth of a special baby and more as the foreshadowing of God’s Kingdom on earth as it is in heaven, I think this idea of preparing makes sense. Imagine, for a moment, the scene painted in Revelation 21:
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth…
I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God,
prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying,
‘See, the home of God is among mortals. He will dwell with them.’”
The home of God is among mortals.
God is with us.
God – the Almighty, the Creator of all things, the King of kings, the One who spoke order out of chaos – is with us.
One of the names Jesus was given when He was born was Emmanuel, which means God-with-us.
How does one prepare for the arrival of God? How does one prepare to welcome Emmanuel? How does one prepare for life in the presence of our Creator?
On Sunday we’ll hear from the prophet Malachi, who spoke of being refined and purified like gold and silver. We’ll hear of John the Baptist who called the people to repentance and forgiveness. And we’ll be invited to consider how our Advent season might include this kind of preparation.
As you prepare for Sunday, perhaps spend some time imagining that scene from Revelation 21. Imagine especially what it might be like to have God physically present with us, to live at the foot of His throne. Imagine the baby in a manger superimposed over that scene. What do you need to do to prepare this Advent season?