One of the major themes of Advent is preparing for the celebration of the birth of Christ. Isaiah 40:3 paints a beautiful picture of this preparation when Isaiah prophesies about “A voice of one crying out: Prepare the way of the LORD in the wilderness; make a straight highway for our God in the desert.” In the New Testament, John the Baptists fulfills that prophecy. This is what John Coffin is referring to in his Advent hymn “On Jordan’s bank, the Baptist’s Cry.”
On Jordan’s bank, the Baptist’s cry
Announces that the Lord is nigh;
Awake, and hearken, for he brings
Glad tidings of the King of kings!
Then cleansed be every breast from sin;
Make straight the way for God within;
Prepare we in our hearts a home
Where such a mighty Guest may come.
For Thou art our Salvation, Lord,
Our Refuge, and our great Reward.
Without Thy grace we waste away,
Like flowers that wither and decay.
To heal the sick stretch out Thine hand,
And bid the fallen sinner stand;
Shine forth, and let Thy light restore
Earth’s own true lovliness once more.
Stretch forth thine hand, to heal our sore,
And make us rise to fall no more;
Once more upon thy people shine,
And fill the world with love divine.
All praise, eternal Son, to Thee
Whose advent sets Thy people free,
Whom, with the Father, we adore,
And Holy Ghost, forevermore
Matthew 3:1-6
In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the Wilderness of Judea and saying, “Repent, because the kingdom of heaven has come near!” For he is the one spoken of through the prophet Isaiah, who said:
A voice of one crying out in the wilderness:
Prepare the way for the Lord;
make His paths straight.
John himself had a camel-hair garment with a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. Then people from Jerusalem, all Judea, and all the vicinity of the Jordan were flocking to him, and they were baptized by him in the Jordan River as they confessed their sins.
This passage of Scripture shows us several important facts about John the Baptist. First, John was a man of simple means. Second, John was on a mission to proclaim the Gospel. Third, John was available for the people in the area to come to him. We can adapt these findings into three simple phrases to keep in mind during Advent and prepare for celebrating Christmas:
No distractions.
Focus on what really matters.
Be present.
Looking inward to prepare our hearts to celebrate the arrival of Jesus, it’s vital that the busyness and consumerism of the season not distract us. How can we “make straight the way for God within” and prepare our hearts, as the hymn says, when we get so caught up in something like Christmas shopping, for instance, that we forget the reason why we’re exchanging gifts in the first place?
Turing our attention outward, we can continue to prepare our hearts for Christmas Day by simply focusing on what really matters. John, the “voice crying out it the wilderness” (Matthew 3:3), speaking with such urgency, illustrates that telling others about Christ is what matters most. Thankfully, the Christmas season affords us special opportunities to share the love of Christ because evidence of His coming is all around us in the decorations, giving, and music. From simply saying “Merry Christmas” to being generous with our time and our money, there are countless ways to share our faith in our words and actions.
Proper focus goes hand-in-hand with being present during this season. Just as John was present and available for the people of Judea to come to him to hear the gospel and confess their sins (Matthew 3:5-6), we should be aware of the people around us and make time for them. Christmastime is often when people are the most aware that their lives aren’t what they should be because they realize they don’t have what the season is supposed to be about – love, joy, and peace. With Christmas just two weeks away, let’s not be in such a rush that we don’t take time be and give that love, joy, and peace that people need.
All too often, the details of our Christmas festivities, which usually start out with the best intentions, eclipse the real reason for our celebration. If you’re like me and you look forward all year long to the perfect Christmas and something small goes wrong, it’s very easy to let negativity take over. For example, the Christmas cookies might get burnt moments before guests arrive. Someone’s long-searched-for gift might get lost in the mail. Family members might argue. Flights might get delayed… The list goes on.
Yet none of these things are out of God’s control, nor do they deserve to be the center of our attention. All of these “bad” circumstances are opportunities for funny memories, second chances, drawing closer, and new possibilities. John the Baptist (who wore animal skin and foraged for food!) didn’t let any kind of personal preference, comfort, or consumerism overtake the matter at hand – proclaiming Christ – and neither should we.
If you are feeling overwhelmed by and unprepared for Christmas, embrace the Advent season, reread Coffin’s hymn, and turn these lyrics into a prayer for godly perspective, focus, and mission:
Make straight the way for God within;
Prepare we in our hearts a home
Where such a mighty Guest may come.
Credit: Calligraphy by Stephanie Ko // http://simplystephko.com // Instagram: @simplysteph
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