Houston Congregational Christian Church

Pastor James Manuel
4883 Russia-Houston Road
Houston, OH  45333
Phone:  937-295-3591
Email:  click here

Message Title:     Preparing the Way

Call to Worship:     Isaiah 9:1

Scripture Reading:     Mark 1:1-3

May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable unto You O Lord on this Your day.

Today the passage we read is about John the Baptist.   Today  we are continuing to wait in this season of Advent.   This is a season of expectation and preparation.     We are expecting a visit from our King,   Jesus.     We read and remember how God’s people were waiting for the promised King,   Jesus,   just as we do today.    In Mark 1:3  we read,  ‘There is a voice of a man who calls out in the desert,  Prepare the way for the Lord.   Make the road straight for Him.’    This  was John the Baptist.    God told John the Baptist to announce the arrival of the King.        John the Baptist then told the people in v3   ‘Prepare the way for the Lord.’          Today we are going to announce the arrival of our King.

Today we begin the Advent season.    Advent begins the very instant you feel God’s presence in your life.    Christmas is coming.    Jesus is on His way to our world.   Let us announce it.      Like many of the O. T.   we must start  by asking ourselves whether we’re willing to believe what we cannot yet see.    For you see church folk aren’t exempt from life.     

Many may be living with grief,   and the truth right now is that you don’t know whether life will ever feel good again.    It feels like you work all the time and you wonder how long you’ll be able to meet your family’s needs.     There may be health problems that will not go away    or money problems that saps the joy out of Christmas,   at times even turning Christmas to a time of resentment and despair.      Relationships seem to get worse at the holidays instead of better.     And surrounding it all is the suggestion that we as Christians,     have to be happy at the holidays,   whether we can actually   legitimately feel happy or not.

My friends let me assure you that God is a God who can handle your discontent and mine,    your anger and mine.     As Isaiah 9:1 says,  ‘The people walking in darkness have seen a great light    on those living in the land of the shadow of death,  a light has dawned.’   You see in our gloom and despair   we fear that our sorrows and troubles will never end.    But we can take comfort in this certainty---although the Lord may not always take us around our troubles,    if we follow Him,    He will lead us safely through them.          

And you and I should never to be afraid to tell God the truth about how we feel   as long as we are willing to hear the truth from God in return.   Life is too short for anything but the truth.   And the truth is we do hurt this Advent season.   We live in a hurting world.   We live in a hurting community.          And much of the truth is that we are hurting ourselves.   The real truth is,    like Israel of old,   you and I have been stubborn and indifferent and self satisfied.  If we don’t become who God calls us to be    it’s not be because God has turned away from us.      For you see my friends we have earned God’s absence,   God’s silence.   So what do we do?

What can we do?   Psalm 40:1 tells us,  ‘I waited patiently for the Lord   He turned to me and heard my cry.’     We wait upon God.   We turn back to God.    Advent is a wonderful time in the church.    We all enjoy the music,  the decorations and the anticipation.    But the truth of the matter is    for most of us    much of that anticipation has to do as much with the time off from work and the presents under the tree     as it does with God’s coming into our world through Jesus. 

Once on the old TV series Murphy Brown.  Murphy was trying to decide what to tell her son when he asked her what happens to people when they die.    She had no faith of her own  so she asked her colleagues---a Catholic,  a Jew  an two Protestants---and after she had heard their answers she said to a friend.    I just don’t get it.   I’m a journalist and we require evidence for everything.   How can I believe something I cannot see.   The answer---that’s the difference between people of faith   and people of this world.     We as people of faith believe things we can’t see all the time.   Heb. 11:1,  ‘Now faith is being sure of what we hope for  and certain of what we do not see.’      We believe loved one who have passed away are alive right now.      We believe they’re  with the Lord and we believe we’ll see them again.         We believe that God sent Jesus as a newborn baby to Isaiah’s descendants as a direct answer to Isaiah’s prayer   and the prayers of people of faith through the ages.    We believe Jesus lived    to teach us how to live and died to pay the price for our failures.    We believe that Jesus was raised from the dead to prove that you and I can live with Him.     We believe that because He lives    you and I can make our own lives and the lives of those around us better than they have been.     And we believe that no matter how bad things may sometimes look for us,    Jesus will one day come again and make everything new.

You and I have one advantage over Isaiah.   We have seen the difference Jesus makes.   I wonder as we begin this advent season is there a special need in your life?    Do you need to see again the light of morning?    Do you need to feel again the Spirit’s comfort.      Well the Good News is     that even if you and I don’t have anybody else in our lives we can count on    we can count on Jesus.    If you walk in darkness this morning   Jesus will light your path as Psalm 119:105 says,  ‘Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.’

Prepare ye the way for the Child born in Bethlehem’s manger.   His Name shall be called Isaiah 9:6,  ‘Wonderful Counselor,   Mighty God,  Everlasting Father,  Prince of Peace.’    My friends like banners across the sky of eternity   these are His Names.   For every person who has ever followed Jesus   this in who He has been.    As Isaiah 9:1 tells us that,      ‘The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light.’    But the real questions this Christmas is still---What will you and I do with this Jesus?   Will you call Him Savior?   Will you call Him friend?   How will you prepare the way   and what will you call the Baby?

May this season of Advent be a time when you make room in your life for the love of God.   Be expectant for great things are going to happen. Prepare ye the way for the Lord.