Deo Gloria
December 6+20, 2023
Advent Sermon
Pastor Martin Bentz
Text: Mark 1:1-8
Theme: The Voices of Advent
- The Voice of John the Baptist
- What Would John the Baptist Say to You?
There are many voices competing for our attention these days. There are the voices of the advertisers: “Only 5 more days till Christmas. Come and shop at our store. We’ve got a big sale going on, a one-day sale, a red tag sale, a three hour sale, a sale you won’t want to miss.” There are the voices of the charities, reminding us that Christmas is the season of giving, reminding us of all the people in need, and urging us to be generous. There are the voices of the sports casters on TV, telling us about the next, big Vikings’ game and all of the college bowl games and college playoff games, games we have to watch, games we simply cannot miss. So which voices should we listen to? Which ones will help us get ready for Christmas?
During our midweek Advent services this year we’re listening to voices God had recorded for us on the pages of the Bible, voices he would have us listen to, voices that will help us prepare for the coming of our Savior. The voice we’re listening to tonight is the voice of John the Baptist. We read from Mark’s gospel, Mark ch. 1, verses 1-8. (Read text.)
The first thing we notice about John the Baptist is that he is different, very different from all the other voices we hear this time of year. I don’t think you’d find him at any of the special Christmas sales at Walmart or Target. We’re told that John wore clothing made of camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist. Instead of Christmas ham, we’re told that he ate locust and wild honey. He probably would have done pretty well on that TV show Survivor. Only he probably would have been the first one voted off the island because of his message. You see, John didn’t use the spiritual sappy-talk you often hear this time of year. He didn’t utter all the cliches about caring and sharing and family and giving. You can tell right away that he is not a salesman. John would not try to sweet talk you into anything. And he certainly isn’t a politician either, trying to match his words with the prevailing popular opinion. John is a breath of fresh air. He doesn’t care what people say or think of him. And his message is one that hits you right in the heart.
If John were alive today, if he were here tonight at our church, what do you think he would say to you? Well, first of all he would pull out his credentials. “I am not just another preacher,” he would say. “I am not another TV evangelist, urging you to donate to his ministry. I am a very special preacher, one who was spoken of in the Old Testament prophets:
I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way—“a voice of one calling in the desert, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.’”(vv. 2+3)
700 years before, the prophet Isaiah foretold that God would send someone to prepare the way for the coming of the Messiah. That someone was John the Baptist. He was the special messenger God sent to prepare the way for the coming Savior. Before President Biden travels anywhere, he sends people ahead of him to get things ready. They make all the reservations for where he will be staying. They make all the arrangements for where he will be eating and what places he will be visiting. They take care of everything and make sure everything is ready before he arrives. That’s what John the Baptist was sent to do: to get things ready, only not for the president of our country, but for the son of the president of the universe, the Son of God, the promised Savior.
So what do you suppose he would tell us, to prepare us, to get us ready for the coming of the Savior? Would he tell us, “Don’t forget about sharing and caring and giving and buying lots of presents for your family?” Listen again to v. 4: “And so John came, baptizing in the desert region and preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.” John would tell us that we need to repent. He would tell us that there is something wrong with us, something wrong in our hearts, something wrong in our words and our actions. And it’s time to change.”
So how would you respond? Would you say to yourself, “This guy is crazy. I mean, look at the way he dresses. I’m fine just the way I am. I work hard. I take care of my responsibilities. No, I’m not perfect, but I’m OK”? And that’s precisely the problem: You and I are not perfect. God expects you to be the perfect husband, the perfect wife, the perfect son or daughter. God expects you to be the perfect employer or employee. God expects you to be perfectly loving and perfectly patient and perfectly kind and perfectly generous. God wants you to be the perfect Christian, the perfect worshiper, the perfect student of his Word. Jesus said it himself, did he not? “Be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect”(Matthew 5:48).
The problem is we’re not. We’re not perfect. We mess up all the time and constantly fall short of perfection. We sin and break God’s commandments each and every day. And that’s why John the Baptist says, “Repent.” Do you remember what it means to repent? There are three “R’s” to repentance. The first is to recognize our sins. Verse 5 tells us that that’s what the people in John’s day did: “The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem went out to him. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River.” Confessing their sins…. Do you recognize your sins? Where have you been less than perfect in your life, less than loving, less than patient, less than kind in the way you’ve dealt with the people around you? Think about your relationship with your family, your spouse, your children. Think about your relationship with God. Think about the words you have said. Think about your thoughts and your attitudes. Recognize your sins and confess them to God.
The second “R” of repentance is receiving forgiveness from God. In v. 4 we are told that John preached “a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.” In his grace and mercy God forgives you for all of your imperfections. Because of Christ your Savior, God has cancelled all of your sins. He holds no grudges. He keeps no record of wrongs. He forgives you fully and completely. The people that came out to John received God’s forgiveness when they were baptized by him in the Jordan River. You and I also received God’s forgiveness when we were baptized. We also receive it whenever we come to the Lord’s Supper or when God’s forgiveness is announced here at church.
The final “R” is reforming your life. That means that after you have been forgiven for being so impatient, you strive to be more patient with others. It means that after you have been forgiven for having a bad temper, you strive to control your temper and be more gentle with others. It means that after you have been forgiven for being greedy, you strive to be content and generous. It means that after you have been forgiven for disobeying God and his commands, you strive to obey God, not because you have to, but because you want to out of love and gratitude to him. The final “R” is reforming your life, changing it into a life that brings glory and honor to God.
But how do I do that? How do I find the courage to stop making excuses and own up to my sins and confess them to God? How do I know that I really am forgiven? Where do I find the strength to change, the strength to reform my life? Again, listen to the words of John the Baptist: “After me will come one more powerful than I, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie”(v. 7). Back in John’s day, it was the slave’s job to untie his master’s sandals. John says that he is not even worthy to do that. “Someone is coming,” he says, “someone who is so great and so powerful that I’m not even worthy to untie his sandals.” He is the one who will give you the courage to confess your sins to God. He is the one who will take all of your sins away. He is the one who will strengthen you and help you change into a new person, a new creation. John said, “I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit”(v. 8). Someone greater, more powerful, more compelling, more amazing than anyone who has ever lived—someone is coming. He will demonstrate his power in all sorts of ways—his miracles, his resurrection, his gift of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost, his gift of the Holy Spirit to us, his gifts of faith and love and peace and joy.
One thing I’ve noticed that people often like to share during the holidays are recipes—a special recipe for eggnog perhaps or a special recipe for Christmas cookies. Obviously, John the Baptist didn’t have too many recipes people would be interested in, unless you’re planning to serve grasshoppers and wild honey for Christmas dinner. But if you were to ask him what the recipe is for a happy and blessed Christmas, that he could help you with. He would tell you that there are two main ingredients: a heart full of repentance and a heart full of Christ. Practice the three “R’s” of repentance and look forward with wonder and joy to the birth of your Savior.
Every year the voices seem to get louder and more numerous, all competing for our attention and interest. But if we truly want to be ready for Christmas, the voices we need to listen to are the voices speaking to us right here in the Bible, especially the voice of John the Baptist. John reminds us this evening what the Advent season is really all about. It’s a time for repentance and it’s a time for Christ. It’s a time to rejoice that someone has come, someone greater than John the Baptist, someone greater than you and me, someone who gives us forgiveness for our sins and peace for our souls, someone who brings real meaning to this special time of year. Amen.