The "Show Me" Prophet

 "Prepare the way!" cries John the Baptist. But he won't take our word for it when we tell him that we're all ready. No, he wants proof! This sermon by Rev. Alecia Schroedel-Deuble examines his call in more detail. What does that mean for us?

My Mom was a great hostess. She knew how to prepare for any social event, club meeting or party at our house. She was good at welcoming guests and making them feel comfortable in our home. Now, I grew up in household of 7 siblings. You can imagine the clutter that 7 kids can make! There were 7 of us messing up the house and dropping our clothes, toys and schoolwork everywhere. So when Mom started to seriously pick up the clutter and put everything away, our first question was, “Who’s coming over???” We knew mom was preparing for visitors. She knew how to prepare the way for Bridge Club. But my mother’s preparations were nothing compared to what I witnessed when President Clinton made an unexpected stop at a Native American Art Museum that I was visiting in Phoenix. One of the things that I found almost more fascinating than meeting the President was watching the Secret Service advance team spring into action to Prepare the way for the President – to secure the place and make sure it was safe. They were fun to watch! One guy with a coiled listening device coming out of his ear was ticking off on his fingers the list of things he had checked –  the electrical system, the air conditioning, the security doors and windows, the helicopters circling overhead, the local police – all to prepare for the President’s arrival.

Here in December we are all getting ready for Christmas – let me count the ways! Gifts, wrapping, meal preparation, cookies, cards, clean the house, decorate, outdoor lights, indoor lights, put the tree up, clean the house, shopping… the list is overwhelming! God has been getting ready for Christmas too. God has been getting everything and everyone ready for generations and generations for the right moment to send his Son. And now God sends in his “advance man” John the Baptist, to prepare the way of the Lord – “to make straight his paths” the scripture says – to prepare a people for the Messiah. Just like those secret-service men came in advance of President Clinton to make everything ready, so too, John the Baptist comes to make everything ready for the appearance of the Messiah. But he isn’t checking the doors and the windows. He’s checking our hearts.

Isaiah’s predicts the coming of this advance man. Isaiah says he is the voice of one crying: “In the wilderness, prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his path.” Isaiah’s prophecy was a word of comfort and consolation to those in exile in Babylon far from home. In the ancient world, in advance of kings or generals coming into a city, people would literally be sent out to clear the wilderness road and remove obstacles that were in the road; like fallen tree branches, clearing away large rocks and stones, sweeping it clean and smoothing out the rough spots for the chariots. Build a highway, says Isaiah, for your exile is coming to an end and you are about to return home. John is the voice crying out in the wilderness – he’s not just any voice, but a voice calling in the wilderness. John is a paradox. He was born into the privilege of the priestly class, but he dresses humbly like a hippie. He’s not in the city in the Temple where you would expect a priestly prophet. He’s out in the desert – in the wilderness – and he’s calling out, Prepare the way of the Lord. “Raise up the valleys and flatten out the mountains. Level the uneven ground and make smooth the rough terrain!” The wilderness road he wants us to clear is the road to our hearts. Remove the obstacles that make the way impassable. Lift off the branches of ill-will, level the mountains of prejudice or resentment or bitterness, clear off the stones of hard-heartedness (and maybe even hard-headedness!!), sweep the debris of fear out of the way.

You know, sometimes we NEED to have company come for a visit just so we can clean the house! Ever notice how we straighten things up when we know someone’s coming over? John tells us the Messiah is coming and we better straighten things up! 20th century British mystic, Evelyn Underhill wrote a little reflection titled “The House of the Soul” She notes that the spiritual life mirrors our home life. A house reflects the soul of its inhabitants; it is a window to the soul. A comfortable, cozy kitchen reflects a person who is comfortable to be with. A lighted house exudes warmth and cheer. Evelyn writes about the house of the soul and points out its dark spots and light spots, its unexamined storage and over-looked clutter behind closed closet doors, its frayed edges and dust. That’s the kind of heart debris John is calling us to clear away. The preparation that John the Baptist has in mind for us is an inside job. He’s here for deep cleaning – not the outward prep, not the outside trapping. He’s looking for clutter on the soul, like a kitchen table that’s piled high with bills and paperwork. We have infinite ways of hiding our soul’s messes and clutter. The message of John the Baptist is “Company’s coming and we’ve got work to do!”

But John doesn’t just deliver the message and continue of his way. He’s like a building inspector who wants proof the repairs have been made and the work has been done. He won’t accept that we just slap a coat of paint over the flaws to disguise them. He wants proof! He could be from Missouri because he’s the “Show me” prophet. “Show me the proof that changes have been made! Show me the fruit of repentance!” I think that some people came out to get baptized in order to hedge their bets. It’s as if they were superstitious. If you get baptized, they thought, you’ll automatically be OK in God’s eyes. But no, it doesn’t work that way. You gotta show proof! “Bear fruit unto repentance” the gospel says. That means: show me the fruit! Remember that little lady who was on the Wendy’s commercials years ago? Show me the Beef! John says, Show me the fruit! Where are the widows who have been aided? Where are the orphans who have been cared for? How about the strangers in the land? Have they been taken care of? Show me the fruit! Like the building inspector who wants proof that repairs have been made and the work has been done before he’ll issue his permit, John says, show me the proof!

Here's a good example. One summer, as I was driving through the farm roads, I noticed how lush the soybean plants looked that year. They were tall, they were lush with leaves, they looked very healthy. I mentioned how good they looked to a farmer friend of mine and he replied, “Yes they look good but there are no beans.” Good looking soybean plants; but no fruit! Don’t think just because you have grown up in a Christian household, with devout Christian parents that you automatically get a ticket into the Kingdom. If that’s all that was needed, then God could turn stones into disciples. No, the proof that one is a disciple is in the mercy that is shown others, the generosity and kindness with which our fellows are treated. It’s in our eagerness to serve, the concern for the poor, and the extravagant welcome to the stranger. There’s a hymn that says, “They’ll know we are Christians by our love”—John wants to know where the love is? He wants to see it.

And It IS God’s love that sends us advance notice to prepare. We aren’t surprised by a pop quiz. The Messiah doesn’t show up like the Health Inspector on a surprise inspection of your kitchen hoping to catch you off-guard. No, God has given us every opportunity to turn around. We’ve had advance notice that the inspection is coming. We’ve been given the quiz questions to study in advance. God is not looking to trip us up. Even John’s name tells us of God’s loving mercy. John’s name means “God is Gracious” Our gracious God gives us every opportunity to prepare the way to our hearts. John is inviting us to repent, turn-around, come back. It’s is God’s love that is calling us to turn and come back home. Turn, repent and be at peace in your soul. Let’s take him up on his invitation in these weeks before Christmas to clear the pathways to our hearts. Let’s clear the obstacles in our lives that bar God’s way to us. Let’s prepare to receive Jesus Christ, the Messiah. O come, O come, Emmanuel!