The Second Sunday in Advent
Opening the Highway

Comfort, comfort my people, says your God.
A voice of one calling:
"In the desert prepare the way for the LORD
make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God.
Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low;
the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain.
--Isaiah 40:1, 3-4 (NIV)

I've always heard this passage (and the parallels referring to John the Baptist) as simply about the work of getting the road ready for the Messiah to travel on to get to us. The Advent journey of getting the obstacles out of the way so He can enter my heart and all that kind of stuff.

But as I heard the passage this morning I had a different image. I saw myself as part of the People of God paving the highway, lowering the hills, etc. so that people can come to Him. It was a humbling moment for it made me realize that the reason many people don't come to Jesus is that there are too many obstacles in the way. Someone has to open the roads so they can come. In the way we put church, and ritual, and theological correctness (of either/and both liberal and conservative), and proper behavior, and dressing right, and....

The next thought that almost immediately came to mind was the Pharisees - or more to the point - Jesus comment on them...

"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as you are."
--Matthew 23:15 (NIV)

I just hate it when God starts doing that kind of thing in church. It makes me sit up and pay attention. It reminds me of my shortcomings and failings as a Christian. How am I putting obstacles in the path of people meeting Jesus or of Jesus coming to them? I have a hunch this is more of an evangelical issue than we have traditionally looked at it. It isn't about Jesus finding a path into my heart (although that is part of it) it is also about me becoming part of the construction crew on His highway to others.

Which leads me to urge you:

Don't Miss THIS One
A tip of the hat to Jordon Cooper for this link that's all about ME. It's a real challenge and is one more reminder of how easy it is to sell out.