Preparing For Transformation

The following video transcript has been lightly edited

Hello, welcome to our series on Advent. Advent simply means arrival, and we are thinking about how we might prepare for Christ's arrival. Christ's arrival in history, Christ's arrival in the present, and Christ's arrival in the future. Each of these arrivals bring transformation as God has arrived in history, in the person of Christ, in the context of ancient Jerusalem, in the midst of the Roman government and the Israeli people. It reminds us that God has shown up into this world to affirm its goodness and wonder and value, while also in Jesus life, death, and resurrection. Offering it hope, reconciling the broken world to the God of love and joy and peace and hope.

Through Christ's Spirit, Christ continues to arrive and bring transformation in our lives today. That kind of transformation is renewal of relationship, eyes open, the ability to offer peace and patience and hope and love and joy.

And ultimately, in the midst of this broken world, we wait for the second coming, the arrival of Christ in the future, in which the world is entirely set right. Where death and evil and sin are defeated once and for all and no longer roam around in our lives.

And so as we go through this season of preparation, Out in our everyday lives, preparing for American Christmas here in the church we're preparing to celebrate the arrival of Christ. And with that arrival, the transformation that takes place in the world and in our lives.

And so what I want to talk to you about today is I want to talk to you about the way we need to operate, the way we should carry ourselves in order to prepare for transformation.

And there's three things. And we're going to look at this through the story of John the Baptist, as he arrives and proclaims that the kingdom of God is coming. And he proclaims a repentance and a baptism for the forgiveness of sins. And he quotes from Isaiah, saying that the hills will be made low, the valleys will be filled in, the paths that are crooked will be made straight, and all will see the salvation of God.

And so as John proclaims this, he educates us. Luke sketches out in chapter 3 a bunch of the different rulers that are in place at the time of John's ministry. And what they all have in common is that they all have a reputation and a history of being corrupt and being tyrants. And in that, in the midst of all that, it says that God's word comes to John in the wilderness.

And there's a lesson there for us. So John is what I would call a real one. John is honest, and humble, and authentic. John sees the needs of the world. John's not all about himself. He's the one who wears a camel haired coat and says that he knows he's not fit to tie Jesus sandals. It's not about him.

What he's hoping for is the renewal of Israel and its people. And so he calls them, he proclaims to them. Hey, God is on his way. Jesus is coming. Jesus arrival is near. Repent and be baptized. And that's who God's word comes to. So it's a lesson to us that in order to prepare for transformation, we want to be real ones. We want to be authentic. We want to be honest. We want to be humble. The opposite of the rulers who are tyrants and corrupt. We want to be the kind of people that John is.

And one of the things that I think stands out in the midst of that is that we want to be a people who see need. Acknowledge need. Our own need, because as we acknowledge our own need, that we're not the Savior, we don't have it all together, that everything that we do is not right. It produces humility in us and it opens us up to seeing God's arrival and engaging others. As we see the needs of others and go to serve the needs of others, then we're engaging them. And that there too is growing in us this authenticity, this honesty, this humility. And ultimately we need to look around at the world and say the world is beautiful and good, but it's also broken. And so we need the arrival of a savior. And so real ones see the needs of others and they engage. And so let me ask you, what are your needs? This Christmas season, this Advent season, what are the things inside of you that you need help with? That you need someone to come alongside you? Put those out there.

When you look in your family and at work and amongst your friends, what do they need? How can you engage to develop that love and care and authenticity? And ultimately, what are the needs of the world? You know, we partner with a few different organizations, Samaritan Center and Young Lives, and a trip to El Salvador to serve the people with Young Life. And these are ways that we can engage and care for the greater world because we're preparing for the transformation that happens. That has happened, that does happen as God's Spirit meets us, and that will happen in the future.

The second thing we see is that repentance is a necessary ingredient, an essential ingredient to transformation. So you and I are great at one thing, we're great at doing what we've always done. And until we reach a place in which we're tired of, we're sick of what we are doing. Then it's hard for us to turn and go in a new way. But what John says is that in order to prepare ourselves for the transformation of God's kingdom, that we have to repent. We have to turn away from the things that steal life and turn towards the things that are good and are of God. Peace, patience, love, kindness, gentleness, self control, enduring all things and bearing all things. These are the kinds of things that we want to be turning towards. But each of us have things in our own life.

Maybe it's grumpiness. Maybe it's thinking that you are the upholder of the world. Maybe it's just an over commitment to wealth. Maybe it's all about proving yourself in your career, whatever it is for you transformation in your own life might be being blocked right now because of your refusal to repent, to turn and go another way.

Until you're open to engaging that with honesty, transformation will be blocked. But if you want to prepare for the kind of transformation that comes when God shows up in our life, then you want to be a person who practices repentance. Who says, I'm done with this and I'm turning and I'm going in a new direction towards God's kingdom.

So, what transformation might be being put on hold in your life because of your own refusal to repent? So, if we want to prepare ourselves for the transformation that comes in the midst of the Advent season, past, present, and future. We want to be real ones like John. That see the need of the world and of others and even confess it ourselves. We want to be a people who see repentance as an essential ingredient to transformation.

And lastly, we want to anticipate restoration. So in the quoting of Isaiah, it says that the valleys will be filled, the hills will be made low, the crooked will be made straight. And when you contrast that with the corruption, Of the leaders listed, what we see is we see a vision of a world made whole.

You know, National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation is one my favorite holiday movies. And the reason it is, is because within all of it, there's this anticipation of restoration. Clark believes that the world is going to be set right, that his family is going to be set right, and so he just keeps persevering in the midst of that.

You know, for you and I, we want to anticipate that restoration as well. When we anticipate restoration, I think it does two things. One, it It provides hope. So in the midst of a broken world, and as we look forward to that future, in which evil and death and sin are removed forever, it gives us hope that the good and the beauty and the wonder that we hold on to, that we love so much, is the true reality.

It also sets our path. Because what we know then, is that if we commit ourselves to setting things right, to restoring things that are broken now, that that kind of work lasts forever, that that's eternal work. And the way we go about that is twofold. One, it's praying, and two, it's working. So join us in prayer this Advent season - praying that our hearts would be filled with love, that our eyes would be up and our heads up so that we can see where God might be at work and arriving. And that as we travel through the messiness of this life, that we would have strength and that our lives would reveal the hope of Christ, the hope of the arrival of God's Son.

And I hope you've been enjoying this series. And look forward to being with you again next week as we continue to prepare for the arrival of Christ in the past, in the present, and in the future. Have a great week, everybody.