“The word of God came to John in the desert.” (Lk 3:1-6) These are words of great hope, not only for the people of John’s time but also for you and me. Just as the word of God came to John, the word of God can come to Scott. The Word of God can come to you.
Advent is a season where we invite the word of God into our hearts.
Why is it important to hear the Word of God? It is the only word that could make sense of the sorrow, oppression, helplessness, confusion, and pain. It’s the only word that can repair this broken world.
Let’s learn what the gospel says about this precious Word.
First, the Word of God comes in a particular place and time. “In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar” in the region around the Jordan. The word of God comes to you in a particular place and time. The word of God is not detached from life, but an integral part of the circumstances of life. The Word speaks to today’s joys and hopes, struggles and disappointments.
The Word of God comes to ordinary people like you and me. The word of God didn’t come to the powerful John’s world. The word of God didn’t come to Tiberius Ceasar, who called himself the son of God. The word of God didn’t come to Pilate, Judea’s Roman governor. The word didn’t come to the puppet kings in the area, Herod, Phillip, or Lysanius. The word of God didn’t even come to the chief priests Annas or Caiphas.
The Word came to John, of all the unlikely people, a man born in the hill country of Judea.
The Word of God comes when we step away from the noise. The word of God came to John in the desert, a man who had separated himself from the noise of this world and listened. For the word to come to you and me, we have to find that quiet place and listen.
I asked a woman how she prays. She said, “All the time. Sometimes as I watch TV a thought pops into my head and I’ll offer a little prayer.” This statement conjured up an image. I saw a woman watching TV. Jesus is sitting on a nearby chair. A thought pops into her mind. She turns to Jesus and says: “My son’s got a job interview tomorrow. Can you make sure he does well?” Then she returns to watching TV.
Contrast this image with that of John. He is in the desert. Instead of staring at his TV, phone, or computer screens, he lifts his sunburned face to the cold, dark sky. And listens.
The Word of God needs a clear path to the heart. John the Baptist says “Every mountain shall be made low.” Spiritually, these mountains that get between the Word and the Heart. These could be mountains of pride, mountains of self-importance, mountains of anger, mountains of self-centeredness, mountains of resentment. For the word of God to come to us, these mountains must be made low.
What happens when the word of God comes into your heart? If you’re anxious, the word can bring you peace. If you are hurting, the word can make sense of your suffering. If you are lonely, the word of God can bring you comfort.
The Word of God comes not just for our benefit, but the word comes to transform the world. Through the Prophet Isaiah, the Lord God said, “The word that goes from my mouth shall not return empty, but accomplish all of my purposes.” (see Is 55:11)
When a person receives the Word of God, the world is transformed. Here is an example.
I volunteer at a rescue mission for the homeless called Strong Life. Many of the homeless sleep in the woods or in their cars. Wednesday, a sixty-two-year-old woman came to me and said, “What am I going to do? I can’t sleep in my tent when it’s 18 degrees outside!” There is no room at the shelter. And she wasn’t alone. Several others had that panicked look in their eyes.
Then the word of God came to John, not John the Baptist but John Hays, the executive director. He saw the desperation and said to me, “The Lord laid it on my heart to convert this daytime mission into an overnight shelter.” Within a day, he rounded up volunteers, arranged for partitions, and found people to provide the extra meals.
After the Word of God came to John the Baptist, he preached. When the people heard his words, they asked, “What should we do?” He said, “Whoever has two cloaks should share with the person who has none. And whoever has food should do likewise.” I would add, “Whoever has a shelter for the people freezing in the woods should open it up.”
The Lord God said, “The word that goes from my mouth shall not return empty, but accomplish all of my purposes.” When a person receives the Word of God, the world is transformed.
May the Word of God come to you during this Advent season, and not return empty but achieve the purpose for which it was sent.