ZPCBlog

About the author: Cindy Argentine joined ZPC in 2005. At that time, she and her husband, Mark, had three young children. Now, nineteen years later, those children live in Boulder, Boston, and Birmingham—and Cindy is so excited to have them all come home for Christmas! Cindy currently works as a piano teacher and children’s book author. She and Mark enjoy leading a Home Group and serving on ZPC’s Worship Arts Team.

In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar—when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, Herod tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea and Traconitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene—during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the desert. He went into all the country around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of forgiveness of sins. As is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet:
“A voice of one calling in the desert,
‘Prepare the way for the Lord,
make straight paths for him.
Every valley shall be filled in,
every mountain and hill made low.
The crooked roads shall become straight,
the rough ways smooth.
And all mankind will see God’s salvation.’”
Luke 3:1-6

I grew up along a tidal creek in Virginia, and I spent many summer days on the James River with my family. Whether I was exploring in a motorboat or sailing a tiny Sunfish, my dad taught me to stay on course by choosing a reference point in the distance and steering towards it. The target might be a distinctive tree or a particular pier, but the key was to keep my eye on it. Wind and waves and the general thrill of it all were continually working to pull me off course, so it was never enough to hold the steering wheel or rudder in a set position. To stay on course, I had to make near-constant adjustments. The only way to get where I wanted to go was to pay attention to what wasn’t changing in the distance. I needed to glance frequently at my reference point if I wanted to take a reasonably straight path forward.

Today’s scripture passage records the beginning of the ministry of John the Baptist. Several things about this passage remind me of those boating lessons from my dad. First, there’s the purposefulness of John’s life: John’s calling was a fixed point on his horizon. If today’s passage was all we knew about John, we might think he burst onto the scene after a brief retreat in the desert. But his preparation began much earlier. John’s backstory is so important that Luke opens his gospel with it, telling us how the angel Gabriel appeared to Zechariah and told him that his future son—John—would play a quintessential role in history, bringing people back to God and preparing them to receive their Lord (Luke 1:15-17). When John was born, Zechariah reiterated this theme in a song: “And you, my child, … will go on before the Lord to prepare a way for him…” (Luke 1:76). Later, as John grew up, he “became strong in spirit” and “lived in the desert until he appeared publicly to Israel” (Luke 1:80). Based on the rest of Luke’s gospel, we can infer that John spent much of his life studying scripture and seeking God in prayer. John lived in a time and place of economic hardship and political unrest, facing many potential distractions. But he stayed the course.

The message John delivered also reminded me of my navigation lessons. His preaching was direct: turn back to God. John emphasized repentance—turning toward God and away from whatever pulls us from him. It’s a straightforward idea, but not easy. (The Old Testament shows us this over and over again as the Israelites drifted away from God until prophets called them back.) Just as tides, currents, and interesting sights might work against me while sailing, today’s trends, current events, and even the sometimes-beautiful bustle of everyday life can pull us off course. If we don’t consciously turn our minds to God and all the blessings he has for us, there are plenty of other things that will capture our attention. And before we know it, we wind up far removed from that point on the shore we once aimed for. It’s a sobering thought, like so much of what John said. But John knew what was at stake and what we stood to gain. Zechariah saw this, too, perhaps even while gazing at baby John in his arms. He sang praises to the God by which  
“the rising sun will come to us from heaven
to shine on those living in darkness
and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the path of peace.”
Luke 1:78-79

That’s a path I would like to take. Jesus is that guide. May we set our sights on him.

Prayer

O Lord, may the prophecies of Gabriel, the praises of Zechariah, and the preaching of John the Baptist lead us to knowing you. During this season of Advent, as we prepare our homes and schedules to celebrate Jesus’s birth, may we also prepare our hearts and minds to welcome you. May your goodness, glory, and love be fixed points that we gaze upon and turn back to again and again. As we sing familiar carols, may the meaning of their words as well as the beauty of their melodies wash over us: “Joy to the world, the Lord is come. Let Earth receive her king. Let every heart prepare him room, and heaven and nature sing, and heaven and nature sing, and heaven, and heaven, and nature, sing.” Amen.

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