Matthew 3:1-12
If you've never seen Godspell I invite you to find it and watch it. The messages in that movie come right out of the Gospel of Matthew, arranged in a slightly different order, and told in such a way as to help us understand that the lives of Jesus and his closest disciples were filled with love; not just of one another or of God, but of life itself.
The opening song, "Prepare Ye The Way Of The Lord", shows John the Baptist calling out those words as 8 others hear his voice ringing through the air. They don't understand why they can hear this voice, what they do understand is they have to find it. They feel a need deep within their soul to seek the origination of the voice because they know, somehow, that the voice will show them a way to free themselves from the trappings of living a life without purpose.
As they get closer to the voice they free themselves of the things which hold them back - briefcases, heeled shoes, suit coats, hair pins. They continue to transform until finally they become completely different in appearance, wearing colorful clothes, headbands, flowers, and other symbols of cultural freedoms from the 1970's.
Finally, in the presence of one another and John the Baptist they are introduced to Jesus, himself a character full of love and life. Together they travel the city, sharing the stories we know so well with one another in a way that brings us comfort through laughter and familiarity. It's in the sharing of one another they find the ultimate message of the movie, and of the Gospel of Matthew: a life filled with the love of God will bring you inner peace through all things and in all times.
In our passage today, John the Baptist calls out in the wilderness for the way of Jesus to be prepared. As Christians we are asked to do just that. Through our lives, our words, and our actions we show and share with those around us what a life lived in the peace of God's love is like. This Advent season you are invited to shed that which holds you back - bad relationships, negative surroundings, personal grudges - and reach out to those around you to share the love of God through the Christ that wants to come into your life. A Christ who wants to live within and through you.
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