WEBVTT 00:00:00.800 --> 00:00:06.080 And so may I speak in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. 00:00:06.400 --> 00:00:07.040 Amen. 00:00:13.439 --> 00:00:17.440 If you'd like, would you like to turn to the final page in your orders of service? 00:00:17.679 --> 00:00:23.199 There's an image on the back there that I hope will aid us in our reflections this morning. 00:00:26.719 --> 00:00:36.479 This is just a section cropped out and enlarged of a much bigger piece, which is called The Crucifixion of Jesus by Matthias Grunwald. 00:00:36.799 --> 00:00:42.159 And it's the altar piece that he painted and it's on display in Essenne in France. 00:00:42.399 --> 00:00:45.439 I'd highly recommend going to have a look at the whole image. 00:00:45.520 --> 00:00:47.119 It's really quite beautiful. 00:00:47.280 --> 00:00:59.200 But I want us to focus on the way Matthias paints John the Baptist, and I think it will lead us into some interesting thoughts this morning. 00:01:00.560 --> 00:01:12.159 If I was to ask you what action defines John the Baptist's life, you may well be tempted to answer the question baptizing. 00:01:12.400 --> 00:01:13.920 That's the clue's in the name. 00:01:14.079 --> 00:01:15.280 Obviously, come on. 00:01:15.599 --> 00:01:18.719 John the Baptist baptized people. 00:01:19.040 --> 00:01:24.079 That is the action that sums up all that John did. 00:01:25.120 --> 00:01:27.680 But of course, it's a trick question. 00:01:27.840 --> 00:01:33.120 I'd like to suggest that he would be better off being known as John the Pointer. 00:01:33.680 --> 00:01:35.120 John the Pointer. 00:01:35.439 --> 00:01:44.079 And that's why I like this painting by Matthias Grunwald, because he really demonstrates this part of John's ministry. 00:01:44.239 --> 00:01:54.560 You notice how long the finger is, kind of extraordinarily long, pointing to the crucified Christ and pointing to Jesus. 00:01:55.680 --> 00:02:01.040 So, what are the things that John points at? 00:02:01.439 --> 00:02:05.200 Are they the same things that are grabbing our attention at the moment? 00:02:05.359 --> 00:02:08.639 That's what I'd like us to spend some time thinking about. 00:02:09.599 --> 00:02:11.360 John the pointer. 00:02:13.360 --> 00:02:21.280 When the Pharisees and the Sadducees come to Jesus and come to John, so I'm going to do that all morning, by the way, John and Jesus. 00:02:21.439 --> 00:02:28.080 It's like whenever someone preaches on Paul or Peter and they say Jesus when they mean Paul or Peter, I apologize in advance. 00:02:28.400 --> 00:02:34.639 Every time, when the Pharisees and the Sadducees come to John and say, Who are you? 00:02:34.960 --> 00:02:37.280 He quotes Isaiah. 00:02:37.439 --> 00:02:51.680 And he says, I am like the guy in Isaiah who walks ahead of the king, shouting, crying out in the wilderness, make straight the way of the Lord, prepare the path. 00:02:53.039 --> 00:03:00.560 John's gospel here is quoting from Isaiah chapter 40, verses 3 to 5. 00:03:00.719 --> 00:03:02.400 So I'm going to read them in a second. 00:03:02.479 --> 00:03:11.039 And I wonder if, as I read them, you will again find yourself with Handel's Messiah in your mind's eye or your mind's ear. 00:03:11.439 --> 00:03:15.439 Remember two weeks ago we heard the famous passage, comfort ye. 00:03:15.599 --> 00:03:20.400 And you can hear Handel's writing, Comfort ye, comfort my people. 00:03:20.639 --> 00:03:28.560 Well, here we get the second ten aria from that same section, right to the start of Handel's Messiah, where he's quoting from John 40. 00:03:28.719 --> 00:03:37.120 A voice cries in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. 00:03:37.599 --> 00:03:50.879 Every valley, it's this bit here, every valley shall be lifted up, every mountain and hill made low, the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain. 00:03:51.199 --> 00:03:59.199 Then the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all people shall see it together, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken. 00:04:00.960 --> 00:04:16.959 There was a practice in the ancient world of when they knew a king or a royal dignitary was coming to the city, they would go out and find the main highway into that city and prepare it. 00:04:17.120 --> 00:04:18.639 They would make it straight. 00:04:18.879 --> 00:04:25.600 Bear in mind these are often dirt paths that are just packed down from hundreds of thousands of people walking on them. 00:04:25.759 --> 00:04:27.600 So they're not well maintained. 00:04:27.759 --> 00:04:31.839 And so they get rubble on them and they find holes in them. 00:04:32.000 --> 00:04:43.120 And so the practice in the ancient world was for someone to come ahead of the king and say to the city, prepare the road because the king is coming. 00:04:43.360 --> 00:04:47.839 The king likely to arrive on a chariot or some sort of carriage. 00:04:48.079 --> 00:04:55.519 And so every time his wheels go over the pothole or stumble on the stone, it's bumpy for him. 00:04:55.600 --> 00:05:00.560 And no one wants the king to arrive in a bad mood because he's had a bumpy journey the whole way. 00:05:00.800 --> 00:05:04.720 And so the city would prepare the road. 00:05:06.959 --> 00:05:12.000 Actually, you could imagine Blackburn Council would do exactly the same thing, wouldn't they? 00:05:12.240 --> 00:05:26.560 You know today that if a royal visitation was planned at Blackburn Cathedral, the week before the council would be out filling all the potholes nearby because no one wants King Charles's royal Bentley to have to use its suspension. 00:05:26.720 --> 00:05:33.279 And so they would still, to this day, prepare the way for the royal visitation. 00:05:34.879 --> 00:05:43.759 Now, what Isaiah does in this passage is he takes that ancient practice and he blows it up to cosmic levels. 00:05:44.000 --> 00:05:56.399 He says, we're not just talking about a royal human being who's coming down the road to us, we're talking about the arrival of the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords, the creator of all things. 00:05:56.560 --> 00:06:00.639 And so we're not just filling in potholes and clearing rubble. 00:06:00.879 --> 00:06:05.199 We are leveling mountains and raising up valleys. 00:06:05.519 --> 00:06:06.720 That's the point. 00:06:07.040 --> 00:06:26.319 When you hear Handel's Messiah, every valley shall be exalted, every valley will be lifted up, every mountain will be brought low, the way will be made straight, not just for a human king, but for the king of kings and the lord of lords, the king of all creation. 00:06:26.959 --> 00:06:32.959 And when he arrives, the glory of the laws will be revealed. 00:06:33.759 --> 00:06:45.439 And John says of himself, you know that guy who runs ahead of the king and proclaims to the city, prepare the road because the king's coming. 00:06:45.759 --> 00:06:49.360 John the Pointer says, I'm that guy. 00:06:49.680 --> 00:06:52.000 I'm pointing you to the road. 00:06:52.319 --> 00:06:56.079 It must be prepared because the king is coming. 00:06:58.560 --> 00:07:05.040 It's natural, isn't it, in this season to spend December preparing for Christmas. 00:07:05.279 --> 00:07:08.399 I wonder what your Christmas preparations have looked like. 00:07:08.639 --> 00:07:26.079 I hope you've been cleaning the kitchen, getting ready for the in-laws turning up, or going to buy a piece of a good joint of beef, or putting up tinsel around the house, or getting a tree ready, preparing your house for the celebrations of next weekend. 00:07:26.639 --> 00:07:32.240 It's a natural, important, and good part of December in this culture. 00:07:33.680 --> 00:07:41.279 Here's John's first question for us this morning as he points to the road that's in each one of our hearts. 00:07:41.600 --> 00:07:46.240 Have you prepared for the coming of King Jesus? 00:07:48.319 --> 00:07:53.360 Are you spiritually, emotionally, mentally prepared? 00:07:53.600 --> 00:07:58.079 Just as you're preparing your house, are you preparing your heart? 00:08:01.519 --> 00:08:06.399 AA Alcoholics Anonymous has a phrase for this that I find extremely helpful. 00:08:06.560 --> 00:08:11.839 The phrase is have you done a fearless moral inventory? 00:08:12.240 --> 00:08:13.279 Fearless. 00:08:13.439 --> 00:08:16.560 I'm going to choose not to be afraid of the answer. 00:08:17.759 --> 00:08:18.399 Moral. 00:08:18.720 --> 00:08:25.600 I want to question the sin and the brokenness, the immorality of my own life inventory. 00:08:25.759 --> 00:08:31.680 I'm going to go down the list and as detailed as I can find out how I'm doing. 00:08:33.200 --> 00:08:35.600 This is the work of Advent. 00:08:36.399 --> 00:08:43.919 John the Pointer points to the road inside each one of our hearts and says, Have you done the work of preparation? 00:08:44.320 --> 00:08:48.799 Have you taken a fearless moral inventory this season? 00:08:49.120 --> 00:08:52.879 Are you ready for the coming of the king? 00:08:54.240 --> 00:09:04.559 I have had in my life the very painful and very fortunate experience of being mentored by people who have pointed out my sin to me. 00:09:05.519 --> 00:09:17.440 I have had many uncomfortable conversations with people who know me well, who have said, I see this pattern of behavior in your life and it stinks. 00:09:17.759 --> 00:09:20.320 Stop it and do better. 00:09:21.039 --> 00:09:26.879 Never fun, never fun conversations and utterly life-changing and life-giving. 00:09:28.559 --> 00:09:36.720 So I'd encourage you in the next seven days to do the work of preparing your heart. 00:09:37.360 --> 00:09:52.240 And if necessary, and I would say preferably, find someone who can say those words to you, who can be John the Baptist for you, and point at the way and say, Are you prepared? 00:09:53.840 --> 00:09:57.200 There's one other thing that John very importantly points to. 00:09:57.759 --> 00:09:59.919 John points to Jesus. 00:10:00.159 --> 00:10:02.559 He points to the coming king. 00:10:02.799 --> 00:10:06.799 Now I don't know if you managed to come to the Christmas spectacular yesterday. 00:10:07.039 --> 00:10:22.399 It truly was spectacular, but and the music was mind-blowing, but I was blown away by a little theological nugget that was dropped by John Robinson in one of his introductions to a piece. 00:10:36.480 --> 00:10:38.879 John said this just in passing. 00:10:40.159 --> 00:10:46.159 Christmas is the season where we celebrate the upending of the world order. 00:10:46.960 --> 00:10:49.919 The upending of the world order. 00:10:50.159 --> 00:10:54.799 And I know that's what he said because it immediately struck me, and I wrote it down before I could forget it. 00:10:54.960 --> 00:10:58.080 Because that is precisely the case. 00:10:58.960 --> 00:11:05.360 John the Baptist points to King Jesus and upends the world order. 00:11:06.240 --> 00:11:25.679 See, Isaiah imagines an earth-shattering event, the coming of the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords arriving in Jerusalem, valleys are being raised up, mountains are being brought low, and John the Baptist is there to point at the moment when the King of Kings arrives. 00:11:26.879 --> 00:11:34.879 And he arrives humble, born in a manger, in lowly circumstances. 00:11:37.759 --> 00:11:46.559 The King of Kings and the Lord of Lords arrives, and before he's done anything, he upturns, upends the world order. 00:11:48.480 --> 00:11:54.960 One day, not too long away, the king will arrive in Jerusalem. 00:11:55.200 --> 00:12:01.039 But he won't actually arrive on a war horse or in a carriage or in a chariot. 00:12:01.279 --> 00:12:07.519 He's not the sort of king that needs to have a comfortable journey on his way to Jerusalem. 00:12:07.840 --> 00:12:10.240 He'll arrive on a donkey. 00:12:10.799 --> 00:12:18.559 And his arrival will be so unexpected that the crowd will have to scrabble to prepare for the arrival of the king. 00:12:18.720 --> 00:12:35.039 And so, all the best they can do, they throw their coats down in front of his donkey, and they grab palm leaves off nearby branches and put them on the ground because they want to prepare the way, but they were so unready for the arrival of this king, so unexpected. 00:12:37.039 --> 00:12:50.879 So John points to the arrival of the king, but it's not the king that we expect, it's not a king coming in majesty, it's a king arriving lowly and humble. 00:12:51.600 --> 00:12:56.720 This is what made John the Baptist the greatest of all the Old Testament prophets. 00:12:56.960 --> 00:13:02.720 I know he sneaks in to the start of the New Testament, but he is technically an Old Testament prophet. 00:13:02.960 --> 00:13:11.600 He gets to point to the to Jesus, the King, that all the previous prophets have just been imagining and hoping for. 00:13:11.840 --> 00:13:18.080 John gets the great honor of pointing to the person they were all aiming for. 00:13:20.960 --> 00:13:30.240 And so as John the Pointer informs our thoughts this morning and prepares us, helps us to prepare for the coming of the king. 00:13:30.480 --> 00:13:32.960 Let me ask, how prepared are you? 00:13:33.919 --> 00:13:39.039 Do you have time this week to take a fearless moral inventory? 00:13:40.639 --> 00:13:51.440 Not just prepare your kitchen and your turkey, but prepare your heart for the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords who is coming and who will entirely upend the world order. 00:13:53.919 --> 00:13:54.559 Amen.