Pastor's Sermon - December 7th, 2025 - The Second Sunday in Advent
Matthew 3:1-12
The promise of a coming Savior was long anticipated and it was approaching. Isaiah prophesied that this grand promise would be heralded by a voice that would prepare the way of this great Lord. John the Baptist was the fulfillment of Isaha 40:3 as he came as the herald of the Christ. John was a man consecrated to the Lord’s work even within his mother Elizabeth’s womb. Now, in his wilderness dwelling and his strange clothes and food, John did exactly what the Lord had raised him up to do. He heralded the arrival of the Lord’s Christ. He was Isaiah’s prophesied voice calling in the wilderness and his voice directed the people toward one man- the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world- Jesus Christ.
Preparing for someone’s arrival is usually a very straining thing because normally it all falls on us. If someone’s coming to visit me, I better make sure I look good, I behave well, I’ve cleaned everything up, and that I’ve made all the proper preparations. And if the one coming to visit, the one coming to dwell amongst me, is God Himself. What must I do to be ready?
Human nature and reason would say that I better shape up. I better behave! I better make myself worthy of God’s visitation, because like Elizabeth said at Mary’s visitation, “What should make me worthy of God coming to be in my presence?” If we turn to the Law for preparations, we will find that not one of us is righteous. Good behavior- the Law- cannot make us righteous for we are sinful by our very nature. The Law can only expose our sins and show us just how unworthy we are of Christ’s visitation.
Hence, the herald. John does not preach that the people need to look within themselves and find the strength within to be good enough for God’s visitation. He doesn’t instruct the people to trust in themselves or to make themselves perfect. Such preaching would be empty for it could never happen. John’s call is of one thing, “REPENT!” John confronts the crowds- not so they truth in themselves, but so they see their need for the One to come.
John’s ultimate message is not one of the Law- though he does lead people to recognize their own sin. His ultimate message is of the Gospel. It’s not about making oneself better. It’s about recognizing one’s deficiency and turning toward the One that cannot provide restoration. John preaches the Gospel- Christ is coming. He turns the people’s hearts not inward, but outward toward the Savior.
John’s baptism is a baptism of repentance, not for the self-bettering of a man, but for the forgiveness of sins. Let God and His promises better you, not by your adherence to the Law, but by His gracious forgiving of your sins. John prepares a people ready to receive Christ, the One who brings the Spirit and fulfills every promise. This is not an act that the people could do or earn for themselves. It is something they could only receive in faith from their merciful God.
John’s a voice that still calls from the wilderness to us lost in sin. God’s Word sends this eternal message to the people even today. Just as John called Israel to prepare, Advent calls us to do the same. Each of us recognizes that we are sinful and unworthy of Christ and His promises. Yet, we receive them regularly. Not by our merit, but by God’s mercy. We repent- not to earn God’s favor, but to receive it. Christ has fulfilled all God’s promises. He comes to make straight what sin has twisted, to bring light into our darkness, and to restore what is broken.
Advent reminds us of when this promise was fulfilled in Christ’s birth. But it also points us- a repentant people- toward the day when all the promises of God will be fulfilled in full. John’s message wasn’t about himself- it was about Jesus. And this remains true today. The message if God’s Word is still all about Jesus- it still points us graciously to our savior. In this season, we join John and all the saints in looking to Christ, the Lamb of God. He is the one who has taken away all of our sin. He is the one that has unlocked Heaven to us. He is the one who has made us God’s own children. He is the one who has saved us.
Our hope, forgiveness, and salvation come from the One whose way John prepared and who now comes to us with grace. We have been prepared for Christ’s return. Through Baptism. Through His Word. Through His Supper. We have been forgiven and made ready. And now we wait eagerly for Christ to come again. Prepared. Hopeful. And Excited.
In Christ’s Name,
Amen.