Advent | Prepare the Way in Our Wilderness
As Advent begins, we often feel the weight of shorter days, colder nights, and busier streets. Christmas markets, shopping, and social plans crowd the diary, yet beneath the surface many people carry loneliness, weariness, and a deep sense that something is missing. In Luke 3:1–18, we meet John the Baptist and discover that the story of Advent does not begin in comfort and cosiness, but in the wilderness. It is there, far from the centres of power, that the Word of God comes. [oai_citation:0‡Luke 3v1-18.txt](sediment://file_000000007ecc71f5856ed76b6bbe2f7e)
Luke sets the scene with a list of the powerful: emperors, governors, and high priests. If we were writing the script, we would expect God to work in the palace or the temple. Instead, the Word of God comes to John in the desert. That simple detail is a profound challenge. God is not bound to the places and people we assume. He speaks in the overlooked and forgotten places. He works in the margins as well as the middle. For many in North Belfast, that picture of wilderness feels very familiar.
God Speaks in the Wilderness
Advent reminds us that God is not distant from our darkness. He steps into it. The wilderness in Luke 3 is not only a physical place, it is a spiritual reality. It is the place of hunger, weariness, and need. It is the place where people know that things are not as they should be, and where they are ready to listen. John’s ministry shows us that God still chooses to speak where hope feels thin and where the world has largely given up.
Isaiah’s ancient promise comes to life: “Prepare the way of 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.” God’s aim is that all people would see his salvation. That is why he speaks, that is why he moves, and that is why he sends his people into the wilderness places of their own time.
Fruit That Flows From Repentance
When the crowds come to John, they do not receive a gentle religious top-up. They are confronted. “Brood of vipers” is not how most preachers choose to begin. Yet John goes straight for the heart. He exposes the danger of trusting in heritage, tradition, or religious activity instead of trusting in God himself. Being descended from Abraham was not enough. Turning up at the temple was not enough. In the same way, simply attending church, serving on a rota, or going through the motions can never be a substitute for a living faith in Christ.
Real repentance, John says, must bear fruit. When the crowd ask, “What should we do then?”, he gives very ordinary answers. Share what you have. Be honest in your work. Do not abuse power. Be content. Repentance is not vague feeling, it is concrete change. It touches our wallets, our words, our relationships, and our attitude to those around us. In other words, Advent readiness is not about sentiment, it is about a different way of life.
The Stronger One Is Coming
The heart of John’s message is not himself. He refuses to let the crowds mistake him for the Messiah. Instead, he points beyond himself to “one more powerful than I”. John says he is not even worthy to untie the straps of Jesus’ sandals. Christ will baptise with the Holy Spirit and with fire. This is both a promise and a warning. The Spirit brings new life and power, while the fire speaks of purification and judgement. Jesus comes to gather wheat and burn up chaff. That image is stark, but it is hopeful. It means evil will not have the final word. The world’s injustice and our own sin will be dealt with.
Advent therefore teaches us to live between two certainties. Christ has come, and Christ will come again. We look back to the manger and the cross, and we look forward to the day when he will return to make all things new. In that in-between time, the church is called to be like John in our own generation: a people who prepare the way, who live repentant and fruitful lives, and who point beyond ourselves to Jesus.
Preparing the Way Here and Now
For us, this means recognising that our own streets can feel like a wilderness. Boarded-up buildings, closed churches, strained relationships, addiction, suspicion, and quiet despair are all part of the landscape. Yet the message of Luke 3 is that God is not finished with wilderness places. He speaks into them. He sends his people into them. He brings hope where hope seems impossible. The question is not whether God can work here, but whether we will let him work in us and through us.
So Advent is not just a countdown to Christmas. It is an invitation to let God straighten what has grown crooked in our lives, to let him soften what has become hard, and to ask again, “What shall we do then?” Where might he be calling you to generosity, to forgiveness, to hospitality, to courage, or to a fresh step of obedience this season?
Listen to the Sermon
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Come and Worship With Us
Advent begins in the wilderness, but it does not end there. God speaks so that people might be drawn to him in worship, renewed by his grace, and sent out again to shine in the darkness. Each Sunday morning at St Paul’s & St Barnabas, we gather to hear God’s Word, to share at the Lord’s Table, and to encourage one another to live as people who are preparing the way for Christ in our own time.
You are very welcome to join us this Sunday from 10:30 am. Whether church is a regular part of your life or something you have not experienced for many years, Advent is a good time to step out of the noise and into a space where you can hear God speak. Come as you are, hear again the good news of Jesus, and walk with us as we learn what it means to bear fruit in our own wilderness and to live in the light of the King who has come and will come again.
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