Advent Devotion - December 15th

18th Day of Advent
Written by: Russ Hauck

Reading: Mark 1:1-8

As it is written in the prophet Isaiah,
“See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you,
Who will prepare your way;
The voice of one crying out in the wilderness:
‘Prepare the way of the Lord,
Make his paths straight,’”
Mark 1:2-3

Mark skips over the birth of Jesus and starts with his baptism by John in the Jordan River. And, it’s an exciting and colorful story. We can easily picture this wild-eyed “mountain man” preacher John, in his animal skin outfit – first out in the desert and then wading in the Jordan, baptizing throngs of new believers – and baptizing Jesus. We have just plunged into an action movie. It’s easy to get swept up in the action, while at the same time maybe missing the real intended message. Why is God giving us this story? It’s not just a historical account. It’s a call to action for each of us today. We are being told to prepare ourselves now, today, for the coming of the Lord and we are reminded of our own baptism.

Without Jesus, we are lost in the wilderness. Thinking in this way, we can see that the message is to clear a path through our own personal rough places. We need to remove the obstacles that will prevent us from receiving Christ into our hearts. By remembering our baptism, we can wash away those obstacles and make his paths straight. We are changed from the inside out. As Martin Luther put it, our sinful self should be drowned through daily repentance; and day after day a new self should arise.

Dear Jesus: I pray that you would help me each day to remember my baptism. Help me to use that remembering to wash away the rough places in my heart so that I might receive you and be changed from the inside out. Amen.