Prepare the Way of the Lord

“Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.” - Luke 3:4

Has anybody here ever been to Southern West Virginia? If you have, you know the roads there are pretty curvy and winding, with lots of hills going up and down. In one specific spot, perched high on a mountain, there’s an extraordinary bridge spanning the New River Gorge. This bridge is something to behold. For years, it was the longest steel arch bridge in the world, soaring high above the valley.

To cross the river, there are two options. You can take this magnificent bridge, or you can take the road beneath it—a winding, steep path that descends into the gorge, crosses a small bridge at the river, and climbs right back up the other side. My grandmother used to tell me that when she was young, that winding road was the only way to cross. A trip to the town on the other side took about an hour and a half. Today, with the bridge, it takes just three minutes.

The history of that road is fascinating. Native Americans say it was originally a path for buffalo migration. Over time, it became a road for coal mining, serving the community in its own rough way. Then the bridge changed everything. It was as if the valley had been filled in and the path made straight.

In many ways, that bridge reminds me of today’s Gospel lesson, where we hear about rough places being smoothed, crooked paths being made straight, and valleys being filled to prepare for Christ. These images resonate deeply with our lives. Each of us has rough places and crooked paths—areas that take us away from an intimate connection with Christ. These are places in need of healing, in need of God’s grace to bridge the gap.

This is not just a personal task but a communal one. The prophecy we heard today doesn’t only point to John the Baptist preparing the Israelites for Christ. It also points to the church’s role in preparing the world for Christ’s second coming.

In Advent, we prepare for Christmas, the celebration of Jesus’ birth, His first coming. But we are also called to anticipate His return. Advent is a time to prepare the way, to fill the valleys of our lives, to look at our priorities, our prayer life, and ask: Are they pointed toward Christ?

John the Baptist’s work of preparation is our work too. It is the church’s work—to prepare ourselves and our communities for Jesus. As the Gospel says, “Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.”

We live in a kind of wilderness, don’t we? Even though we are surrounded by people, even though there are over 85 million Anglicans worldwide, we are just one small parish here in Clarksville. The only Anglican presence in this community of over 300,000 people, and the only church holding together the truth of Scripture and the Sacramental life in the way that we do. It can feel like we are lost in a sea of people.

But our call is clear. We are here to prepare the way of the Lord, to make His paths straight, to fill every valley and smooth every rough spot so that “all flesh shall see the salvation of God.”

John’s ministry was all about pointing to Jesus as the salvation of God. He called people to repentance, to turn from their self-centered ways and turn toward God. As a church, we are given the same job. We are called to repentance, to turn away from the ways of the world—ways that promise ease and comfort but in the end lead only to sin and death—and instead to embrace the life of Christ. The call doesn’t stop there. We are then to take this Good News to the community around us!

The world offers us words like “self-security” and “self-actualization,” buzzwords that are meant to entice us but often leave us feeling anxious and unfulfilled. Instead, we are called to trade those anxieties for true security in God, who loves us, and true flourishing in Jesus, who died for us.

We are tasked with removing obstacles—sin, injustice, apathy—to create a straight path for others to encounter Christ. We are called to address despair, poverty, and spiritual dryness in our community, to help others navigate life’s challenges with grace and truth, and to proclaim Christ clearly in a culture that often confuses truth for personal preference.

And we are not called to this work alone. Christ does not merely leave us, his disciples, to prepare His way by our own strength. He gives us Himself in the Eucharist. It is through the body and blood of Christ that we are empowered to participate in His grace. Through communion, we are united with Him, nourished and strengthened for this holy work. The Eucharist is the bridge that connects our lives to God’s transformative power, filling us with the life of Christ so we can be His hands and feet in the world.

We begin to participate in His work through reflection and self-examination. What rough places in your life need smoothing? What obstacles need to be removed so that Christ can be fully present in your life?

As the Holy Spirit works within us, He also calls us to work outwardly, preparing our community for Him. Like John the Baptist, we must courageously proclaim the truth, even when it’s uncomfortable.

Where is God calling you personally to be a voice in the wilderness? Where is He calling Church of the Resurrection to be that voice? What needs to be removed, bridged, or cleansed so that we can make straight the path to Christ and invite others into the goodness of God?

While this work may seem daunting, we are reminded of the promise: “All flesh shall see the salvation of God.” The work of preparation is not in vain. It points to a glorious end where God’s kingdom is fully revealed.

Let us pray for God’s guidance and courage as we fulfill this mission, both as individuals and as a church community. May the Holy Spirit empower us, just as He empowered John the Baptist. And may we hold fast to the hope-filled truth that Christ’s coming transforms not only our lives but entire communities, inviting everyone into eternal salvation.

Together, let us prepare the way of the Lord.