Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”
This is the one of whom the prophet
Isaiah spoke when he said,
“The voice of one crying out in the wilderness:
‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.
(From Mt.3:1-12)
Willie Nelson's early life was an incredibly rough road.
I enjoy "On the Road Again" sung by this gravel-voiced, pig-tailed singer wearing a red bandana.
However, his idealistic song about being on the road with friends making music like a band of gypsies, is far from his real life.
Abandoned by his mother and his father, Willie was raised by his grandparents.
Growing up in the Depression, Willie, at age 13, decided it was time to build his road for the future.
From the wilderness of this inequity, he worked through high school by singing and playing his guitar in dance halls, taverns, and honkytonks.
John the Baptist cried out in the wilderness calling people to repair their spiritual roads for the coming of the Lord.
John says to prepare for a truth-telling time at the coming of the Lord.
Repent, confess your sins by turning from the status quo of violence, injustice, and bigotry
Repent. Turn around. Change your mind.
Repair your spiritual road by joining the movement to build God's Kingdom through resisting evil, injustice, and oppression in whatever forms they present themselves.
Repair your spiritual road by filling in the potholes of illiteracy by searching the scriptures for knowledge and wisdom.
John calls us toward the wilderness, a place of danger and testing, but also moves us into the safety of God's care.
It's in the wilderness, away from the stuff of human traditions and powers, where we may see and hear God’s call to repair more clearly.
By the Grace of God, we walk a straight path from the ways of this world to practices appropriate for the time of God’s coming through Jesus' teachings.
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