Prepare Ye the Way...

"Is this thing on?"

A common saying we have come to know over the years of what is said when someone walks up to a microphone.

Scripture tells us that there will be someone who cries out in the wilderness to "Prepare the way of the Lord."

Today the wilderness looks very different. It's not always about geography. It is about people. Today we all know something about the wilderness found in the hearts of humanity, especially as we struggle through days that have turned to months, and months to years since we have encountered the pandemic.

Years ago while working with the homeless on the streets of Houston I created a display called the, "Shadows Project."  I would ask people living on the street to lie down on a roll of paper.  I would then trace their image onto the paper in turn for a bus token.  On the image I would then write their street name, their birth name (if they would share), their age and how long they had been living on the street.  I also wanted to know what brought them to this situation.

The stories were often heartbreaking. An illness.  A job loss.  Mental illness. 

For many of the teens living on the street, often the story was associated with their "coming out," story, and their parents "kicking" them out. 

On the street, pseudo families were created, and often the roles would take that of "mother" or "father."

I managed to gather 147 "Shadows" prior to an invitation to attend the General Assembly of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Portland, Oregon in 2005. A city that has worked very hard to help it's homeless population.

On the General Assembly floor I rolled out the "Shadows" and then sat back and watched.

I soon learned that the people treated these images just as most people did the homeless on the street. Some would stop and read what was written. Some would notice, but turn or walk the other way. Some never bothered to stop and actually walked right over the image.

"This is what the world has come to," I thought.

Still today, we are asked to, "Prepare a way for the Lord!"

It's no longer about a curious character named John, son of Zechariah and Elizabeth, cousin to Mary and her son, Jesus, wandering in the dessert. It's about you and I and our need to be that pathway so that God can exist in this world, where people who might be living in the shadow of darkness may be able to walk in the light.

We are not only that voice today, we are also the pathway!

Stay in God's grip!
​G. Todd Williams (c) 2021

God’s 21st Century John
by G. Todd Williams

Dear Lord, today I thought I heard a voice
crying in the wilderness.
A prophet’s word, demanding change:
“Prepare the way of the Lord;
watch for pitfalls, level the ridges,
straighten crooked paths and remove the mountains.
God’s glory can now be seen,
And every eye shall see it!”
​
Holy, Holy, Holy Lord,
God of power and glory!
The Heavens and earth rejoice!
God of all come near!

In the wilderness of the world community
joined by electronic roads and overshadowed
by architectural monuments;
Where greed fills sold out leaders,
and is lost in great waste.
Where a numbered society hides within a work-force,
and broken spirits converge through social programs
for a moment of respite:
“Prepare the way of the Lord.”

Holy, Holy, Holy Lord,
God of power and glory!
The Heavens and earth rejoice!
God of all come near!

In the wilderness of third world nations,
where the destitute scrape out their existence
while great powers amass grand riches;
The strong play with the weak,
where once-proud cultures conform,
Their daughters and sons are robbed of tradition,
And placed in sweatshops that provide pennies for their handwork:
“Prepare the way of the Lord.”

Holy, Holy, Holy Lord,
God of power and glory!
The Heavens and earth rejoice!
God of all come near!

In the wilderness of educational institutions,
reading, writing and arithmetic have
been traded for survival training,
Where young minds absorb everything
except how to be children of God,
fertile expansions of their minds, but their souls remain barren;
Diplomas proclaim success, not wisdom,
Honors, not love;
“Prepare the way of the Lord.”

Holy, Holy, Holy Lord,
God of power and glory!
The Heavens and earth rejoice!
God of all come near!

In the wilderness of politics
a field of wheat and tares is bordered by momentary fame,
Where large interest groups freely support campaigns,
And candidates have the nerve to shout reform,
While even those with the best of intentions are devoured
by dark forces and are compelled to take a back seat
until cynicism builds within, like a horrible virus:
“Prepare the way of the Lord.”

Holy, Holy, Holy Lord,
God of power and glory!
The Heavens and earth rejoice!
God of all come near!

In the wilderness of our faith traditions,
where theological trends come and go,
Buildings and people are fashionable,
and pomp and circumstance are priority.
Where evangelism is silenced,
prayer and sacrifice are optional
and even Jesus is labeled a “fundamentalist.”
“Prepare the way of the Lord.”

Holy, Holy, Holy Lord,
God of power and glory!
The Heavens and earth rejoice!
God of all come near!

We cry out to the voice in the wilderness,
“What shall we do?”
“Run! Turn to the Lord.
You who have two suits, give to the naked;
You with a feast upon your table, feed my hungry.
In the markets and governments, work through compassion –
And be ready for the One who comes with fire!”

​Holy, Holy, Holy Lord,
God of power and glory!
The Heavens and earth rejoice!
God of all come near!