Prepare the Way
“Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his path.” (Luke 3:4) 

In ancient times when a king was planning to visit a town in his kingdom, a herald or messenger, would be sent ahead to announce how the townspeople were to prepare for the king’s coming.  Potholes were to be filled, for example, eyesores removed, trash hauled away, and the travel route spruced up.  That, in a way, is what John the Baptist is doing in today’s gospel from Luke – preparing the way for the Lord’s coming, the long awaited Messiah foretold by the prophets, the now grown up baby born in a manager some thirty years earlier.  But John wasn’t asking people to make superficial or cosmetic changes; no, he was asking them to make fundamental change in the very core of their beings. 

John preached repentance -- a radical change of heart; a dramatic reversal of values and priorities aimed at easing suffering, eliminating violence, combating ignorance and eradicating injustice, all according to the Messianic vision of how life on earth ought to be.  John called believers to reorient their lives away from self toward God, and, most importantly, to prove it by acting compassionately toward one another.  Fruit bearing was to be a sign of true repentance; tangible evidence that interior change had actually happened.  Simply put, repentance or “conversion,” was required to be a faithful subject of the kingdom Jesus was about to inaugurate – the new spiritual, social and political order God wanted to establish in the world.   Equally important, active participation by all believers was required to bring the kingdom into existence, which clearly would not happen without preparation.  The same, of course, holds true today.

Preparing the way of the Lord is a primary theme of Advent, this four-week holy season before Christmas.  “Prepare yourselves,” “Make straight the way of the Lord,” “Repent, the kingdom…is at hand,” that was John’s message as he roamed the Judean countryside urging people to change their behaviors in order to achieve salvation.  Evangelical Christians refer to this process as being “born again,” or as “accepting Jesus as your Lord and Savior.”   Conversion, by the way, is indeed, a process, a life long process, not an instantaneous or one time occurrence.

John understood well that one of God’s greatest gifts to us, a close second to life itself, is free will.  Free will makes turning over a new leaf on life possible.  No one is doomed to the errors and consequences of past behavior.  On the contrary, all of us are free to mend our ways and make better choices.  Conversion is what brings about God’s promised forgiveness of sin.  Ours, you see, with all due respect to our fundamentalist brothers and sisters, is a God of “second chances,” who much prefers converting sinners to punishing them.  Consider the Prodigal Son.

 More than just feeling sorry for our wrongdoing, however, we must take responsibility for the hurt we’ve caused others; then make it up to them, as best we can.  By learning from our mistakes, we can transform the evil that separates us from God and neighbor into the good that brings us closer to both.  No doubt the best known example of conversion is what happens to St. Paul on the road to Damascus, when he changes from early Christianity’s chief persecutor into its chief defender, theologian and missionary.

History is filled with inspirational stories of women and men who changed their lives for the better; people who cared only for themselves, mistreated others, but then became loving and generous.  Ebenezer Scrooge, the fictional character in Charles Dickens’ The Christmas Carol, particularly popular at this time of the year, is a well-known literary prototype. Their lives remind us that we too can change and become more like Christ, the model for how God wants us to live.

Advent is a special time set aside in the Church’s liturgical year for taking stock of how we’re measuring up against our model, our standard.  Echoing the poetry of the first reading from Baruch, are there valleys in our lives that need filling in; mountains that need leveling; winding ways that need straightening; and rough roads smoothing?   Are we, for example, refusing to confront our addictions, whether to drugs, food, sex, gambling or whatever?   Are we unwilling to forgive?   Do we turn a blind eye to unjust situations like bullying at school or discrimination in the workplace?  Are we treating anyone in a hurtful manner?  Depending on our answers to questions like these, we may have preparation work to do before we can meaningfully celebrate our Savior’s birth.

“Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me! I once was lost, but now am found, was blind, but now I see. ...” So begins one of the most beloved hymns of all times, a staple in the hymnals of most Christian denominations, including our own. The author of the words was John Newton, born in London on July 24, 1725, the self-proclaimed wretch, a former slave trader turned minister, who once was lost but then was found, saved by amazing grace.   The lyrics, of course, are about conversion and God’s promise to be there with us every step of the way -- no matter how hard it is or how long it takes.

I first met Deborah in 1989 when she and the father of two of her children, both boys, were involved in contentious family court proceedings before me as presiding judge – one a child custody proceeding; the other a domestic violence proceeding. The next year, 1990, she was again before me, this time as respondent in a child neglect proceeding involving those same two boys and a third younger child by a different father, a daughter named Brittany, age 18 months. For years Deborah had been living a dissolute lifestyle.  Addicted to crack cocaine and alcohol, refusing to engage in drug or mental health treatment, she exhibited disturbing anti-social personality traits, including uncontrollable anger toward authority figures like me.  Not surprisingly, she was doing a terrible job as a parent, which brought her within the radar screen of Monroe County Child Protective Services.

On that day in 1990, she glowered at me as I ordered the two boys placed with their father and pleaded with me not to remove Brittany from her.  I told her, in no uncertain terms, that unless she got herself immediately into drug and mental health treatment and started cleaning up her act, that’s exactly what I would do.

Over the ensuing weeks and months, I began to notice something remarkable happen to Deborah.   Not only did she enter a dual diagnosis treatment program, but she actually followed treatment recommendations and maintained sobriety; she stopped dressing inappropriately for court appearances; her attitude and language softened; she became less defiant; she maintained a job; her demeanor began to reflect a new found self-confidence; and my days, when her case was on the docket, became a lot less stressful.  After while, she entered, then graduated from Monroe Community College, making the Dean’s List her last 3 semesters;  also took courses at SUNY Brockport.

 Even after the child protective case was successfully concluded, she and Brittany continued to come to the courthouse to visit with me and with other family court staff members.  Jason, a law clerk, became “Uncle Jason” and Brittany’s honorary “godfather,” (and he’s Jewish.)  Each year after Brittany entered school, those of us who had become like family received copies of her latest school photo.  I displayed them proudly in my chambers.  Here’s one of them.  It reads: “To my friend the Judge, Brittany, April 26, 2000, age 11.”

Today Deborah is an active member of and leader in her church, the Greater Church of God by Faith on Adams Street, and, among other things, is involved in outreach ministry to at risk children and female drug addicts. She was the subject of a feature newspaper article entitled “Second Chances in Life” written by then Democrat and Chronicle reporter Bob Lonsberry.  Currently working as a resident care aide in an assisted living home for senior citizens with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, she credits me with saving her life.  I keep assuring her, it wasn’t me.

A few weeks ago, Deborah and Brittany, now a beautiful young woman of 18 years, attended my retirement party celebrating 20 years on the bench.  Deborah asked if, as a gift to me, she could sing a song.  Before the 350 or so assembled guests at the Riverside Convention Center, Brittany standing proudly a few feet away, with no musical accompaniment, Deborah proceeded to sing one of the most poignant renditions of Amazing Grace I have ever heard.  Obviously, she was singing from the heart about herself.  Memories of that moment still bring shivers to my spine.

Deborah had a conversion experience that continues into the present.  She keeps on bearing fruit.  She prepares the way for the Lord’s coming into her own life and by the example of her life makes straight his way for others.  What greater gift can anyone give the Christ child on his birthday?   I can’t think of one.  Can you?    

Anthony J. Sciolino
Baruch 5:1-9
Philippians 1:4-6
Luke 3:1-6, 8-11
Second Sunday of Advent
December 10, 2006.  (Cycle C)