John the Baptist: Prepare the Way, Bear Fruit

On this second Sunday of Advent, I invited us into the desert with John the Baptist to let God prepare a straight path in our hearts. John stands before us as the one who points, not to himself, but to Jesus—the true Bridegroom who comes to claim His Bride, the Church. The Scriptures remind us that God’s saving plan unfolds through history, but not as a rigid script imposed on our lives. God works through the good desires He plants in us, teaching us to choose the good in freedom and love, until our desires increasingly align with His.

John’s story helps us here. He knew a clear commission from the Father—“Behold the Lamb of God”—and yet he still experienced confusion and darkness in prison: “Are you the one, or should we look for another?” Jesus’ answer wasn’t an argument; it was evidence—“The blind see, the lame walk, the poor have good news.” That is, when doubts rise, look for the signs of the Kingdom. Where lives are being mended, truth spoken, and mercy extended, God is at work—and our hearts can rest.

John also confronts us with a necessary test of repentance: “Produce good fruit.” Advent isn’t a season of vague sentiment; it is a call to concrete change. If the desire for God is truly growing within, it will begin to show in outward acts of justice, mercy, generosity, and integrity. This is the fruit that grows when we decrease and let Christ increase—when love for God matures into a way of life that is good for the other.

Finally, the Bridegroom image reminds us that we are not merely workers in God’s vineyard—we are the beloved. Love desires a response, and while nothing we do adds to God’s perfection, He delights in our love because it is good for us. As we receive Him in Word and Sacrament, we are drawn into a reciprocal communion where His self-giving forms our own: He lays down His life for us so we may lay down our lives for others. Advent is our time to renew that exchange—to welcome Him, point others to Him, and bear the fruit that proves we belong to Him.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Repentance must bear tangible fruit. True turning to God shows up in choices, habits, and relationships. If grace is at work within, it will press outward into works of mercy and truth. Advent invites concrete steps that match the interior desire we profess. [27:36]
• 2. God’s will grows through desires. God rarely hands us a script; He awakens holy desires and teaches us to choose the good in freedom. As we act on those desires, our hearts are shaped to want more of what God wants. This cooperation is how His plan becomes our path. [25:12]
• 3. When doubts come, look for signs. Like John in prison, we sometimes wonder if we’ve heard God rightly. Jesus points us to evidence: where the poor are lifted and lives are healed, the King is near. Let the works of God steady your heart when clarity feels far. [27:03]
• 4. Decrease so Christ can increase. John’s joy was to point away from himself toward Jesus. Freedom grows when our ego loosens its grip and we make room for Christ’s life in us. Let Him become the reference point for your decisions, your time, and your loves. [26:10]
• 5. Loved by the Bridegroom, love back. We belong to a Bridegroom with inexhaustible love; He delights when we return love in deeds that are good for others. Nothing adds to God, yet everything changes in us when we answer His love concretely. Communion with Him matures into self-giving for the world. [29:10]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [12:18] - Kyrie and Penitential Act
• [13:02] - Collect and Gospel Introduction
• [21:06] - Gospel: John the Baptist Preaches
• [22:41] - Homily: John and Advent Focus
• [23:30] - Scripture, Promise, and God’s Plan
• [25:12] - Desires and Discerning God’s Will
• [26:10] - He Must Increase; I Decrease
• [26:44] - John’s Prison Doubts
• [27:12] - Jesus’ Answer: Signs of the Kingdom
• [27:36] - Produce Good Fruit as Evidence
• [28:32] - Christ the Bridegroom, Church the Bride
• [39:21] - Offertory, Preface, and Eucharistic Prayer
• [47:26] - Communion Rite
• [58:45] - Advent Blessing and Dismissal

Bible Study Guide — Advent 2 (John the Baptist: Prepare the Way)

Bible reading (ESV)
Matthew 3:1–12
1 In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, 2 “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” 3 For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah when he said, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord; make his paths straight.’ ” 4 Now John wore a garment of camel’s hair and a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. 5 Then Jerusalem and all Judea and all the region about the Jordan were going out to him, 6 and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. 7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8 Bear fruit in keeping with repentance. 9 And do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father,’ for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham. 10 Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 11 I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 12 His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.

Observation questions (look closely at the text and the sermon images)

1. What concrete actions and behaviors does John require as evidence of repentance in Matthew 3:8–10? Which lines in the passage point to inward change showing up outwardly?
2. Who came to John (v.5–6) and who does he address sharply (v.7)? What does that contrast suggest about the scope of repentance John calls for?
3. What images for judgment and purification does John use in vv.11–12 (baptism with Spirit and fire, winnowing fork, threshing floor)? How do these images shape the reader’s understanding of the coming King’s work?
4. John points others to Jesus and then loses his own following when they leave for Jesus (the “he must increase; I must decrease” scene). How does that scene illustrate the posture John wanted for his ministry and for those he baptized? [26:10]

Interpretation questions (think about what the passage and images are saying)

1. How should “bear fruit in keeping with repentance” be understood: primarily moral reformation, public acts of mercy and justice, changed relationships, or some combination? What balance does the passage require, given its language? [27:36]
2. What does the Bridegroom–Bride image imply about the motivation for good works (they are responses of love rather than attempts to add to God)? How does that reshape the way a believer pursues justice, mercy, and generosity? [29:10]
3. In what sense are interior desires reliable indicators of God’s will, and in what ways must they be tested by concrete action and community accountability? What risks arise from following desires without visible fruit? [25:12]
4. When doubts arise about whether one has heard or followed God rightly (as with John in prison), how helpful is looking for “signs of the kingdom” (healing, justice, good news to the poor) as confirmation? What are the strengths and limits of that approach? [27:03]

Application questions (personal, practical steps — pick one or two to work on before you meet next)

1. Identify one desire in your heart that seems to be from God (a desire toward prayer, service, reconciliation, generosity, etc.). What is one specific, measurable step you will take this week to act on it? [25:12]
2. Where in your life is “good fruit” currently missing (an area of habit, a relationship, or a pattern of speech)? Name one concrete change you will commit to by Advent’s end to show evidence of inward change. [27:36]
3. When you feel uncertain about God’s calling or timing, what two local signs of the Kingdom can you look for to steady your heart (people being served, reconciliation happening, needs met)? Who or where in your life points clearly to those signs, and how can you notice them more intentionally? [27:03]
4. Choose one thing to “decrease” this week (screen time, a recurring complaint, a claim to control) so that there is more space for Christ-shaped action. Describe the specific moment when you will practice that decrease. [26:10]
5. Name one person you can intentionally point toward Jesus this Advent (friend, neighbor, coworker, family member). What concrete step will you take this week to point them — an invitation, a meal, a prayer, or a practical service? [30:37]
6. Think of someone in your daily life who would be helped by an act that is “good for the other” (practical help, listening, forgiveness). What precise act of self-giving will you perform in the next seven days? [29:10]

Use the Bible reading as your anchor. Pray together for clarity about the desires God is growing in your hearts, and for courage to produce the good fruit that proves repentance.