Prepare the Way

When my daughter plays, she plays hard. And, being four, she tends to play with many different things for short periods of time. We try to have her put away the last thing she played with before moving on to the next, but sometimes (and especially when her cousins are over) it seems like by the end of the day every single thing in our house has been played with and is in the middle of the floor. 

Most nights we try to have her clean up her toys before bed, but if you’re a parent of a wee one, you know that oftentimes this involves you doing just as much clean up as they are. I don't know if it’s bad parenting to help her clean, but the options at either extreme are not great. Either I wait for her to do it all herself and hours later when none of us ever went to bed and the house is still not cleaned, we just decide it will be easier to move. Or, I do it all myself and neglect to teach her the responsibility of cleaning up what she played with.

Instead, for better or worse, we have decided that the best option is to partner with her, if you will, in the cleaning process (besides, let’s be honest, I was playing with those blocks, too).

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In Luke 3, we read about the man we call John the Baptist who represents a critical character in the Jesus story that we often don’t think much about. But John plays a huge, prophetic role in Jesus’ first coming and gives us a look at what we should be doing as we prepare for His next.

“The word of the Lord came to John, son of Zechariah, in the wilderness. And he went through the whole region around the Jordan River proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, fulfilling the words of Isaiah:

“The voice of one crying out in the wilderness:

‘Prepare the way of the LORD,

    Make His paths straight.

Every valley shall be raised,

    And every mountain and hill shall be leveled out,

The crooked shall be made straight,

    And the bumpy ways will be made smooth,

And all flesh shall see the salvation of God.’” Luke 3:2-6

If you were like me growing up, you might have thought John was a little pointless. Like, why does God need someone to prepare the way? He’s way better than us. Was He just throwing John a bone and trying to make him feel important?

What if instead, John’s action of “preparing the way for the Lord” not only revealed something deeply marvelous about God’s character, but also shows us how we ought to live as we anticipate Christ in this season of Advent (and our entire lives)?

You see, God doesn’t need anyone to prepare a way for Him, and yet, time and again, God waits for us to clear a path. The God of Creation, maker and sustainer of all life, Cosmic Lord of the universe, doesn’t need us to do anything, yet He asks us to because that’s how He likes it. The God who is wholly self-sufficient likes to rely on us little failures in order to set His will in motion.

He uses John to ready people’s hearts for the coming Messiah. He uses you and me to ready people’s hearts for His Spirit to move in. Since creation itself, God has shown a desire to work through us, not in spite of us. That can be tough to swallow because we’re fairly aware of how often we screw up, but God delights to use us to help Him do His work. It would be easier if God just cleaned up our mess for us, but instead, He comes along next to us in the midst of our mess and asks us to work with Him.

Even when it seems like I need God to prepare my way, God calls me—and all of us—to prepare His way. Prepare the way for His Spirit to move in hearts. Prepare the way for His justice to reach the oppressed. Prepare the way for His peace to reach the overwhelmed. Prepare the way for His love to reach the lonely.

So this Advent, don’t just sit around passively pointing out the things that are wrong that God still needs to fix. Step into the crooked ways and partner with God in making them straight. Anticipate God’s coming by preparing the world for it.

Advent

I forgot. Of course I forgot. I always forget! It's a little ridiculous really. 

I've learned by now, that if I don't write it down, I will forget it. No matter what it is. I mean, most people who take the time to look at my notes for something, either on the calendar or for a service or program, think I’m a bit insane. I have to write everything down, every detail, or I'll blow right past it in the moment. 

Now before I forget where I'm going with this, I'll tell you what I forgot. I forgot to light the candle. The Advent candle. I didn't write it down, so I forgot. This past Sunday morning as we were talking about starting the Advent season, I did all the explaining, scripture reading, and songs. And I forgot to light the candle.  

Really, it’s fitting that I would forget something when talking about Advent. It is in times of long waiting when it seems especially easy to forget things. When I have something important that isn’t coming up for a while, I have to make pretty extensive notes so that I can pick up on it when it comes. It’s easy to get sidetracked and forgetful when waiting. 

And waiting is what Advent is all about. 

This season of Advent, much like the Christmas Season, has been captured by our consumer mindset. If we have replaced tiny baby Jesus in the manger with Santa’s bag of toys, then it only makes sense that Advent is no longer longing for the baby, but embracing the goodies. Now, there is nothing inherently wrong with the cutesy little Advent calendars that mark the days until Christmas (I’m super stoked for mine and Robert’s Advent Lego Harry Potter Calendar!), but it is a shame when we get so busy worried about all the hustle and bustle of Christmas that we forget to wait. 

In Advent, we observe Israel’s longing for a Savior, the Messiah. As we do so, we are meant to lean into our longing and waiting. Not that we are waiting for the Messiah—He already came—but we are waiting for His return. It is certainly ironic that a season that is meant to remind us that all is not yet well has been consumed by an incessant need to be merry and bright. The “Christmas" season which has replaced Advent has become all about being cozy and comfortable, when it should be doing the opposite—stirring in us a longing for more, reminding us that all is not yet well, driving us to our knees before the baby Jesus who is now the Cosmic King!

We need to observe this season because it’s so very easy to forget during times of waiting. And waiting is what this thing we call Christianity is really all about. We are waiting because our King who saved us is coming back to put everything to rights. 

So during this Advent season, don’t fall for the ploys. Don’t buy into the marketing strategy that says if you just get the right gifts, wear the right sweater, see the right people, and go to the right Christmas Eve service that all will be well. By all means, enjoy those things! Just not as an end in themselves.

Get into the habit of waiting, of longing. Because if we are not longing for Jesus’ return, then it’s quite possible that we don’t actually want what He is bringing.