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Prepare The Way |
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Article by Tom Gilbert — © December,
2008
The time leading up to the Christmas holiday is a time of anticipation
and preparation. It is a season of joy, but so often we are anything
but joyful. The hustle and bustle of Christmas time, especially in
our culture of consumerism and hedonism, can blind us to the real
meaning of this special time. We are anxious and full of stress.
Some are even depressed. This is unfortunate, but the power of Christmas
can still break through and turn us around.
The Gospel of Mark bypasses the
birth story of Jesus and begins with the Old Testament prophetic
statements of Malachi 3:1 and Isaiah
40:3. Those prophecies speak
of a messenger who will “prepare the way for the Lord”.
This messenger is “a voice calling out in the desert, prepare
the way for the Lord; make straight in the wilderness a highway for
our God”.
Mark’s Gospel has John the Baptist fulfilling these prophecies.
He was the messenger who pointed to Jesus as the Christ, the Light
of the world. Many people at that time were going out to the Jordan
River to see and hear John and to be baptized by him. People were
sensing the need for repentance and renewal. They were not sent by
the religious authorities of the time. They were answering a call
in their heart.
Fast forward to our present time.
We still need repentance and renewal. And
God is still calling.
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Prepare the way. Make straight the
way of the Lord. Have you heard that call in your heart?
God does speak to us. So often we can’t make out
the message. We are blocked by the clamor of our culture
and by the selfishness of our personal agendas. The path
to our heart is cluttered and blocked. There is too much
noise and we miss the still, small voice.
This year, as the sacred Feast of Christmas approaches, we get another
opportunity to prepare for the coming of Christ. But we have to make
ourselves ready. We have to prepare the way.
What does our personal preparation look like? How
are we making straight the way of the Lord in our lives?
Take a cue from your holiday plans. Before you invite others to
visit you will prepare your home. You clean and decorate. Maybe you
bake some goodies. Your hard work is in eager anticipation of the
arrival of loved ones.
Doesn’t God deserve the same?
We prepare our hearts and minds with quiet contemplation, with a
sense of childlike awe, and with a willingness to set aside our priorities
and make God the center of our lives.
Jesus wants to be invited in. God does not force Himself upon us.
Jesus came once, in the fullness of time, to our troubled world.
God made man; the Word made flesh; a little baby born into humble
circumstances. It wasn’t a flashy entrance. Yet over two thousand
years later the world still remembers and celebrates.
We hold on to the promise that Christ will come again, at the appointed
time that no one knows but the Father (Matthew
24:36). But he also
comes to each of us in our earthly lives and if we accept his invitation
to follow then we can renew our pledge and invite him into our hearts
each and every Christmas.
Prepare the way for the Lord. Welcome him into your heart; welcome
the Great Mystery. God so loves us that He became one of us. And
then He showed us what it means to be human. He showed us how to
live and how to love.
So get ready. Be prepared. The gift you’ve been hoping and
waiting for is coming.
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| Tom Gilbert is a
writer and spiritual seeker who edits and maintains the
Living the Solution web site. You may reprint this article
as long as you give credit and a link back to www.livingthesolution.com |
Scripture taken from the Holy
Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®.Copyright © 1973,
1978, 1984 International Bible Society. All rights reserved
throughout the world. Used by permission of International
Bible Society.
NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION® and NIV® are registered trademarks
of International Bible Society. Use of either trademark for the offering
of goods or services requires the prior written consent of International
Bible Society.
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible,
New Living Translation, copyright ©1996. Used by permission
of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, IL 60189, USA. All rights
reserved.
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ISAIAH 40:3
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"A voice of one calling:
"In the desert prepare
the way for the LORD;
make straight in the wilderness
a highway for our God."
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(NIV)
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