An Advent Meditation

John Preaching in the Wilderness

“Prepare ye the way of the Lord.” These words of John the Baptist’s are so familiar to us that they have lost much of their impact.  But suppose that the Prime Minister of England called to say that Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip wanted to come to visit.  In fact, they are already on their way.  As soon as we hung up from the call, we’d get busy!!  We would take a look around to see what needed to be done to host such famous and powerful people.  As we look, we’re bound to realize that our house is a far cry from Buckingham Palace.  We would notice the crooked front steps with the loose board; we see every dent in the molding, every place where the paint was chipped or faded, and we’d become painfully conscious of every crack in our china and glassware.  So we’d get busy repairing, and polishing and repainting the house so that it would be its best when the Queen and her consort arrived.

The same urgency should strike us when we think of John’s Advent Message. In Christ, God is coming to live with us — and frankly, our “house” is a wreck!  Face to face with the prospect of Christ’s arrival, we see ourselves with new eyes.  We know our poverty and our shabbiness.  As we prepare for the arrival of Christ, we will discover that no matter how hard we prepare, we will never be able to present a place that is worthy of so great and loving and gracious a guest.  Inevitably, we will be receiving God’s abundance into the midst of our own poverty.

But hear the good news: in Christ, God is pleased to come to us – no matter where we are – even into a cow’s feed bin.  The Messiah’s arrival levels the playing field:  not just between the elements of the creation, but between creation and Creator. The rough places, the high and low places…  ALL these can be host to God’s presence if they are willing.  And, once welcomed, God’s presence will make each of them shine with a wondrous beauty, despite their own native homeliness.   It is the presence of Christ that will make the rough places smooth, the high places low, and the low places exalted   It is the presence of Christ transforms our meager dwelling places into mansions.

The more we let Christ move into our hearts, our homes, our church and our world, the more the world will be transformed into a place fit for God to dwell.

Christ is coming!  The Kingdom is at hand!  Let us prepare to receive God and to be transformed!

Amen.