Reflection for the Second Sunday of Advent

As it is written in the prophet Isaiah,

“See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you,

who will prepare your way;

the voice of one crying out in the wilderness:

‘Prepare the way of the Lord,

make his paths straight,’”

As we enter into this second week of Advent the sense of the season is truly beginning to dawn upon us. The stores are now in full bloom with their colors and sales and enticements. The streets begin to glow with holiday lights, and plan for travel, cooking, and celebrating no longer seem far off.

And yet, it is only the second week. There is still more road to travel, there are still more stories to be heard, more candles to be lit. Last week we celebrated our freedom in how we prepare for the Christmas season. This week, we hear from John the Baptist, announcing the way of the Lord, telling the people how to prepare:

“Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.”

We like it when there are messengers. Though the adage “don’t shoot the messenger” exists for a reason (John ended up beheaded, remember?), we do actually like to know what is going to happen next. We like to have a “heads up,” a little time to prepare for whatever big news or event is coming towards us.

So, John prepared the people, baptizing them in the waters of the Jordan, calling for repentance and making the way ready for the One who was to come.

What do we do, then, to prepare in this season?

Perhaps, in a spirit of baptismal waters, we wash our houses, doing extra cleaning and preparation for the holidays. Or perhaps we take up additional spiritual practices, similar to the tradition of “giving up” something in Lent. Or perhaps we are so overwhelmed by the secular world’s demands on our pre-Christmas time that the idea of doing anything to prepare ourselves personally for the coming of Christ, of which we do not know the day or hour, just seems like one more thing on the list that isn’t going to get done.

It’s okay.

Read Isaiah’s proclamation again: “See, I am sending my messenger…who will prepare your way.” It’s not actually up to us to prepare. God prepare us. We have already been washed in the font, we have already been fed at the table, we have already been loved and named and claimed.

Thanks be to God!

Amen.