If you’ve ever gone through the steps of putting up a tree, you know it is a fairly lengthy and involved process. You have to dog out that long, skinny box from the attic, the garage, the basement, or wherever it is. Or for the purists among us, you make a day of going to get the tree from the farm. Once it is inside, you have to go through the work of either assembling or putting up the tree. Then a series of steps have to happen. Ornaments, ribbons, tinsel, beads, additions, and then finally the crowning glory of it all: the star or the angel on top.
There is one step I missed in the midst of all of that, though. Without it, this entire process cannot happen. It can’t even begin. What is that step? You have to clear the way for the tree! You have to carve out that little corner, or that place in front of the window where the tree will be placed. Whatever is there needs to be moved, gotten rid of, or put away so that it can stand in its rightful place! There has to be work, even before the decorating can begin, because we have to prepare the way for that tree!
It is a yearly temptation for us to simply skip past the preparations of Advent and to scoot straight towards Christmas! With the battle for who will put their lights up first getting ever more early in the year, we can often get lost in the trappings of things without asking a question: we know how to prepare the way for Christ? Are we taking seriously this “reason for the season” as we continue to anticipate the season coming soon? Are we doing the work to clear our hearts and get them ready?
The first reading is taken from the prophet Baruch. Baruch is one of the prophets that, if one was to list off important ones, isn’t all that often to come to mind in the top three, if at all. Yet, here he is. It’s a fascinating reading, because as he is writing what we find in the book, you have to wonder if he could have ever imagined what his words meant to the fullest extent that he could. His reading speaks of preparing the way for coming glory, and we should know the context a bit. He was speaking to those in exile at the time: all of the Israelites, and he wanted to encourage them that a time of restoration was coming. This word glory comes up repeatedly- and it is a reminder of what is coming- that they will truly feel God’s presence. Little did Baruch likely guess that this meant something to later times as well: God’s glory would come to them at the Incarnation, and then again when He comes again at the Second Coming. Nonetheless: this is an imperative reading. He is telling the audience something: take off your mourning and misery! Stand on the heights! God is bringing you back! Every mountain will be made low, and the depths and gorges will be filled! God will be leading Israel in joy, by the light of his glory “with his mercy and justice for company.”
Truly, the “Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy.”
The second reading comes out of Saint Paul’s Letter to the Philippians. Since this is at the beginning, Paul loves to give thanks for things that he has seen first. This time, he is giving thanks that his prayers are being answered, and that the church in Phillipi is growing in its adherence to the Gospel. He is confident in the fruit of his prayers, as he sees in faith that the one who has begun the “good work in you will continue to complete it.” He will do that until the second coming- and Paul continues on in prayer: he wants to see their love increase more and more, to discern what is of value, so that they may be pure and blameless, filled with righteousness through Jesus Christ, for the glory and praise of God. What does Paul want then? For them to grow in their ability to love and to discern what is most important in life. To make priorities very clear: God being first of all, and everything else falling into the proper place.
The Gospel finally comes to us from Luke, and it begins in a very peculiar way. Luke starts to list off a bunch of rulers, locations, high priests, amongst other things. We might start to think it’s rather useless and would be tempted to toss it to the side, but there is a simple point in the inclusion here: the Gospel is fact! It includes historical people, places, and even dates, so that we understand that the Gospel is not a fiction! It is born out of very real things that actually did happen, even during the reign of these individuals, and ministries of others. This isn’t disposable- it is simply reminding us that the Gospel is true!
The second part of this Gospel is an indication of the preaching of John the Baptist who has gained prominence during this time, as the last in a long line of prophets. It is curious that Christ needed so many prophets before Him to prepare the way- yet we have to remember how stubborn the human heart is, and how quick to forget what is important as well. These prophets are like bulldozers- clearing the way for the one who is to come! So, John takes up the words of the prophet Isaiah, being “A voice of one crying out in the desert: Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths. This imagery that is very similar to the first reading pops up again here: Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill made low. Winding roads shall be made straight, and rough ways made smooth, and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.” So, John’s job is indicated to us quite simply: during these times He is tasked with the immediate preparations for our Lord, Jesus Christ.
So, a lot of preparation is going on in these readings: but is that translating to our lives? If we thread through all the readings, we find some things of importance during this Advent Season: what we are preparing for, why we are preparing for it, and how we prepare for it!
What are we preparing for? Christ’s glory! Now, I know some of you are out there thinking “oh, yay, wonderful. What’s for lunch?” But do you understand- this is glory that is indescribable. This is the glory that will be showered on us in heaven if we are faithful! What is this? Something that, if we beheld it now, we would be powerless to resist, much like a young child in a candy shop! God’s glory- His beauty- and His Love- are worth it- and so moving that we would be in tears if we understood the ways that we do not cooperate with it right now! So, why do we prepare for that? Because we need to do the work. Christ can’t just simply dump Himself into our hearts and souls. That would do violence to our free will! He has to be invited in- and we have to have a place for Him to be invited into. We had best not just “shove Him into a corner” of our hearts, minds or souls, because, if we do, we are at risk of losing Him entirely. And as excited as everyone gets about putting up decorations- it is all for naught if we do not take Him into our hearts at Christmas first!
So, that is the third and final question: how do we prepare for the glory of Christ’s coming at Christmas? By throwing out the garbage of sin and selfishness! How many of us can recognize that there are things that clutter our hearts, and make it harder to see Christ, or have a relationship with Him? If we truly want to receive Him, brothers and sisters, its time to stop excusing our stupid and foolish behavior! Too many people see what Christians do, and they are ashamed of it. They know we go to church on the weekends, and yet, when they run into us, they know all too well that we are going to be too focused on things that are actually incompatible with the Gospel. And, if we are strong enough to be honest with ourselves- we have to acknowledge it! We are quite often taken by things we shouldn’t be! Sins, anxieties, sorrow, and sadness, are all things Christ wants to break through! But, we have to make the time to clear with Him. Yes, we can’t do it ourselves, but progress is all about starting that process, and saying: things aren’t like they should be, but I want them to be! We need to have the courage to move things out of the way, so that Jesus can come. So many things can enter into the mind, heart and soul, and so many need cleared away for our Lord to be readily welcomed into our hearts and souls. It’s not just the tree that needs a place in our homes. May we prepare a place for Christ in our hearts.
Come, Lord Jesus, come!
