Prepare Ye The Way of the Lord
[3] A voice cries: “In the wilderness prepare the way of the LORD; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. [4] Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain. [5] And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”
– Isaiah 40:3–5 (ESV)
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Here is the forward thrust of Advent, the countervailing motion that lifts the boats clear, the heralding announcement of the arriving God. The note that is struck is sounded from the future. We are not looking backward sentimentally to a baby; we are looking forward to the only One in whom the promise of peace will some day be fulfilled. Trusting in that promise, we can do things we thought we could not do. Relying on Him, we can change our habits, confront our addictions, forgive our enemies, curb our spending, challenge our society, raise our pledge, lower our defenses, stand up for justice, speak the truth – not all of these things at once, to be sure, but even one break from past patterns of sin will be in its way a sign of Christ’s coming. Because God is out ahead of us, we know that cover-ups, the denials, the lies and frauds and pretenses are part of the old world that is passing away. We are not trapped in our mistakes and delusions. God is enlisting us on the side of His future.
Listen to the first lines of the Advent hymns: “Hark, a thrilling voice is sounding!”; “Lo, He comes, with clouds descending!”; “Sleepers, wake! a voice astounds us!”; “Rejoice, rejoice, believers!” As the electrifying message reaches our ears, we recognize that we are hearing something entirely new in religion. God is on the move toward us, not the other way around. In the very midst of our confusion and incapacity, we are met by the oncoming Lord. In our valley of ashes, we are seized by hope. In the graveyard of dreams, the Holy Spirit breathes life from the dead. In the place where illusions die, the Sun rises upon us, and of His kingdom there will be no end.
Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.
– Beyond the Valley of Ashes (Fleming Rutledge)
O, my soul. (said tenderly) What gives you hope?
As we speedily come upon yet another Christmas season, our spirit is filled with noise, yes? O, beloved! We have so many mixed emotions, do we not, just now?
We look around us with these wonderfully made eyes our Creator gave us, we take in various smells, we place our hands on bitterly cold tree trunks, we listen to hymns of old (loudly) - proclaiming the truth of God, we taste fruits of labor - labor of love. And…as we do…we ponder.
Our memory takes us back a bit in time to when we were younger; when our parents were the ones guiding us. We, fondly remember those times.
Times of peace, love, and joy. Things seemed simpler then, perhaps.
Part of us, nostalgically, holds on to such memories. We chase them, we try and recreate them, we cherish them. We desperately try and hold on to them.
While it is good, and right to do so; holding on to memories, even memories like these, can be crippling, in a way, if we hold too tightly. If we’re not careful, they can crowd out reality. They can, if we’re not diligent, take over the present moment, and dare I say, even the future.
In retrospect, we glamorize things. Partially, I think, as a way of coping with disappointment. Because, in this world, it’s inevitable, beloved. We therefore, filter out that which is undesirable. We do so consciously, and subconsciously. And we think to self: “no harm done.” But…
O, dear soul. (said gently) There is harm done. We’re only suppressing the sorrows. We’re merely masking the pain.
And so, in the midst of this, how shall we “prepare ye the way of the Lord”? For He surely is coming soon. So very soon!
Do we look back to memories - those we hold dearly as well as those we lament? Do we, in celebration, remember the birth of our precious Savior: Jesus Christ, our Lord? Of course.
We call all of these blessed memories to mind with joy, along with all other memories, too - even the bitter ones. All of these things are worth remembering.
But, all the while, solemnly reconciling the truth in our hearts - taking all things in proper context: the reason for His coming.
He came, beloved, because we were, indeed, lost - we were without hope. Let us not forget.
So, what do we do with all of the messiness in life, here and now? The already, but not yet?
We must continue to speak truth to our souls, we must saturate our hearts with His precious Word. We must cry out to Him, constantly, earnestly, fervently. Let Him know you miss Him. Let us pour out our soul to Him day by day, beloved. Let us remember passages like 1 Corinthians 13:4-6 and Philippians 4:8
And, as some moments of bitterness inevitably creep into our consciousness, don’t despair, beloved. Ooo! How about we use them to fuel our expectations for what’s to come, yes? Yes. For He will restore all things in His proper Time.
We look back, beloved, yes, but in doing so, we also look forward.
Let us take all of this: the good and the bad, the joys and sorrows, the hopes and fears, and may we look forward, still. For we do greatly anticipate His coming to fulfill all of His purposes, yes?
Indeed.
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O, King,
We patiently, gladly, and expectantly wait upon You.
O, Spirit, shape our hearts, please. Continue your work in us.
O, God, help us to revel in your faithfulness, your steadfast love, your mercies which are new every morning, your incredible work since the beginning of time. May we honestly surrender all of our disappointments, sorrows, and fears to You - the only One worth trusting with such precious thoughts. As we reflect and ponder throughout this Christmas season, I ask You to continually recalibrate our compass of hope. When we mistakingly put our hope in that which cannot satisfy, please…tenderly take us by the hand, cup our face…and hold us. May we, through faith, see You: our Hope. Prepare our hearts, please. So we can be ready. We eagerly await You. Come! Please, Lord Jesus, come quickly! We long to see you face to face! These eyes you have created, they are desperate to behold You in all of your glory. Our hearts ache to be with You, our Beloved. Please, Lord, hide not your face from us forever. We earnestly seek you! Come, come King Jesus! May all glory be yours forever and ever.
Amen.