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A voice
cries: “In the
wilderness prepare the way of the Lord, make
straight in the desert a highway for our God.”
(Isaiah 40: 3)
The passage from
Isaiah, part of today’s readings, is probably one
of the most recognized of the Advent scripture
readings. Fine. Now what? There’s no real
wilderness or desert around here. And there are
probably a few too many highways.
Probably you have
heard that the imagery relates to a practice in
Christ’s time of an advance party going ahead of
royalty to make sure that the road would be smooth
for their eventual passage. There was a lot more
desert and wilderness than cities in those times,
and there were no paved roads between cities.
Beyond comfort, a
smooth road was also a matter of safety. Getting
stuck in the wilderness or desert would subject
travelers to danger from the environment and
natural and human predators. The advance group of
workers both ensured safe arrival for the
traveling royalty, and through their presence,
alerted those along the way that someone special
would be coming soon.
We are encouraged to
prepare a way for our Lord Jesus in the wilderness
and desert of our lives and the lives of those
around us. Wilderness and desert?
Consider the five
actions we vow in our Baptismal Covenant: 1)
continue in the apostles’ teaching and fellowship,
in the breaking of bread, and in the prayers; 2)
persevere in resisting evil, and, whenever you
fall into sin, repent and return to the Lord; 3)
proclaim by word and example the Good News of God
in Christ; 4) seek and serve Christ in all
persons, loving your neighbor as yourself; 5)
strive for justice and peace among all people, and
respect the dignity of every human being. This is,
at least, a partial description of what the
Kingdom of God would look like shining forth from each
of our lives. Any thing less than an abundance of
these actions in our own lives and the lives of
those around us tends towards wilderness and
desert.
Advent is a time for
pausing and reflecting on how we are, in our
individual lives, in the wilderness, preparing the
way of the Lord, and making straight in the
desert a highway for our God. Rather than waiting
for New Years to make resolutions, right now is an
appropriate time to consider our Baptismal
Covenant and how we can prepare the way of the
Lord in our lives. Each day of Advent, reflect on
the five actions from our Baptismal Covenant by
adding before each “How more might I…” For
example, how more might I seek and serve Christ in
all persons, loving my neighbor as myself? The
answers you accumulate and work on throughout
Advent will provide you direction for both
preparing the way of the Lord and alerting others
to his coming. |
