Advent Day 19

Thursday, December 19th

“A voice of one calling: ‘In the wilderness prepare the way for the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain. And the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all people will see it together. For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.’”

—Isaiah 40:3-5 (NIV)

According to the prophet Isaiah, perhaps the best symbol for Advent is a bulldozer that makes every path smooth. Or maybe a forklift that shuttles the biggest rocks out of the way. Any nook, cranny, mountain, or valley will not hide God’s glory. It was a glory that Isaiah foresaw and was echoed again by John the Baptist. (We were introduced to John in Week Two of Advent when we spoke of his mother Elizabeth’s unlikely pregnancy at an old age.)

John announced to the crowds that God had come among them and that Jesus was the longed-for Messiah. He encouraged the people to “Repent!” Now, repent is not a word we hear much these days, and when we do it may sound harsh to our ears. But what it means is a full 180-degree change of mind and behavior, orienting ourselves to the coming kingdom of love.

Repenting is not a matter of first changing ourselves from bad to good so we can be worthy of loving. Rather, repenting begins by realizing the truth that

we already belong. We are already loved. John was calling the people to bulldoze whatever blocks the way to experiencing the coming of the Promised One, whether it is pain, doubt, disappointment, or even self-condemnation. What is standing in your way?

O God, bulldoze those boulders blocking the path to experiencing an intimate relationship with you. And let me be an agent of healing in the lives of others. Let me see my part in leveling the path for others as best as

possible, removing the rocks and filling in the potholes, knowing that You will take care of the rest. Amen.