prepare

Opening Prayer: Prepare me, O God, during this season, for your coming; whatever that may look like.  Help me to be ready and attentive when you finally arrive.  Amen. 

Scripture: Isaiah 40:3-5

Journal: How will you prepare your heart and soul for Christmas this year?  What will this look like (specifically)?

Reflection: A voice of one calling: "In the desert prepare the way for the Lord; make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God." (Isaiah 40:3)

You prepare a table for me in the presence of my enemies. . . (Psalm 23:5)

The season of Advent is a season of preparation.  It is the time and the season where we prepare for Christmas--the arrival of the Christ into this dark and broken world.  This preparation is not just a one way street; there is a duality to it.  It is God preparing us for something and God preparing something for us.  Or in the words of Psalm 23, God is preparing a table for us, and God is preparing us for a table.  When the meal is ready, and we are ready for the meal, the feast can begin.  But until then, all we can really do is smell the goodness of what he's cooking up and wait for it with eager anticipation.

Prayer

Closing Prayer: Lord, give me the courage and the discipline to prepare my heart and soul for your arrival, lest when we get to Christmas Day, I realize that I have missed you once again.  Amen.