Advent 3 - Year B

With less than 2 weeks until Christmas we find ourselves acting in a very different way than we would have otherwise throughout the year.  We are just that little more frantic about getting the house clean, hanging the most impressive chrissy lights, or even fighting over the last kilo of prawns in Coles.  We have this expectation that everything needs to be perfect, that we need to have remembered to do everything for the day to run smoothly.

We’re even willing to travel miles and miles in one day to spend a few fleeting moments with relatives; some of whom we may only see once a year, or worst still may not even like!

The build-up to this day can be mind-blowing, and at times simply overwhelming.  This is why Rev. Jan’s initiative to have all of our Christmas shopping finished before Advent commences is a good idea to avoid all of this havoc, and be able to focus on what is truly important about the season.

Now at this point I must make a confession.  I have unfortunately failed on this one, as I have not even begun to consider what needs to be done for Christmas, having only just put up the tree last night.  I feel a sense of anxiety as the date creeps closer and closer, and I find myself as unprepared as what I was at the start of the season.  I find that my focus has shifted from Christmas being about the coming of Christ, to being about finding the best Secret Santa gift for a work colleague.  I feel that I am at risk of missing out on what the real meaning of this season is, just because I am pre-occupied with other tasks.

In each of our readings today, I saw a common theme of preparation.  John the Baptist in particular is asking the people to prepare a way for Christ.  Even looking to the Collect at the start of our service, and the first reading taken from Isaiah, there is a request to prepare for the Lord.

Now obviously preparing for a Christmas lunch with the relatives is very different to preparing for the coming of Christ, but I managed to draw some parallels.

Firstly I return to the example of my own ill-preparation for Christmas, and try to examine why this might be.  Is it a lack of desire to do it all over again?, is it too much hard work?  What I find quite often is that I have so many other competing priorities in life, that I haven’t properly planned for Christmas, and therefore have no idea what needs to be done first.  In life  need a plan, a set of actions or tasks to be able to achieve a goal or objective.

I see similarities when we try to prepare for Christ – we don’t know exactly what we need to do to prepare, or what order to do it in, or where we should go to do this.  When we don’t prepare in life, as we all know, it can be very difficult to succeed in the end.  By me not planning for Christmas, I risk not getting everything finished in time, but by us not planning or preparing for Christ, we risk missing the whole point of Christmas.  So how do we prepare?

The way I see it is that to prepare for Christ is not about finding tangible items to help in the preparation for a party, or in this case a Christmas celebration.  We don’t need to bring the most expensive food, or presents.  We don’t need to outshine others with our impressive culinary talents or hostess abilities.  Jesus just needs us!  He will provide the rest!  It is our willingness to accept the words of Jesus and all that he stands for that allows us to prepare.  He will provide everything else we could possibly need.  In Isaiah it says ‘he has clothed me with the garments of salvation, he has covered me with a robe of righteousness’; and makes a comparison to how a bride and groom dress up in preparation for their wedding day.  The Lord does not want us to bring lavish gifts, or possessions; but only needs us to bring ourselves.  When we are open to, and freely accept the word of God, only then are we truly prepared.

Sometimes I think my lack of preparation for the Christmas season has a lot to do with a sense of sadness I feel at this time.  Not only the loss of loved ones, but also the importance that commercialism seems to unfortunately play for the season, and how easy it seems to be, to forget what it is all about, and instead be caught up in the trivial matters of family feuds and buying presents.  Instead of succumbing to this side of Christmas, I urge you to see the big picture, and be open to its message.  The best thing about allowing yourself to be open to Christ is that although you may not always feel joy, by trusting in God he will provide us with the joy we need.  God realises how busy we are and how difficult it can be to know how to prepare, but this is why God gives us the tools to have faith.  Whilst they may only be glimpses in our lives, or if we’re lucky perhaps longer journeys; they are opportunities all the same where we are invited to turn to Christ and join in the preparation for the Lord. 

This is particularly what God wants for us at this time.  God wants us to feel joy at Christmas as we remembered today through the lighting of the pink candle.  When we don’t feel this way, we need to ask the Lord to give us this desire.  By sharing our pain with the Lord he can take away our ill-feeling and give us the opportunity for joy!  The psalm today said that ‘those which bear the seed for sowing, shall come home with shouts of joy’.  Isaiah speaks of our God giving comfort to all who mourn, saying that the Lord will ‘provide a garland instead of ashes’, and ‘the oil of gladness instead of mourning’.  The reference to these being called ‘oaks of righteousness’ within the same reading, demonstrates the strength of God, and God’s ability to nurture us, if we let it happen.

Among us there are those that are lucky enough to have already reached this point of joy.  However, it is important for those that are joyous to seek out the faint-hearted, the weak, the poor, the oppressed, and encourage them to be the same.  The Lord wants us all to be happy, and wants us to praise his name – not  be woeful or solemn but give thanks.

We need to be like John the Baptist and spread the good news.  I see him as the perfect example of someone who not only prepared himself for the coming of Jesus, but also prepared others.  As the gospel said, he came as not the messiah but as a witness to the Lord and his greatness, and it was through him that the people were able to believe.  As was highlighted last week in the sermon, there are many among us that are ‘godlike’ and in fact as we are all made in his image, we each have the ability to show the way of God as John did, without the need of being a prophet.

Isaiah was another great prophet who lead God’s people and prepared them for the coming of John the Baptist, the same way that he in turn prepared the people for the coming of Jesus Christ.  In our everyday lives, we have each been witness to situations that have failed due to their being no clear direction or goal.  Isaiah and John were the leaders of their time, and showed the people the pathway leading to God.  They highlighted the importance of being ready for God, and emphasised the importance of preparation to each and everyone.  Skipping forward to Easter we can also see how Jesus himself provided direction for his people; and prepared them for his death and resurrection.  He is not dissimilar to Isaiah and John the Baptist, who each were just one person having to take on the masses and express the importance of the need for preparation for the coming of the Lord.  But as alluded to last week, we can each emphasise the need to prepare.

This Christmas season we can be that same ‘voice crying out in the wilderness’ that John was, the guiding light to the Lord; and show his people the importance of preparing for Christmas, remembering what it is truly all about.  Whilst we shouldn’t force people to live the ways of God, we can still show the way like John and show people the tools for living to allow us to prepare the way for God.  The same way God provides us with the means to believe, we too can provide the means for others as we move forward into this joyous time, and await in anticipation for the coming of the Lord.  In saying this, do not follow blindly though.  Ensure that you test everything you need to, to ensure that it is your belief and no one else’s.  Paul reminds us of this in the second reading where it asks us not to despise the prophets and their message, but to actively test it. 

Be true to yourself as you prepare for this Christmas season, be sincere in your actions – and you will see that in preparing for the Lord you will witness his true greatness!