Who are you preparing for?
Advent is the season of preparing for the coming of our Lord, both in a manger in Bethlehem, and at the end of time to judge “the quick and the dead.”
We prepare differently, depending on the value we place on what is coming. If the neighborhood children are knocking on the door, no prep is needed. If friends are coming for dinner, then some cleaning, shopping and cooking are in order. If you learned that your favorite celebrity was coming for a visit, I daresay you would wipe everything else off the calendar, steam the carpets, paint, clean, make sure there is nothing out of place, prepare any possible food or beverage, tell all your friends, etc.
Yet, when we are promised that the King of the Universe, the Lord of Lords, is coming into our lives, what is our preparation? Maybe we’ll make an extra effort to get to church. Perhaps an extra donation. Maybe we’re more careful to be thankful for our food an our bounty, even as we grumble about how much its all costing. But do we seriously look to “put our house in order?” Do we strive to root out that nagging sin that has dogged us this past year, or even longer? Do we turn off the TV and open the Scripture more?
How might the thought that you are preparing for Jesus’ arrival change your Christmas preparations this year?
This Advent, remember the One for whom you prepare. And prepare accordingly!
In Christ,
Fr. Eric Turner
Rector
This column originally appeared in the December 10, 2017 issue of St. John’s eNews. Click here for the complete issue.
If you are reading this at another time, you may click here for the current eNews.
