Have you noticed that people prepare for Christmas earlier and earlier each year? On the heels of Halloween, lights appear on our houses, wreaths are hung on doorways, and elaborately decorated Christmas trees shine through windows. On top of these decorations, there are family traditions that demand our attention. Perhaps there is a movie we watch every year or a long list of baking to be done.
It is easy to believe that preparing for Christmas is about managing these external activities. We deem ourselves prepared for Christmas when all that needs to be done is completed. Yet, because the list before us is long and complicated, this rarely takes place before Christmas eve.
These external preparations are important; they make the Christmas season wonderful and exciting. Yet, as faithful Christian people, we must pause and ask ourselves, “How do we inwardly prepare for Christmas?” After all, if we truly believe that on Christmas morning we can, in some way, receive the presence of our Lord anew, does this not warrant the need to prepare our hearts?
The ministry of John the Baptist was centered on this very thing. John called people to prepare to receive the coming Messiah. Thus, we can look to John’s ministry in the desert to help us prepare to receive our Lord on Christmas morning.
1. Turn to Jesus
John the Baptist was the forerunner of Jesus. The last of the great prophets, he stood by the banks of the Jordon and called people to prepare for the Messiah. Luke describes his ministry this way: “John went preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins” (Luke 3:3).
The word “repentance” simply means “to turn,” or “to change direction.” The word describes the active re-focusing of one’s life. To repent is to consciously turn towards the presence and activity of God.
For John, this act of repentance was rooted in the anticipation of the coming Messiah. To prepare for the Messiah, through an act of inward turning, was to believe that the Messiah could be met, experienced, and received.
The fact that Jesus comes to us can be easily lost amid the familiarity of Advent and Christmas. These seasons can easily run on autopilot. Yet, as Christians, we bear the audacious belief that our Lord comes to us. Christmas is not merely a time to nostalgically rehearse a beloved story.
Christmas declares that Jesus incarnates himself in our world. Thus, we are invited to discover the intimacy of Jesus in our lives; to dwell within the presence of the one whose name is “Emmanuel,” which means God with us” (Matthew 1:23).
John’s message is powerful because it is rooted in the certainty of Christ’s presence. We need not hunt for Jesus; we need not search for him; instead of laboring to find Jesus, we open our hearts to be embraced by him. Preparing the way of the Lord, John says, involves turning to the one who approaches us in hope, peace, joy, and love.
2. Remove Obstacles
Turning towards Jesus, however, is only part of our inward preparation. John also tells us that we must remove the things that obstruct our ability to receive the Lord. John tells the tax collectors to stop collecting more than required, soldiers to refrain from extorting people, and others to share resources with those less fortunate (Luke 3:10-14).
Simply, we are to step away from sinful thoughts, words, or deeds. It is not enough to turn and watch for Jesus to arrive, we need to remove whatever may hinder our ability to accept him. This removal of obstacles is imaged as the leveling of ground.
Valleys are raised, mountains are brought low, and the crooked pathways are made straight (Luke 3:4-6). Such imagery provides a useful way to assess our spiritual lives. Are there low places where we are tempted to sink into frustration or discouragement?
Or are we tempted to feel overwhelmed by the mountainous obstacles we face? Are there things that block us from being able to see Jesus in our lives? Of course, then there are the crooked ways. Are there habits, activities, or sins, that move us away from the Lord?
Are there things that seem to turn our hearts sour and cause us to act out in less than healthy ways? These things become obstacles in our Christian life; they block our ability to fully receive the grace and love of Jesus.
Of course, these obstacles do not stop Jesus from coming to us. Jesus comes “leaping over the mountains and bounding over the hills” (Song of Songs 2:8). Yet when we focus too heavily on our frustrations, struggles, or sins, these things easily fill our vision.
They define our lives and become the lens through which we see ourselves, our life, our future. When this occurs, it can be easy to miss Jesus. Although Jesus comes, as he is faithful to do, we are too consumed by other things to fully acknowledge him.
Removing these spiritual obstacles involves being diligent in keeping the presence of Jesus before us. It is to walk through our days with a heart that is perpetually opened to Christ’s influence. This can be difficult in the holiday season, with all its frenetic busyness.
Still, our call is “let every heart prepare him room.” Otherwise, like the innkeeper in Bethlehem, we turn to the approaching Messiah and declare “no room!” We must ask ourselves, if we arrive at Christmas morning feeling physically, emotionally, or spiritually exhausted, have we truly prepared to receive our Lord?
3. Accept the Promise
Our external preparations of baking, decorations, and holiday traditions are based on the certainty of Christmas morning. Despite the ups and downs of life, despite floods, heartaches, or pandemics, we are assured that Christmas morning will arrive.
This is a fact upon which we rely. This same promise is given to us in our spiritual lives. Jesus comes to us. We can receive him and uncover the liberating power of his presence.
This was the exact promise given to the people of Israel during the exile. When Isaiah described the voice in the desert, calling people to prepare for the Lord, he spoke this in the promise that “the glory of the Lord would be revealed” (Isaiah 30:5).
This promise came true. Eventually, the people of Israel were liberated from their exile. They marched back to the Promised Land. God’s glory, God’s goodness, and the way of salvation were revealed to the people.
This same promise was revealed in John’s day. John’s ministry was rooted in the assurance that the day of salvation was approaching. John was convinced that, if people prepared for the Lord, they would see “the salvation of our God” (Luke 3:6).
This promise is proven true. Jesus comes. Jesus invited people into his kingdom. More than anything, in his crucifixion, burial, and resurrection of the Lord, the salvation of God is put on full display.
This promise of witnessing the saving power of the Lord is given to us. Despite all that we face, Jesus dwells with us. Every day of our lives is a day where he incarnates himself in our lives. We are never outside his presence or his activity.
This promise is to be accepted and held in the deepest part of our lives. As we inwardly prepare, turning to his presence and accepting his activity, we are assured that we will see the salvation of God. This is his promise, and he is faithful.
For further reading:
What Can Christmas Tell Us about God’s Glory?
What Does it Mean to Have a Shepherd’s Heart at Christmas?
How Do Many Christmas Movies Get the Meaning of Christmas Wrong?
What Is the Origin of Beloved Christmas Traditions?
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The Reverend Dr. Kyle Norman is the Rector of St. Paul’s Cathedral, located in Kamloops BC, Canada. He holds a doctorate in Spiritual formation and is a sought-after writer, speaker, and retreat leader. His writing can be found at Christianity.com, crosswalk.com, ibelieve.com, Renovare Canada, and many others. He also maintains his own blog revkylenorman.ca. He has 20 years of pastoral experience, and his ministry focuses on helping people overcome times of spiritual discouragement.