Preparing for Jesus

Preparation is a prominent Advent theme.  Advent is “a voice calling: In the desert prepare the way for the Lord, make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God…  And the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all mankind together will see it” (Isaiah 40:3,5).  Preparation is about the way in which a people who celebrate the first coming of the Lord (Incarnation) wait for the second coming of the Lord.  How do we prepare for Jesus in this Advent season?  At the very least, by recognizing that our preparations take place in the desert of everyday life.  This is not a season of denying the realities that come with the dryness and barrenness of “all men (who) are like grass (that) withers” or “like flowers (that) fall” (40:6-8).  It is a season of embracing the power of God’s coming in the midst of these desert circumstances.  Because, embedded in His coming is the promise of “the word of God (that) stands for ever” and the security of His faithful presence:  “Here is your God!” (40:8-9).  Our preparation shifts the focus to God and the everlasting hope that comes with the anticipation of His coming.

Journey of Promise

The episode in Genesis 29:1-14 takes place within the larger context of God’s journey with Jacob.  The passage in itself tells the story of Jacob’s arrival at his mother’s home and subsequent conversation at the well with the shepherds, Rachel, and Uncle Laban after he continued his journey across the desert, seeking out the family members that his parents instructed him to locate.  But the larger context of the story is God’s promise to Jacob that is so well articulated in the previous chapter:  “I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land.  I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you” (28:16).  This story is another example of God fulfilling his promises in spite of and even through the less-than-admirable actions of the human beings in the story.  Though Jacob is a liar and a trickster, God graciously gives him the blessing God gave to Abraham and to Isaac. In addition, God promises to be with him and to bring him back to his homeland.  God is faithful, and God fulfills his promises, even through very flawed human beings.  That includes us.  God has given us another day in our lives because He is on a journey of promise with us.  Today is the first day of the rest of your adventurous journey within God’s larger purposes with your life.