I love the new Advent banner, which was lovingly created by Donna Pottratz. I love the colors, the huge star over the silhouette of Bethlehem, and the simple word in all caps: "PREPARE." As I prepare to preach this week, I'm struck by the fact that three of the four Scripture readings appointed for this coming Sunday speak about preparing the way of the Lord. So, I've been pondering these perennial questions: What do the Scriptures tell us about preparing the way of the Lord? And what does this mean for you and me, the people of God, who are called to continue preparing the way of the Lord in our time and place?

     Five hundred years before the birth of Jesus, the prophet Malachi proclaimed that a messenger sent by God would prepare the way of the Lord by purifying and refining God's people. In the psalm setting for this week, which is actually from chapter 1 Luke's gospel, Zechariah the priest declares that his newborn son, who will become known as John the Baptist, will prepare the way of the Lord by offering "knowledge of salvation to his people by the forgiveness of their sins." Through John's work of preparing the way, the "tender mercy of our God...will break upon us, to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace." Our gospel reading for this Sunday, which is from Luke 3, tells us that preparing the way of the Lord is about repentance and forgiveness, AND it's also about God's salvation bringing equity and grace to all people. As John declares, "Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be made low..., and all flesh shall see the salvation of God."

     Based on the biblical witness, we can also conclude that preparing the way of the Lord is work that's ongoing until God's Kingdom comes in its fullness. Another thing our Scripture readings teach us is that  preparing the way of the Lord always happens within a particular context, and so our work of preparing may look a little different in each time and place. That's why it's so important that you and I and all God's people make space to pray and listen for God's guidance -- both as individuals and in community -- so that we can discern how God is calling us to prepare the way of the Lord in our time and place.