Preparing to Love

In those days John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness of Judea, proclaiming,  

“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” ^

This is the one of whom the prophet Isaiah spoke when he said,

“The voice of one crying out in the wilderness:

‘Prepare the way of the Lord,

make his paths straight.’ ”

Matthew 3:1-3

Dear Friends,

Back when I was living in Texas, I looked forward to my annual snow skiing trip… and it was a lot more than a two-hour drive down the road! Weeks before I’d start making the arrangements: travel, lodging, ski tuning, finding my ski clothes, and, of course, starting to get my legs in shape so that my body could handle 3-4 days of skiing “at altitude.” I took my preparations seriously because I wanted to make sure that I could really enjoy my skiing vacation.

Most things in our lives take some preparation. For many, this holiday time is a time of hosting parties and get-togethers. First there’s the scheduling and inviting. Then there’s planning for the food and activities. There’s usually some cleaning, decorating or special arranging needed. Hosting takes a lot of work. And even if one is just attending a get-together (and not hosting) there’s what to wear, traveling, and what to bring.

Last Friday night, I went to a Steve Bell concert. His faith journey began as a Baptist but he has discovered and appreciated the celebration of the Church year… So this concert was his “Advent” concert. One of the things he shared is that Advent is a time to “prepare to love.” What does that mean?

If we tend to relate to love as primarily an emotion, then this doesn’t make much sense. Emotions tend to come and go and we don’t have that much control over them. On the other hand, if we relate to love as the action of focusing on, serving  and caring for another, then things start falling into place.

Take for example a hospital. Hospitals are prepared to receive people who are ill or hurt and to provide for their needs. They have done the preparation and it saves lives!

If you will be attending a family get-together, you can also prepare to love. In addition to all the things mentioned above, perhaps the real preparation is getting your heart soft so that your interactions can be gracious and loving. Because—let’s face it—the relatives or acquaintances tend to come as themselves with all their quirks and idiosyncrasies. Some of these may be delightful. Others annoying. Still others irritating. And still others worse than that! Preparing to love in these cases might look like doing the interior work of preparing to RESPOND graciously to people so that the interactions don’t create arguments and hurt feelings. This is the kind of preparation that can make the difference between a gathering being the same old “tense affair” or being “the best one we’ve had in years.”

Of course, the Advent season is particularly focused on the birth of Jesus. What would it look like for you to prepare to receive again the God who comes to be among us? How might you create some space to ponder this mystery of the cosmos? How might you acknowledge the need for God’s saving grace and rejoice anew at the announcement of Jesus’ birth?

How might you prepare to love Jesus this Advent season?

Peace,

Pastor Phil