Clearing the Path
“A voice of one calling: ‘In the wilderness prepare the way for the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain. And the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all people will see it together. For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.’” —ISAIAH 40:3-5 (NIV)
According to the prophet Isaiah, perhaps the best symbol for Advent is a bulldozer that makes every path smooth. Or maybe a forklift that shuttles the biggest rocks out of the way. God’s glory will not be hidden by any nook or cranny or mountain or valley. It was a glory that Isaiah foresaw and was echoed again by John the Baptist. (We were introduced to John in Week Two of Advent, when we spoke of his mother Elizabeth’s unlikely pregnancy at an old age.)
John announced to the crowds that God had come among them, that Jesus was the longed for Messiah. He encouraged the people to “Repent!” Now, repent is not a word we hear much these days, and when we do it may sound harsh to our ears. But what it means is a full 180 degree change of mind and behavior, orienting ourselves to the coming kingdom of love. Repenting is not a matter of first changing ourselves from bad to good so we can be worthy of loving. Rather, repenting begins by realizing the truth that we already belong. We are already loved. John was calling the people to bulldoze whatever blocks the way for you to experience the coming of the Promised One, whether it is pain or doubt or disappointment, or even self-condemnation. What is standing in your way?
REFLECT
1. Father Greg Boyle says, “One of the many impediments to hearing the only message God longs to communicate to us is our marriage to the pain we carry and the lament that accompanies it.”[Gregory Boyle. Barking to the Choir: The Power ofmRadical Kinship. (New York: Simon & Schuster, 2017). 19.] Are you married to your pain or lament or despair? Reflect on how that has stood as an impediment blocking the experience of God’s love for you.
2. The very real things we need to cry over do matter, yet they are not the only things. Sometimes it takes a loving hand to turn our chins toward the tenderness of God for us too. It’s a both/and kind of situation. How does this tension sit with you today?
RESPOND
At Christmas especially, our expectations can become impediments to giving and receiving love. Myths around perfectionism or unfulfilled hopes or loneliness can become the loudest voices in the room. Take a moment to tell them to pipe down, so you have some brain-space for gratitude. What comes forward instead?
A Blessing for Seeing Things Differently
Blessed are we, starting to notice the love that sees things differently.
The hug that lasts long enough, the glance that is tender enough to melt the distance between us.
Blessed are we, starting to understand that it’s you, God, and your gaze that lights the way.
Complete acceptance and delight.
It’s you, starting your big renovation project, your compassion that transforms the world.
Your tenderness that reaches each one to the core.
You will shine in all the shadowy places that mountains of shame had kept hidden.
You will heal from the inside every wound that bitterness had carved into your being.
Blessed are we, starting to see our part in leveling the path for others as best we can,mremoving the rocks and filling in the potholes, glad that you’ve got the rest.
GOING DEEPER
Gratitude is complicated. It is a gift to see the good and beautiful things in our lives, but it can also feel like a muzzle that limits our ability to tell the truth. Watch this clip (3 minutes) to think more with Kate about what this means.