Words of Advent: Prepare

“With what shall I come before the LORD,
    and bow myself before God on high?
Shall I come before him with burnt offerings,
    with calves a year old?
Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams,
    with ten thousands of rivers of oil?
Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression,
    the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?”
He has told you, O mortal, what is good;
    and what does the LORD require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness,
    and to walk humbly with your God? ~Micah 6:6-8

And now, dear brethren, may the Lord give you understanding in all things, and a heart to do his will. The Lord bless you and keep you, and cause his face to shine upon you. The Lord dispose you to do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly before him; and finally give you an inheritance with all them that are sanctified.~ Vermont Baptists to their Southern brethren in a letter condemning slavery



Think back to the biggest dinner party you ever hosted. Or maybe the time you had a very special guest.

You wanted everything to be perfect probably, am I right?

You cleaned. You cooked. You decorated. 

And if you are like me, your house looked like it never does the rest of the time!

For some people, the word "preparation" conjures up a level of stress that involves twisting ourselves into knots to make everything just so.

So the idea of our God coming???

Well, you don't get a bigger or more important guest than that.

The Hebrew people, like many of us, wanted to make sure they had everything just so when they were in the Lord's presence. 

Things just had to be perfect.

And yet, what is it that the Holy One wanted?

Not the best offerings.

Not our firstborn.

Not even the best china or finest wine or cleanest house.

Instead our God wanted us to turn to our neighbor with kindness and seek justice for them.

And then turn back to God to walk alongside that same God in humility.

That's it.

Love God. 

Love neighbor.

As we prepare for the coming of this same God in the most humble way possible, can our hearts burn with justice, kindness, and humility so that we can be ready for the Kingdom to come on earth?


Prepare my heart Lord, not for my idea of perfection, but instead for your idea of perfect love. Amen


Thoughts for engagement:

What does it look like right now and right here in the US to do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with our God?




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