Preparation is vital for success. In the business world, managers spend months preparing for the launch of a new product. In the medical world, students spend years preparing to become doctors. In the academic world, professors spend decades preparing their magnus opus. If the importance of preparation is true in the natural world, what then of the supernatural world? How long does God prepare for His plan of salvation? The answer: millennia.
The story of God’s preparation for His plan of salvation begins in the garden of Eden after man falls. It takes on speed with Noah, breaks into a brisk walk with Abraham, and increases to a full out sprint with Moses. By the time we hit John the Baptist, God’s plan of salvation is travelling at Mach 3 and preparing for impact. And it is precisely because of this imminence that God takes great pains in His final preparations. “See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way” (Mk 1:2). God cannot afford a mistake this late in the game. Hence, he chooses John the Baptist, the greatest of those born among women, as His final agent of preparation (Matthew 11:11).
But God’s work of preparation did not end with John the Baptist. Indeed, to this day, God’s work of preparation is not over. Why? Because we need to be personally prepared for God’s plan of salvation. Yes, God became incarnate in the person of Jesus. Yes, Jesus offered a perfect atoning sacrifice for our sins. Yes, all of this happened 2000 years ago. Yet, the story is not over – not because God has failed to finish His work of salvation, but because we have not yet fully entered into His work of salvation. And so, we must prepare.
Advent is a season of preparation. It is a season in which we prepare ourselves to receive the gift of God’s salvation. This preparation takes various forms. We confess our sins; we rectify our relationships; we fast; we pray. Let us therefore take up this spirit of preparation. Let us prepare our hearts for the warmth of Christ’s embrace; let us prepare our souls for the life of Christ’s breath; let us prepare our minds for the knowledge of Christ’s love; and let us prepare our strength for the radiance of Christ’s power. In a word, let us prepare for the coming of Christ.
Ian Mahood – St. Joseph Seminary, Edmonton, Alberta
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