Thought for 19 December

 Luke 1:76-78 (New International Version)

And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare

the way for him, to give his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven

Preparing the Way

Today’s reading from the book of Luke is part of a prophecy by Zechariah after he had been filled with the Holy Spirit and refers to the coming of his own son, John the Baptist and reveals the role that he will fulfil in preparing the way for the true Saviour of the world.

There’s a lot of preparation going on in our own homes just now like deciding what’s on the menu on Christmas day and the days on either side, what food to buy, how much to buy, what can be cooked beforehand and then frozen etc. etc.  We have our Christmas cards to write trying all the time to make sure nobody has been missed.  Then there’s the presents, who to buy for, what to buy, how much to spend.  Houses are getting hoovered big time, cupboards are being cleared, there’s a lot happening this week.  Some of us will be well organised and others will leave things to the last minute.

Many of the prophecies in relation to the coming of Jesus are found in the Old Testament books of Isaiah and Jeremiah which were written about 600 - 700 years before that first Christmas.  The prophecy concerning John the Baptist came around the time John was born and only months before Jesus was born.

To us, it seems that although God fulfils all the prophecies he inspires, it can, in most instances, take such a long time for this to happen.  This is because God thinks differently from ourselves and this is clarified in the second book of Peter chapter 2 and in verses 8 and 9 when Peter writes: ‘But you must not forget, dear friends, that a day is like a thousand years to the Lord, and a thousand years is like a day.  The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise to return, as some people think.  No, he is being patient for your sake.  He does not want anyone to perish, so he is giving more time for everyone to repent.’

Prayer

Heavenly Father, Help us accept you as our Saviour and help us prepare for your return by genuinely repenting from our sins as you commanded and reflecting our love for you in the way we live our lives.  It may be hundreds of years before you return to this world in your glory when every knee will bow and all will become aware of who you are, or it may be very soon.  Lord, help us be prepared.       Amen