The Second Sunday of Advent
The Lord has been mindful of us
and will bless us
Psalm 115:12
Sometimes in order to prepare, we need to collect stuff. Likes gathering and setting out all the ingredients for a recipe before beginning the baking process.
Sometimes in order to prepare, we need to remove stuff. Like putting away coats and shoes and clearing off furniture and tables before company arrives.
And sometimes in order to prepare, we need to repent. Like taking stock of our lives and seeing where we have been at fault and confessing our sins and turning back to God.
Repenting can be about cleaning up our mess. Not because someone tells us to, or because we don’t want to get in trouble for it. But because it is the right thing to do. Because it will make the world better. Because it makes room for new life: in our lives and in our community.
Repenting can be full of joy. It can include setting down burdens we have been carrying and letting light into our lives.
Prepare. Make room. Repent. Make ready. Expect new life out of a stump. God sees us. Always. And God’s blessing is already on its way.
