Making Preparation

Then they will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and glory.
Mark 13:26 NKJV

Do you have family coming in from out of town? Guests coming for the holidays? If so, you are probably already making preparation for their arrival.

If you celebrate Christmas, you may not yet have begun physically preparing for it, but more than likely you are at least thinking about it. You may have timelines steeped in family tradition like one of my sisters-in-law. She starts baking Christmas cookies after the first snowfall of the season. Her mother did it that way and her mother before that and the generation before them, too. (My question has always been "What if it doesn't snow - do we not get cookies?") The relevant point is that she makes preparation.

She buys all the ingredients ahead of time for every different kind of cookie she bakes. She rarely is missing any of the required items. Talk about making a list and checking it twice! She is always more than prepared and just waiting on that first snowflake! (I'm telling you, this woman bakes such wonderful goodness that she could start her own brand... except that there is already a Little Debbie's line of baked goods.)

The second week of Advent focuses on preparation. As we get further into the Advent season, are we thinking about the preparation that was made for us? Are we checking to see if we are prepared for Who is coming? Have we done what we need to do to be able to receive Him? Are we looking forward to His second coming and watching...waiting...?

Prayer:

Father,
            We pray as Sarah Martin prayed. Just as You sent John the Baptist to prepare the way for Jesus, help us to clear the path in our hearts, too. Show us the distractions in our lives that block us from all-out worship of You this Advent. Lord, we await Your coming! As we celebrate Advent, we look toward the day where we will see You face to face. Give us a heart, Lord, that looks for Your coming on a daily basis. Help us to live our life where we constantly seek Your presence. Show us today how we need to be refined, purified, forgiven. Give us the strength to ask for forgiveness and to then change our ways. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen