“Prepare
His Way” by Melanie Rigney (@melanierigney)
(The Lord instructed Nathan to tell King David:) “And when
your time comes, and you rest with your ancestors, I will raise up your heirs
after you, sprung from your loins, and I will make his Kingdom firm. I will be
a father to him, and he shall be a son to me. Your house and your Kingdom shall
endure forever before me; your throne shall stand firm forever.” (2
Samuel 7:12-14,16)
Forever I will sing the
goodness of the Lord. (Psalm 89:2)
(Zechariah prophesied:)
“You, my child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High, for you will go before
the Lord to prepare his way, to give his people knowledge of salvation by the
forgiveness of their sins.” (Luke 1:75-77)
Piety
Lord, may I prepare Your way, today,
tonight, tomorrow… always.
Study
It was a tall order, that prophesy Zechariah
had for his infant son. What child could possibly be expected to live up to
such promise, to provide knowledge of salvation and God’s tender mercy in a way
that people would understand?
Tonight and tomorrow, we will hear
about the birth of a child whose coming was foretold to David, a direct
descendant who would both be a son to God and who would guarantee the endurance
of David’s house. Who could possibly be expected to live up to such promises?
And then there’s each and every one
of us—people who desire to love God and who want to be with Him forever, but
who are also flawed human beings who struggle with pride, envy, anger, and all
the rest. How could any of us possibly emulate that prophesy Zechariah had for
John, to prepare the way of the Lord?
And yet, we do, in small ways and
large, each and every day. We do it when we find a spark of Jesus in that
relative who works our nerve at family gatherings. We do it when we carve out
prayer time amid a week of travel and obligations. We do it when we go to Mass…even
if everyone else in the house thinks it’s more important to sleep in after an
exhausting round of gift opening and revelry.
Never sell short your ability and
opportunity to give people knowledge of Him. Never. They’re watching, and so is
He.
Action
Prepare His way as you go about
last-minute Christmas preparations.
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