Brief synopsis of the readings: In the Old Testament book of Baruch we find God telling the people to put away their mourning and rejoice. All that they lost will be restored and their exile is over. God, who commands all things, “is leading Israel in joy by the light of his glory, with his mercy and justice for company.” Luke’s Gospel introduces us to Jesus’ cousin John the Baptist. The word of God came to John in the desert to proclaim a baptism of repentance and forgiveness of sins. Quoting the prophet Isaiah he called for everyone to prepare the way of the Lord.

So exactly how do we prepare the way of the Lord? I find it interesting that while we think of Advent as a season of waiting, here we are given marching orders. As I said last week we can hardly turn on any form of media without being told what we need to do. Buy this. Decorate that. Don’t miss that thing that nobody’s missing. Oh yes, and don’t get exhausted because that’s a sign that we’re not doing it right. It’s all about finding balance.

So let’s take a step back. I think it’s fairly obvious that Advent and our preparation for Christmas is more of an interior thing. But frankly, that can be its own trap also because it can be one more demand on our limited amount of free time. We sometimes allow ourselves to be told that free time or down time is wasted time.

And so, instead of searching for more time in a finite well, let’s redirect. Let’s pay attention to the things we already do, and (to quote Mother Teresa) do them with great love. This is going to be one of those weeks where its hard to avoid getting into politics but I think we can all agree that we often find ourselves divided. Not only in our political views, but even in the way we see each other.

So let’s begin by giving ourselves a break and recognize it’s always been this way. We don’t have photographs but we can safely say that the people of Jesus’ time had different skin colors. Today native Greeks and native Egyptians and native Saudis look different and we have no reason to believe it was different then. Greek speakers were generally more educated than those who spoke Aramaic and we can assume many of them thought of themselves as better people. After all, if those were smarter they would speak Greek.

Today? Well, while we may think of ourselves as 2000 years more civilized, we still make assumptions about intelligence based on random factors. I live in the United States, 30 miles from Mexico and I know several people who complain vigorously about billboards in Spanish. Others complain about “those people” who are a danger to our safety and our stuff. Is this how we prepare the way of the Lord?

This shouldn’t surprise anyone who knows me but I don’t think it does. It’s a cliche to say that we should come together but sometimes cliches find their origin in truth. I think we need to continually reexamine who is really a danger to our safety and our stuff. Nobody wants to be a crime victim and it’s always prudent to take precautions. But there are some who would have us believe that anyone who is not “like us” is a clear and present danger and it’s simply not true. I have a relative who avoids a certain neighborhood because it’s full of immigrants who don’t speak our language or care about anything. Funny thing is, that same neighborhood, 100 years ago, was populated by our grandparents and great grandparents. The prejudice is the same, only the names have changed. One hundred years ago the neighborhood spoke French and now they speak Spanish and I know this because I was in that neighborhood doing genealogy research. My prayer is the grandchildren and great grandchildren of those current residents don’t make the same mistake we’re making.

And let’s talk about stuff. What do we own that’s more important than who we know? What do we have that’s more important than our favorite memories? And how much space in our brains do we devote to fearing we’ll lose something? When we think of Heaven we often think about having all we want and will never lack for anything. But in the meantime can we believe that we already have all we need? Obviously I’m not talking about people who live with food insecurity or fear of homelessness but I don’t think that applies to most of us.

Because we are already on “the way of the Lord.” When we think about preparing, for some things we know what to do. We prepare for tests by studying, we prepare for meals by cooking, we prepare for a job interview by learning about the company.

In the same way we prepare for the Lord by looking down the road to the destination. And since the destination is the Kingdom of God, we know the direction. The Gospels tell us, as clearly as anything, that we follow the signs to inclusion and welcoming. Not to put too fine a point on it, we prepare by following the teachings of Jesus.

Finally, preparing the way isn’t made to make Jesus’ journey easier or better. He’s fine and doesn’t need our help. We prepare to make our way better, for ourselves and each other. When John spoke about repentance and forgiveness he recognized that the things that hinder our relationships clutter the way of the Lord. Sometimes repentance and forgiveness means paying a compliment to someone who drives us crazy. Sometimes it means holding open a door for someone who would never hold a door for us. Or recognizing that a person’s poor choices may speak more to their pain than to our belief that they are just idiots.

The road to Christmas need not call us to change directions or add to our list. It may just ask us to see what’s in front of us with new eyes. And do simple things with great love.