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Preparing for Advent

Peter F. Whyte, 7 Dec 2008

Many of us have been preparing for Christmas for quite some time. Presents have been bought, and in some cases hidden away lest the surprise for little people and loved ones be spoiled. Some have been preparing like world famous festival organizers since last Christmas! Preparation is good and proper for so much in life. But what Advent preparations have you made?

Close up photo of eye of young man in black and white with blue colour on eye
© Dzmitry Trubnikau | Dreamstime.com

Before the first Advent, God had made great preparations. Luke's account of the birth of Jesus (Luke 1-2) shows how God made his final preparations through an elderly childless couple, Zacharias and Elisabeth, and Mary who would be the human mother of Jesus.

All through Luke's account of Jesus' birth we see the preparing hand of God at work. Caesar's decree is made at just the right time. Shepherds hear the angels' announcement. Simeon is brought to the Jerusalem Temple by God's tip off at just the right time to see God's Saviour and in his song he acknowledges that God has “prepared his salvation in the presence of all peoples” (Luke 2:30-31).

It's good to prepare for Christmas, but the message of Advent is not simply about preparing for an annual celebration in good time. What preparation have you made for eternity? Life may begin at 40, but it doesn't end at death for any of us. The Bible teaches that Jesus has not just come at Christmas, but is coming again. He came to be God's salvation for us, but he will come again as our Judge (Acts 17:31). What preparation have you made for that coming?

The Bible teaches that everyone has sinned against God. We need to recognize that this is true of us — we have sinned, all of us (Isaiah 53:6). And we need to realise our sin will carry serious consequences in the coming judgment. Jesus will condemn us if we have persisted in our sinful life.

We know that all good preparation needs to be done in advance. This preparation needs to be made now, before the judgment, at which time it will be too late. The Bible speaks about a “day of salvation” and declares it to be now (2 Corinthians 6:2). The only effective preparation we can make for the coming judgment is to confess our sin to God and trust in Jesus as Saviour. This is the reason Jesus came that first Christmas. It was because “God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16) This is what Simeon meant when he sang that God had “prepared his salvation in the presence of all peoples” (Luke 2:30-31).

God has made all the preparations necessary for life now, and beyond death and judgment. Have you begun to trust in his preparation? May you do so this Advent.

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This article is part of a series of thought-provoking articles to help you with spiritual preparation for the season of Advent.

The article mentions some passages from the Bible, the Word of God. You are encouraged to read them for yourself in full. Read Luke's account of the events surrounding the birth of Christ in Luke 1-2. Read the account of the Apostle Paul's speech to the Athenian philosophers in Acts 17:16-34. Read Isaiah's account of the crucifixion of Jesus in Isaiah 53 (an account written 700 years before the event!) where he explains the reason why it was necessary. And read the account of Jesus' discussion with Nicodemus, from which the most famous quotation in the article was taken, in the Gospel of John 3:1-21.

Joy to the world! the Lord is come:
Let earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare him room,
And heaven and nature sing.

Joy to the earth! the Saviour reigns:
Let men their songs employ;
While fields and floods, rocks, hills, and plains
Repeat the sounding joy.

No more let sins and sorrows grow,
Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make his blessings flow
Far as the curse is found.

He rules the world with truth and grace,
And makes the nations prove
The glories of his righteousness,
And wonders of his love.

Isaac Watts, 1674–1748