About Hannah Pickering

One of the major themes of Advent is preparing for the celebration of the birth of Christ. Isaiah 40:3 paints a beautiful picture of this preparation when Isaiah prophesies about “A voice of one crying out: Prepare the way of the LORD in the wilderness; make a straight highway for our God in the desert.”  In the New Testament, John the Baptists fulfills that prophecy.  This is what John Coffin is referring to in his Advent hymn “On Jordan’s bank, the Baptist’s Cry.”

On Jordan’s bank, the Baptist’s cry
Announces that the Lord is nigh;
Awake, and hearken, for he brings
Glad tidings of the King of kings!

Then cleansed be every breast from sin;
Make straight the way for God within;
Prepare we in our hearts a home
Where such a mighty Guest may come.

For Thou art our Salvation, Lord,
Our Refuge, and our great Reward.
Without Thy grace we waste away,
Like flowers that wither and decay.

To heal the sick stretch out Thine hand,
And bid the fallen sinner stand;
Shine forth, and let Thy light restore
Earth’s own true lovliness once more.

Stretch forth thine hand, to heal our sore,
And make us rise to fall no more;
Once more upon thy people shine,
And fill the world with love divine.

All praise, eternal Son, to Thee
Whose advent sets Thy people free,
Whom, with the Father, we adore,
And Holy Ghost, forevermore

Matthew 3:1-6

In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the Wilderness of Judea and saying, “Repent, because the kingdom of heaven has come near!” For he is the one spoken of through the prophet Isaiah, who said:

A voice of one crying out in the wilderness:

Prepare the way for the Lord;

make His paths straight.

John himself had a camel-hair garment with a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. Then people from Jerusalem, all Judea, and all the vicinity of the Jordan were flocking to him, and they were baptized by him in the Jordan River as they confessed their sins.

This passage of Scripture shows us several important facts about John the Baptist.  First, John was a man of simple means.  Second, John was on a mission to proclaim the Gospel.  Third, John was available for the people in the area to come to him.  We can adapt these findings into three simple phrases to keep in mind during Advent and prepare for celebrating Christmas:

No distractions.

Focus on what really matters.

Be present.

Looking inward to prepare our hearts to celebrate the arrival of Jesus, it’s vital that the busyness and consumerism of the season not distract us.  How can we “make straight the way for God within” and prepare our hearts, as the hymn says, when we get so caught up in something like Christmas shopping, for instance, that we forget the reason why we’re exchanging gifts in the first place?

Turing our attention outward, we can continue to prepare our hearts for Christmas Day by simply focusing on what really matters.  John, the “voice crying out it the wilderness” (Matthew 3:3), speaking with such urgency, illustrates that telling others about Christ is what matters most.  Thankfully, the Christmas season affords us special opportunities to share the love of Christ because evidence of His coming is all around us in the decorations, giving, and music.  From simply saying “Merry Christmas” to being generous with our time and our money, there are countless ways to share our faith in our words and actions.

Proper focus goes hand-in-hand with being present during this season.  Just as John was present and available for the people of Judea to come to him to hear the gospel and confess their sins (Matthew 3:5-6), we should be aware of the people around us and make time for them.  Christmastime is often when people are the most aware that their lives aren’t what they should be because they realize they don’t have what the season is supposed to be about – love, joy, and peace.  With Christmas just two weeks away, let’s not be in such a rush that we don’t take time be and give that love, joy, and peace that people need.

All too often, the details of our Christmas festivities, which usually start out with the best intentions, eclipse the real reason for our celebration.  If you’re like me and you look forward all year long to the perfect Christmas and something small goes wrong, it’s very easy to let negativity take over.  For example, the Christmas cookies might get burnt moments before guests arrive.  Someone’s long-searched-for gift might get lost in the mail.  Family members might argue.  Flights might get delayed…  The list goes on.

Yet none of these things are out of God’s control, nor do they deserve to be the center of our attention.  All of these “bad” circumstances are opportunities for funny memories, second chances, drawing closer, and new possibilities.  John the Baptist (who wore animal skin and foraged for food!) didn’t let any kind of personal preference, comfort, or consumerism overtake the matter at hand – proclaiming Christ – and neither should we.

If you are feeling overwhelmed by and unprepared for Christmas, embrace the Advent season, reread Coffin’s hymn, and turn these lyrics into a prayer for godly perspective, focus, and mission:

Make straight the way for God within;

Prepare we in our hearts a home

Where such a mighty Guest may come.

Credit: Calligraphy by Stephanie Ko // http://simplystephko.com // Instagram: @simplysteph

There are so many inspiring words associated with Advent: arrival, appearance, emergence, dawn, birth, rise, development.

My favorite of these words, especially this year, is dawn.

Dawn gives the idea of new beginnings, light, and waking up.  Dawn is a wonderful metaphor for what happens in our lives when we come to faith in Christ. Christ illuminates the way for us; His light is a lamp unto our feet, and a light unto our path (Psalm 119:105). If we follow in this path and “walk in this light,” we are cleansed from our sin (1 John. 1:7) – which is only possible because of the Advent of Christ.

Dawn also is beautiful picture of the newness of God’s mercies anytime we mess up. Lamentations 3:22-23 says:

“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”

No matter what has happened in your life this past year, the Advent season is an invitation to refocus your life and put things in perspective for the celebration of Christ’s birth.

There is a beautiful 19^th century Advent hymn by Edward Caswell that tells of this dawning of God’s mercy on our lives through the First Coming of Christ and the unbelievable joy that will occur with Second Coming.

Hark! A thrilling voice is sounding!
“Christ is nigh!” it seems to say;
“Cast away the dreams of darkness,
O ye children of the day!

Startled at the solemn warning,
Let the earth-bound soul arise;
Christ, her Sun, all ill dispelling,
Shines upon the morning skies.

Lo, the Lamb, so long expected,
Comes with pardon down from heaven.
Let us haste, with tears of sorrow,
One and all, to be forgiven,

That, when next He comes with glory
And the world is wrapped in fear,
With His mercy He may shield us
And with words of love draw near.

Honor, glory, might, and blessing,
To the Father and the Son,
With the everlasting Spirit,
While eternal ages run!

Continuing with the theme of dawn and light, here is some biblical context for the hymn:

Romans 13:11-14

“Besides this, knowing the time, it is already the hour for you to wake up from sleep, for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. The night is nearly over, and the daylight is near, so let us discard the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us walk with decency, as in the daylight: not in carousing and drunkenness; not in sexual impurity and promiscuity; not in quarreling and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no plans to satisfy the fleshly desires.”

John 8:12

“I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

Matthew 5:14

“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.”

1 Thessalonians 5:5

“You are all children of the light and children of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness.”

Christ is the Light of the World. As the children of God, we are to live life in the light, not in darkness, which is why Caswell’s hymn calls us “children of the day.” Romans 13:12 instructs us to “wake up” and put on the “armor of light” because daylight is near. We are commanded to live in the Light and to be a light to the world.

Referring to the Second Coming of Christ – the Second Advent – Romans 13:11 says, “Salvation is nearer than when we first believed.” With each passing moment, the time of Christ’s Second Coming is closer and closer. This means we have no time to lose in breaking the chains of whatever might be holding us back from serving God at our fullest potential. Knowing this gives us a sense of urgency in following God and sharing the Gospel. And, while it can be quite intimidating to share our faith, the Advent season is both a reminder of the world’s need for a Savior and is an open door to tell people about the real “reason for the season,” as the somewhat cliché (albeit true) saying goes.

Remembering the First Coming and looking towards the Second, we can take great comfort in the fact that if God is for us, no one can be against us (Romans 8:31). So, we can have every confidence in both reorienting our hearts and in going all-out to be the “light of the world” (Matthew 5:14) this Advent season.

If you are in need of direction in refocusing and preparing your heart for Christmas, ask yourself these questions:

• What chains might be holding you back from fully serving God right now?
• What does putting on the “armor of light” look like for you?
• What can you do this Christmas season to be a light to someone?
• What might be dawning for you in the New Year?

Listen to God’s voice. Break away from darkness. Urgently pursue Christ. Joyfully look to life in the Light.  It’s wonderfully bright and others desperately need to see it.

Credit: Calligraphy by Stephanie Ko // www.simplystephko.com // Instagram: @simplystephko