Preparing for Advent

November 26, 2019

Scripture Reading: Isaiah 2:1-5

Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
   to the house of the God of Jacob;
that he may teach us his ways
   and that we may walk in his paths.’ –Isaiah 2:3b

The choice is always ours. God never makes anyone do anything. God works hard at helping us see the better way, the just way, but it is up to us to make decisions. Being required to do something is not the same as doing right for its own sake. Even doing what is right for some foreseen award does not seem to fit into the plan of the One who loves us no matter what.

So, Isaiah simply calls us to go up to the mountain of the Lord to seek the higher ground where God will teach us God’s way so we might recognize the right paths to take. Why is that so hard? Why do the ways of the world entice us so? Why are we always in search of shortcuts?

During the upcoming Advent season when we relive the experience of the ancient prophets of waiting for the coming Messiah, the Promise One, let us take a few moments each day to clear the clutter from our whole being so that when we once again welcome God Incarnate we will be more fully ready to receive him.

Prayer:
Lord, lift me up, and let me stand
By faith on Canaan’s tableland;
A higher plane than I have found,
  Lord, plant my feet on higher ground*. Amen

*From Higher Ground by Johnson Oatman Jr.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.