Preparing for Christmas
December 8, 2024
Mark 1:1-8
"Prepare the way of the Lord;
make his paths straight.”
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The good news of Jesus Christ does not begin where we might expect—in the quiet town of Bethlehem. Instead, it begins in the wilderness, where a voice cries, “Prepare the way of the Lord; make his paths straight!”
It might even seem strange that John the Baptist’s ministry was in the wilderness. Many would have thought it more practical for him to preach in Jerusalem, where the people were. Yet, John chose the wilderness—a place of quiet and solitude, free from the distractions of city life. It was a place where even Jesus would often retreat. In the wilderness, people confronted the lies that bound them, turned from their sins, and realigned their lives with God’s ways.
John’s message is as relevant today as 2,000 years ago: Prepare for the coming Christ! This is the Jesus whose birth we celebrate, whose death we remember, in whose resurrection we find hope, whose return we await. The good news of Christmas is the birth of a Savior, Christ the Lord, through whom even the most imperfect among us can find hope.
Let us prepare the way of the Lord and make his paths straight!
