Last
night I was overcome with a sudden urge to do something I don’t typically do—I
cleaned out my closet. The urge doesn’t strike very often, so when it does, it
stalks me until satisfied.
I
have a laundry basket in the top of my closet that collects things; you know,
faded jeans, oversized sweatshirts, exercise gear, a lonely sock here and
there, coins, etc. I filled several bags with clothes, which will be donated.
It felt good to engage in wardrobe inventory and the disciplined pursuit of
less!
I
really wasn’t expecting the experience to render any deep significant insight
until I woke up this morning. It struck me that closet cleaning, especially at
this time of the year, seems metaphorical. How so?
Well,
it’s Advent. If you happen to be a person who didn’t grow up in the church or
is not familiar with the ancient Christian Church calendar, the word Advent
probably has no meaning. Advent is a season that marks the beginning of the
Christian Church year. It is celebrated during the four Sundays preceding
Christmas Day. The Church has observed the season for centuries. The word
Advent means “arrival” and the season is intended to teach us to wait for the
coming of Christ, not just in Biblical times, but now. It’s a time of
preparation and anticipation.
This
got me thinking about John the Baptist. According to Luke (the writer of the
third Gospel in the New Testament) John the Baptist was the fulfillment of a
centuries old announcement by an old prophet named Isaiah. You can read about
it in Luke 3:1-6.
John
arrived on the scene to help people prepare for the coming of Jesus. But in
what ways were the people to prepare, and in what ways can we prepare to
welcome Jesus into the places of our world? John’s message gives us a clue:
“Prepare the way of the
Lord, make his paths straight. Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain
and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall be made straight, and the
rough ways smooth. And all flesh shall see the salvation of God.” Luke 3:4-6
The
Advent season is a lot like closet cleaning. It’s like inventory. In what ways
have the paths of my life become crooked? Are there emotional valleys in my
life that I have intentionally or unintentionally tried to fill with my pace,
my possessions, my positions or my performance? Have I allowed my ego to become
mountain-like, puffing and blustering about my own importance or superiority? What
about my relationships—my relationship with my spouse, my family, my friends or
even my extended church family? To what extent could these relationships be
smoothed out so that God could be seen more clearly in me?
S t r e t c h
e d,
Lee
