It seems the message for today is “Prepare”. Our God is coming. All three of the scriptures selected are full of that good news, our God is coming. That message is somehow timeless. And, of course, we KNOW, our God is already here! Reflecting this past week on these three passages was for me like taking a trip through 29 centuries from the ancient prophet’s life, pausing in the first century of the Christian era, then moving into the NOW. A little like one of those movies that keeps doing flashbacks to help you understand the how and why of the present situation.

As far back as the prophet Isaiah, people were being not so much warned as they were being wakened to the reality that the glory of God was going to be revealed. They were to be comforted, to be made aware that God as a gentle shepherd was seeking to feed them and lead them. They were to prepare for his coming and to spread the word, far and near, so they and all people would be ready. We can’t really know just how those people of ancient times understood Isaiah’s prophecy, but we know for sure that somehow it was held in their collective memory. Over eight centuries Isaiah’s words were repeated by their rabbis, and the prophecy began to take on new meaning during and just after Jesus’ times.

Was the prophecy now fulfilled in Jesus? Had the God anticipated by Isaiah arrived? Jesus had been there alive, but now, though seeming to be gone, he was still present somehow. This they had come, or were coming, to believe! These converts to the new way were gradually coming to understand that, yes, the kingdom of God had somehow begun, and they were part of it. Yet Jesus had promised that he would be coming again in glory. But how? When? Soon? What must they do to be ready?

Yes, in those early gatherings when people came to hear the ancient scriptures proclaimed and to celebrate Eucharist, Isaiah’s words must have been shared. Flashbacks to be pondered. These new believers had experienced first hand, or come to believe from his followers’ preaching, that this Jesus, man of Galilee, wonder worker, was from God: he was of God, he was God. The long expected One had come. He had lived among them, then died and rose again, was present for a time. Then he went on to glory, promising a return to take all into the kingdom. “Prepare the way.” The glory of the Lord shall be revealed. Mystery, of course, beyond human comprehension. An incredible flash forward. Something not to be forgotten.

The waiting, the uncertainty, the questions were real. It would seem that this concern, these questions, were known to Peter as he went about evangelizing. Apparently in his second letter and doubtless in other ways, too, he tried to allay any fears among the people, while calling for conduct and growth in holiness that would prepare them to be ready for that final coming and to be at peace during the time of waiting. Peter assured them that “time” is different for the Lord and that actually God does not delay. The people were told that God was being patient, waiting for them to prepare. They “should come to repentance.” The coming would be at an unexpected time. Obviously, aware of Jesus teaching, they KNEW they were to love one another and do for the needy what they would want to do for him. So Peter admonished them: they know what sort of persons they ought to be. If they simply conduct themselves in holiness and devotion, so as to be found without spot or blemish, they can await this coming in peace.

Hopefully that message was received. But we know these questions still remain even to our day, so surely they stayed with those early Christians. Not too long after Peter’s death, the gospel narratives began to circulate among the Christian communities. Mark, considered by many to have been the sometimes companion of Peter in his ministry, is believed to have penned the first of the gospel narratives. This is thought by some to be Peter’s memoirs, Mark’s recollection of those things Peter had felt most necessary to pass on. And how does this text begin? Its initial passage is what we have just heard proclaimed today. Mark tells of how the holy man John had moved among the people, baptizing with water. This story had been passed down for close to forty years, and would have been familiar to the people. John had quoted Isaiah, a flashback eight centuries to that early prophet who had called people to prepare. Somehow a mighty One was coming, according to John, to bring God’s Spirit present. The faithful followers when listening to this gospel account were reminded that, yes, the Baptist had called for people to prepare for Jesus. For them, another flashback. Jesus had come. They recalled his teachings and his compassionate interactions with all the people hemet, rich and poor, critics or converts, friends and foreigners, so many in need of healing. For those hearing this narrative, the promise of old was being renewed again: God will come in glory; the challenge of old was issued anew “Prepare.” After another flashback, a push ahead into the future.

But how were they to prepare? When was the great and mighty God to come? And what would his coming be like? How would the judgment happen? Doubtless those questions were common among the various early communities as they are in ours today. Mark’s repetition of Isaiah’s prophecy, accompanied by the notion of a voice crying out in the desert is poignant. “Prepare the way.” Did these people understand the call in those early times? Do we today?

As they were challenged, so are we! “Prepare the way. Make straight a highway for our God.” What is it we are to do? According to Isaiah, our God is coming. We are to clear the way! What is stopping God from settling deeper into our hearts? Why isn’t God entering with mercy and compassion into this ugly wasteland of our troubled nation and world? Why isn’t the joy of God more obvious in our everyday life with one another and in our ministries? As we all have the questions, each of us has answers, too: each her/his personal response to the call to smooth God’s entry, to remove what blocks his coming. Isaiah’s words have resounded over and over down through centuries and are as clear a challenge for us today in this twenty-first century as they were to our ancient ancestors of the covenant many centuries ago and to those early faith communities in the first century of the Christian era.

Advent is time to let ourselves be drawn into the comfort of God’s time. We’ve looked at the past comings, acknowledged the present coming and heard again the promise of future coming. As we ponder that mystery and perhaps take some quiet time to ask ourselves how to “prepare”, we’re liable to be concerned about the hardship we might anticipate. What will the cost be if we really get involved in removing roadblocks and making a straight highway? I’m reminded of a short passage where God was speaking of his intimate presence, assuring us not to dwell in the past or worry about the future. God said, “When you live in this moment it is not hard. I am there. My name is 'I am'.” So, as we prepare, we rejoice. God is with us as we await his coming. The God who IS coming, IS here!