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Thursday in the Second Week of Advent
December 14, 2023
“The voice of one crying out in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.” Mark 1:3
For as long as I can remember, the words of Proverbs 3:5-6 have brought me assurance in uncertain times. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own insight. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” But the words of Isaiah 40:3 and recalled in Mark 1:3 tell of a messenger being sent to “prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.” This is an interesting flip of the script of my comfort scripture in Proverbs.
In Isaiah and Mark, the path is being made straight for the Lord, not by the Lord. It makes me wonder, why does the Lord need someone to make a path straight for him? The answer is he doesn’t need anyone’s help. But he does want a two-way relationship with each one of us. God created this world out of love and, in that love, God invites us to participate in a relationship with him. He doesn’t need us to prepare a way for him but if we do, we become willing participants in his kingdom on earth and we grow in a relationship with him. As we acknowledge the Lord, we learn to trust in him and discern the paths that he makes straight for us.
The Rev. Amy McClure serves St. James’, Lewisburg and other congregations in the southern part of the Diocese.
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