Christmas Eve: The Way Is Prepared

Scripture Reading: Luke 1:57-80, John 1:19-23

This month has brought a plethora of preparation.

We’ve prepared for family gatherings, getting groceries and setting up decorations.

We’ve prepared gifts and goodies to deliver to our friends and neighbors.

We’ve prepared to make room for silent nights when we’ve needed to step back from the seasonal bustle.

We’ve also been preparing the way for Christ to rule in our own hearts this Christmas. And today, we see a period of waiting turned to celebration in the birth and ministry of John the Baptist.

John was a close relative of Jesus, born to Elizabeth and Zechariah, a priest of Judea. He was prophesied about in the book of Isaiah, a man who would go and prepare people’s hearts for the coming King. He preached a new way of living, repentance, and a baptism into God’s kingdom. He pointed those on the lookout to their Savior.

After millennia of preparation and watching for the promised Messiah, John the Baptist ushered in God’s restoration plan ahead of Jesus’s public ministry. And to think we just wait a few weeks for Christmas Day!

What must it have been like for Elizabeth and Zechariah to wait for the arrival of their son! Nine months of readying for a boy to be born beyond the limitations of child-bearing age and then waiting while he grew into a man who would make a way for the Messiah.

How they must have celebrated this honor, rejoicing in the God who saw them and chose them to carry and raise the prophet who would point to Jesus! Yes, it was a long wait, but it was well worth it.

As he grew in the desert, John became “strong in spirit,” growing into his calling (Luke 1:80). People watched and waited to see what this man would do. His job was to prepare the way for the One who was coming—prepping hearts, baptizing with water, and preaching repentance and the coming kingdom of God. His life reflected an obedience to the God he clearly believed in. He knew his role and ran with it, eyes fixed ahead and heart unmovable.

Where might we be called to prepare the way of Jesus to those around us? As we celebrate Christmas and the coming of Jesus, we, too, are in a position to preach the kingdom already come to a weary world waiting for hope, the hope that’s found in Christ our King. Remember what the waiting felt like for you before you heard the beautiful truth of Jesus? Many still wait, watching. Let’s be the bridge that connects longing hearts to Immanuel, God with us. The way is already prepared.

Written by Sarah Freymuth