How God Meets Us Here and Now

“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 made smooth, and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.” — Luke 3:4–6

In the second week of Advent, we are introduced to the eccentric figure of John the Baptist, an apocalyptic preacher proclaiming the way of deliverance through baptism and repentance. He is a fiery prophet, last in the line of Israel’s great prophets, taking his message on the road to regular people whose hearts are receptive to his call for great change. Prepare the way! Rededicate your life to God!

The Gospel writer goes to great lengths to ground the moment in history. It was a cruel and oppressive time, marked by the corruption of the Roman Empire and politics of power among local religious leaders. We’re reminded of John’s kinship to Jesus; John’s father, Zechariah, was married to Mary’s relative Elizabeth, making John a cousin to Jesus. These are ordinary people living in extraordinary times.

In the PBS documentary From Jesus to Christ, historian John Dominic Crossan suggests that after Jesus is baptized by John and begins his public ministry, the message shifts somewhat from repentance to an ethical “demand for us to do something in conjunction with God,” emphasizing God’s kingdom on earth as it is in heaven. 

God’s deliverance, God’s intervention, comes in the form of a person — the person of Jesus.”

Why is this significant? The shift reveals that God’s deliverance, God’s intervention, comes in the form of a person — the person of Jesus. In a radically intimate and present way, God saves us through being in relationship with us. And through this communion with God, we become participants in God’s healing work in the world, and the great change we hope to see comes in and through us — the church.

At our specific time and place in history, and as we draw close to the celebration of Jesus’s birth during Advent, we are invited again to prepare our hearts to receive God’s love here on earth. Working with God, we are called to grow in love for one another — to serve one another and work toward peace and justice for all. And as in the Gospel story, the invitation arrives right on time: God meets us here in the brokenness of our world. Against all odds, God will make the path to salvation smooth and open to everyone.

This Advent season, ask yourself: How am I making a way for God in my life? How am I being called to be part of God’s good work here and now?

Read all of Sunday’s scriptures

Step Into the Story

Here are some ways to think about how God meets us in our everyday lives.

Poetry

In “We Look With Uncertainty,” poet Anne Hillman writes that “something new is being born in us if we but let it.”

And in “Blessing When the World Is Ending,” the Rev. Jan Richardson captures the intimacy of God’s presence with us in the most desolate of times.

Spiritual Practice

For the second week of Advent, try this prayer and meditation practice based on Baroque artist Mattia Preti’s renowned painting St. John the Baptist Preaching.

Social Justice

The Episcopal Church’s Prophetic Voices: Preaching and Teaching Beloved Community podcast features conversations on race, truth, justice, and healing — and how these intersect with our faith. 

Music

In “A Place at the Table,” the table stands as a metaphor for the kingdom of God on earth: “God will delight when we are creators of justice and joy, compassion and peace.” It shares thematic connections with the United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Kathy Bozzuti-Jones is Associate Director, Spiritual Practices, Retreats, & Pilgrimage, at Trinity Church.