Prepare the Way of the Lord...

I have a good friend who is somewhat of a decorator. He gets great pleasure out of transforming houses, and pieces of furniture with a deft stroke of a paintbrush. In fact if you leave any piece of furniture lying around long enough, it will find itself sanded down and re-varnished. “It’s all in the preparation” he will tell me. Personally, I’d just as soon go for the rustic, antique, ‘distressed’ look...it’s a lot less bother. But my friend Dave insists that anything which is due to be painted has first to be rubbed down to a glass-smooth finish….however long that might take! Decorating with him, as I’ve discovered to my cost, is an exercise in me picking up a paintbrush and saying “Can I paint it now?” while Dave opens another packet of sandpaper and says “Don’t be so impatient...it’s all in the preparation!” John the Baptiser would seem to have agreed with him. In this Sunday's Gospel reading we heard the prophet John the Baptiser declare “Prepare the Way of the Lord”. To read the sermon I preached on this topic Click Here. Ponder and enjoy!