In today’s passage from the beginning of Matthew’s gospel we’re re-introduced to John the Baptist. His proclamation is familiar “Prepare the way of the Lord,” or as the one translation says it, “Prepare the way for that which is already present at every moment, YHWH—pure being.” In our ordinary lives, we’re rarely present to that divine reality, the presence of God. John’s call for us is a call to prepare the way for God who is already among us. The call is to awaken to a reality that’s already here.
Of course, at Christmas, we’re celebrating Christ coming into the world in a particular time and place, in the singular body of Jesus. But we also prepare for Christ “coming” into our heart and lives at a deeper and renewed level. In our preparation, there’s a remembrance of what happened once (in a manger in Bethlehem), but there’s also a preparing for 1) what already and always is present (God), and 2) what is still to come (Jesus). In this strange mystery, our preparation is to make this reality come alive, to make it a living presence in our hearts and our daily lives.
What is John’s primary teaching? Well—surprise!—there are two. The first is stripping down. He calls us to strip down to create space, to open up space—in many ways it’s a lot like down-sizing, getting rid of what you no longer need. But John goes a bit further, calling us to change and take up a practice that just happens to be the exact opposite of what secular culture invites us to do during Advent.
The ancient Greek word metanoia is used by John, meaning literally to “turn around,” is often translated “repentance.” Our modern sense of repentance only partially contains what John was trying to convey. John’s fuller meaning includes expanding/opening the eyes of the heart or interior self, or allowing “every heart” to “prepare him room.”
The second action of John is immersion, the literal meaning of the word that is commonly translated “to baptize.” It was immersing people in water to symbolize a total change, and something new coming forth. It symbolized being cleansed and prepared for this new life and new reality. That’s also our invitation, to be immersed in God’s presence. To open to something new and create space inside our hearts, then to be immersed in the Divine. That’s right at the heart of our work of Advent.