Dear Friends:

These last weeks before Christmas are such busy times. So much planning and preparation to do. Presents must be bought, Christmas cards and letters to write. Meals to be planned and cleaning is never-ending. Time goes by at warp speed. Preparing for this great Christian celebration can feel like preparing for an expedition to the top of Mount Everest. And if we forget any of the things we have to do, there are many voices constantly reminding us: “hurry! Only three more weeks until Christmas”!

Barely audible through the racket another voice is calling out to us ,too with a different, less noisy invitation

Look, I am going to send my messenger before you
He will prepare your way
A voice cries out in the wilderness
”Prepare the way of the Lords,
make his paths straight.”

Today, right now, in this quiet moment, we can hear this voice, Mark, echoing Isaiah, is telling us to pause, to consider what we are doing, and to prepare ourselves for the arrival of the Lord. Clear away all the clutter, the unnecessary baggage, the tempting detours with their attractive scenery. Remember that the path between us and God, the path that opens before us from the moment we are born, is both simple and straight. We can walk that path any time, even a busy time like now. All we have to do is set off.