# Preparing the Way on the Second Sunday of Advent
*2008-12-05*

> Bill Young reflects on the Advent theme of “preparing the way” using Rev. James Field’s meditation and a personal prayer, urging listeners to consider how they can make room for God’s coming.

## Opening Prayer

I begin with a prayer my aunt, Sister Mary Teresa, gave me many years ago:

“Hail and blessed be the hour and the moment in which the Son of God was born of the most pure Virgin at midnight in Bethlehem in piercing cold. In that hour, O God, hear my prayer; grant my desires through the merits of our Savior, Jesus Christ, and His Blessed Mother. Amen.”

## Rev. James Field’s Reflection: Preparing the Way

Rev. James Field tells a story from 1997, when Britain transferred sovereignty over Hong Kong to China. A friend of his rode a train to the new border and saw a massive earth‑moving operation—tractors, cranes, and a super‑highway being built right before his eyes. As the train crossed, a highway appeared, and thousands of men, women, and children swarmed the hillside, carrying shovels and buckets of dirt.

The scene reminded his friend of Isaiah’s call, echoed by John the Baptist: “Prepare the way of the Lord.” The image shows that roads are not built in a day, and they are not built by distant hands using our tax dollars alone. Scripture teaches a more ancient, hands‑on method: if a way is to be cleared in the wilderness, we must clear it ourselves. God asks us to stretch beyond our comfort zones and notice the places and people most easily overlooked.

## Applying the Message

Field invites us to ask ourselves whether we are prepared for the end of our lives and, more importantly, for the new beginning that Advent promises. He challenges us to think of someone who “prepares the way” for the Lord—perhaps by taking risks or serving in a hands‑on way. Write a note to that person today, even anonymously, to let them know they have inspired you to consider how you, too, can prepare the way for God.

## Closing Prayer

“God of new beginnings, help me to prepare the way for Jesus and help me to believe in a new heaven and a new earth. Amen.”

*Advent calls us to clear our own paths, making room for Christ’s coming in our lives and in the world.*