We are now two weeks away from Christmas, and preparations in most homes are ongoing – putting up decorations, buying gifts and writing cards are all ways we use physical symbols to remind us of the time of year. Shops clearly start their preparations early (some of us feel too early!), but for God, preparations for Christmas began a long time ago…

The first prophecy about the coming of the Messiah is found in Gen 3:15. God’s plan of renewal and restoration was in place even in the Garden of Eden, but time was needed before the fulfilment of this plan took place. Time was, for God, a tool to work towards this plan, for people needed to be aware of the desperate need for salvation before they could hope to embrace it. God used this time to prepare the lineage of His Son (related in Matthew 1 in fulfilment of God’s word to David in 2 Sam 7:13) and to ensure that the mother of Jesus would be a virgin (in fulfilment of Isaiah’s prophecy in Is 7:14).

Mary, Zechariah, Elizabeth and Joseph are all key players in the Christmas story who were prepared by God (through angelic visitations) to receive the Messiah. God worked to ensure that Jesus’s earthly parents were faithful and obedient servants, tying together all the strands needed so that at the right time (Gal 4:4), His Son would be born to put into effect God’s great plan of salvation.

As we prepare for Christmas, we need to prepare our hearts, to slow down and put Christ first in everything we do and to be willing to be an example for others to follow and a witness to the greatest story we can ever experience. Advent is not so much a time for preparing for Christmas as for preparing for Christ.