Preparation for the Church

I love Christmas. Although Jesus is the reason for the season, the preparation for the holidays just makes everything better. There is always that antsy feeling that comes with waiting for the big day, but getting ready for Christmas as a family gives me such a sense of camaraderie. If the Christmas season was just one day, how enjoyable would that be? There would not be time to decorate trees and houses, bake delicious goodies, go to Christmas parties. After weeks of planning and packing and preparing, finally we feel like we are ready to sit down and have a holiday. And so it was with God’s plan for salvation. He didn’t just spring it on us, like “Surprise! Didn’t know that was coming, did ya?” He waited, and prepared the hearts of His people before He unleashed His major plan. He stared making covenants: first with Noah, then Abraham, then Moses, then David. With each generation, God’s people expanded. All this would build up to one day to finally fulfill the covenant with the Church. But before that, the Jewish people waited in expectation and prepared their hearts for the day the Messiah would come to free humanity from their sins. And that’s what makes Christmas more than just the surprises and fun. It is time for us to prepare ourselves just as the Jews did for the coming of the Messiah.