Thought for the week

“A voice of one calling the desert, ‘Prepare the way for the lord’.” (Isaiah 40:3, Matthew 3:3)

THE need to be prepared.

Holy Scriptures remind us that preparation is an essential part of life.

There are many things for which preparation is necessary.

The prophet Amos issued the solemn warning, Prepare to meet your God, O Israel. (Amos 4:12)

It was John the Baptist who fulfilled the prophesy of Isaiah – A voice of one calling the desert, ‘Prepare the way for the lord’. ( Isaiah 40:3, Mat-

thew 3:3) The season of Advent is the time when Christians prepare to celebrate the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ, while Lent is the season when we prepare to celebrate the events of Easter.

There are many other matters that call for preparation, often things which can bring changes in life, such as exams, marriage, the birth of a baby, a change in career.

Other things of a less dramatic nature also require preparation – cooking a meal, going on holiday, leading worship on Sunday.

I have recently married having been a widower for over six years, and will soon be retiring from parish ministry.

These are changes that certainly involve an important element of preparation.

But it is most important that we should be prepared in spiritual things.

Are we prepared to meet with God, prepared for the way of the Lord to be fulfilled in us and through us?

Nothing can be more vital than preparation for the service of God and the good of our souls. Rev. George G. Cringles ( Minister of the Isle of Coll, linked with Connel Parish Church of Scotland)