Prepare The Way

We had an incredible night of worship with our high school students last night. On the second Wednesday of each month we have our Second Wednesday Worship (2W2). 2W2 is a night in which we lay aside our regular Wednesday night program and instead, spend the whole night seeking the Lord in worship. Last night the theme of our time was Prepare the Way.

We began our night looking at how the way was prepared for both Jesus' coming to earth and His ministry while here with us. We looked at Luke 1:26-56 and discovered how Mary prepared her heart for what God was going to ask of her, that of course being the earthly mother of Jesus. We also looked at Luke 3:4-18 and discussed how John the Baptist prepared the way for Jesus' three years of ministry here on earth. We then spent the rest of the evening preparing our hearts for Jesus. Jesus desires to have His way with us and make us into someone very beautiful and useful for Him. We must prepare the way for Him.

As we spent the next hour singing and reflecting we also participated in different worship stations. There was a station for journaling in which students could express their hearts and feelings to God through writing. There was our Reflection Wall, a space in which students can creatively, through artwork, reflect and express their hearts to God. We also had a Prepare the Way station set up.

The Prepare the Way station consisted of a long paper pathway. Along the path were rocks, and to the side of the path were tea light candles. At the end of the path was a cross. We had each person go to the station and reflect on what the "boulders" were in their lives that keep Jesus from making His way to them. As we realized what those boulders were in our lives we wrote them down on a slip of paper along with a prayer of confession to God, and then nailed them to the cross. We then wrote on the pathway the names of the boulders in our lives, prayed, and then lit a candle. The candles symbolized the light of Christ making His way into our lives as we clear the path for Him.

The Prepare the Way station was an amazing experience and a beautiful picture of how Jesus desires to make His way into our lives and how when we clear the path (prepare the way) He then lights our path and begins to do great things in our lives.

With the advent season upon us, use it to prepare the way for Jesus in your life. Don't merely focus on the birth of Christ this Christmas but focus also on why He came to earth, to draw us into relationship with Himself, and to use us to build His kingdom. Make sure that your life is free from the "boulders" that might prevent Him from fully making His way into your life.