Ready?

Small town events are big excitement for kids. Somewhere around age 12 I remember eagerly anticipating an upcoming parade with my then bestie, Lee.

Lee was a fun-loving, kind-hearted friend. So, when she announced that she was personally going to participate in the parade, I was genuinely excited with her. She would be a baton-twirler, alongside her teenage cousin who looked like a fashion model and who was aptly named Barbie.

Lee practiced her moves for hours. When she tried on her dazzling red costume, complete with white gloves and authentic leatherette boots, I may have been a little envious. Still, we giggled like the school girls we were. This was going to be incredible!

The day of the parade I arrived well ahead of time to secure the best vantage point Main Street had to offer. I perched on the curb and watched the spectacular entries as they passed – marching bands, decorated tractors hauling farm wagons converted into fabulous floats, the local firemen decked out in their uniforms marching in front of the shiny red fire engine, clowns tossing candies to the onlookers. Just fantastic!

At the end of it all I suddenly realized that I hadn’t seen Lee or her cousin. What could have happened? I hurried to the parking lot where the parade had dispersed. From a distance I saw Lee’s sequins sparkling as she waved at me with a big smile. I ran toward her and before she could say anything I exclaimed, “You were amazing!” (Pretty sure that was true. I just left out the part about how I didn’t actually see her.)

How could I possibly have missed her? She was only yards away from me, in her crimson outfit, twirling her baton with all her might. Clearly, other sights had distracted me. I felt kind of cheated at having missed the “main event.”

Amid the frenzy

This memory pops up as we approach Advent. Now, as an adult, my tendency toward distraction persists. Ironically, all the frenzy of preparations can easily obscure the essence of Christmas. In the midst of the excitement, it’s essential to focus on the real reason for the season, even when that phrase has become a cultural cliché, right up there along with, “Are you ready for Christmas?”

That can be a hard question to answer.

Compare Zacharias and Mary in their reactions to the angel’s announcements. Zacharias was a priest with an impressive lineage, well trained in the scriptures, a faithful servant in the temple. Yet when Gabriel came to tell him how God had answered his prayers and that his very own son would in fact be the forerunner of the Messiah, he could not believe it. After a lifetime spent in preparation for the coming of the kingdom, he wasn’t ready for the Good News.

Mary also met Gabriel in fear and trembling, but her simple faith shone through. She asked her questions in awe and wonder, not doubt. Humbly accepting the angelic message, she was the ready and willing maidservant of the Lord.

Christmas marks time for us – an annual reminder that we live somewhere between Christ’s first and second coming. We anticipate. We celebrate. We wait.

Get ready, my friend. Stay ready. This is going to be incredible.

Meanwhile, magnify the LORD!