December 08, 2025
How to Prepare for Advent
Each month the MM staff gather for a time of worship and a message. We call them our monthly Chapel times, and we’ve been having them since 2017. We invite area pastors and worship leaders into our space and they speak truth into us to start our month off right. This year, we started sharing a little bit about them on our blog.
December’s guest had a message for Advent. Advent literally means the arrival of a notable person, thing, or event. How can we be preparing for this esteemed guest? We can prepare our hearts for the greatest gift. Jesus. We are preparing for his coming. By remembering the first time He came to earth and looking towards the second coming.
Prepare & Repent
It starts with repenting and preparing the way.
Matthew 3:1-3 starts:
In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah when he said,
“The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
‘Prepare the way of the Lord;
make his paths straight.’”
Isaiah 40 is where Matthew was quoting from and continues the thought.
A voice cries:
“In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord;
make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
Every valley shall be lifted up,
and every mountain and hill be made low;
the uneven ground shall become level,
and the rough places a plain.
Construction Zone
Now, this is no small task our Chapel speaker warns. It’s equivalent to clearing hills and adding to valleys. It’s getting rid of every obstacle in the way. This is a construction zone. Those are rarely convenient, and often not on our preferred timeline. Often we’d rather just cover up the bump in the road, but we know later on it won’t be a smooth surface, if the road crews aren’t allowed to tear out the infected area, and make it all right.
Instead, what if this year, we invited in the construction work. We put up the cones. We did the work necessary in our hearts. And took as long as we needed for the process? Then, on Christmas day, how much sweeter would the gift of Jesus be?
3 Ways to Prepare
How do we start that process? Our speaker had 3 challenges for us.
- Turn away from excess, and turn towards simplicity. Simplicity is the antidote of selfishness.
- Turn away from cynicism, and turn towards joy. Joy is a choice, and one we have to keep choosing.
- Turn away from restlessness, and turn towards stillness. How else can you notice where the construction crew needs to go?
However, if we are able to let the construction work occur; repent, prepare the way, and clear our hearts. Then, we will realize there is really good news and we’ll be able to see clearly what is possible when we turn away from our old way of thinking.
When we “Let every heart prepare Him room”- think of what he could do in us. We will leave you with the lyrics from Joy to the World…
Joy to the world! The Lord is come
Let earth receive her King!
Let every heart prepare Him room
And heaven and nature sing
And heaven and nature sing
And heaven, and heaven and nature sing
Joy to the world! the Savior reigns
Let men their songs employ
While fields and floods
Rocks, hills and plains
Repeat the sounding joy
Repeat the sounding joy
Repeat, repeat the sound joy
No more let sins and sorrows grow
Nor thorns infest the ground
He comes to make
His blessings flow
Far as the curse is found
Far as the curse is found
Far as, far as the curse is found
He rules the world with truth and grace
And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness
And wonders of His love
And wonders of His love
And wonders and wonders of His love
Happy Advent to you all.
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