It would be kind of awesome to be a king or queen! Absolute rule, untold wealth, and people answering your every beck and call are things that wouldn’t be half bad. Of course, I would be a benevolent monarch, and I would hope that all my subjects would love me. They could cheer me as I came out of the palace, and I think my popularity ratings in the polls would be through the roof. But if they weren’t, that would be fine, too, because I would rule the kingdom. And that means no throwing me out of office. Talk about job security! As great as that sounds, the King of kings could have had all that as well, but instead, he chose quite a different path. He gave up absolute rule so all his subjects could have the free will to choose to follow him. He gave up untold wealth so he could be treated like a common criminal and receive a death sentence. He gave up having servants at his disposal so he could be the servant of all his subjects himself. Yes, he was the King of kings, but he was nothing like a typical king. As much as I think it would be great to be a king myself, I would rather emulate this King instead. Who would you rather be like? You could have it all or choose to give away everything. You could choose a path of luxury or a path of trial. You could be respected by many or find yourself in a culture that increasingly finds you objectionable. Who would you rather be like? Do you arrive at an answer quickly, or do you need some time to think about it?

"Be Prepared," this is the Boy Scout motto. This first Sunday of Advent, Mt. 24: 37- 44 tells us the two options Jesus says that we can take in life: to live in comfort and sin, or to be prepared and be righteous. In Christian life, complacency can be our biggest weakness, the Gospel tells us, "be prepared," for you do not know on which day your Lord will come.

Today is the First Sunday of Advent. It is the first day of preparation for the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. It is the acceptable time of salvation, and the time to prepare to welcome the Baby Jesus into our hearts and our lives. It is the time for peace and reconciliation. It is also the time for giving and sharing the greatest gift of God, the Baby Jesus.

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