you’ll see this on tv shows & movies sometimes. a man will take a woman out for a walk, or on a date…whatever somewhere nice and unassuming. while they are out, they will ‘just happen to stumble upon’ either a picnic, a romantic dinner or some other such set up, that the man had prepared ahead of time. the woman is pleasantly surprised and impressed that he went to all this trouble, and they then enjoy the effort together and their love increases.

it sounds pretty smarmy, but it works. we like to know that someone cares about us. it’s a double bonus to find out that they will go above and beyond the norm in order to show us that we are important to them. yes, it’s an ego boost, but more than just that, we see further into the depth of their love, and that is always a good thing.

whatever the effort, this kind of preparation is always impressive, and it does show how much someone cares…

bookending Jesus’ passion, we have 2 accounts of Jesus going on ahead to prepare something. the first time, we see that He had prepared for their passover meal. the donkey for the triumphal entry had already been taken care of, and the room was readied for them. Jesus knew that every moment He had remaining with His disciples was important, and didn’t need to be wasted on trying to pull all these details together at the last minute. they would have been distracted and wrapped up in the prep work. So, He set everything up ahead of time (we don’t know how or when) so that these last few days could be spent with them free of any extra hassle. thee days would be hectic and difficult enough on their own.

these events lead up to and through His passion & resurrection (which we just celebrated yesterday.) the next instance of going on ahead Jesus tells us about in John 14. He tells His disciples that He is going on ahead to prepare a place for them, and us, so that where He is, we may also be…

this one isn’t just for a three day stay. this preparation is in anticipation of eternity. this place He prepares is the New Jerusalem. this is so far beyond a romantic dinner, or a surprise getaway. this is the work of God that began with the sacrifice of Jesus, and will consummate with His return to bring us home with Him. we have a glimpse of what He is preparing for us that He has shown us in john’s revelation. suffice it to say, it is beyond our understanding or perceptions, but we know that it has been lovingly done, with us in mind…even though we will never really understand what it is God sees in us.

and in the mean time, while we wait in eager anticipation, God was kind enough to prepare in advance something for us to do. Ephesians 2:10 says that we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. we have a way to express our love and appreciation for Him up until the time when we will be with Him forever. and that is so awesome…because what couple has a one sided love? how could we wait in anticipation for our groom and act as though we do not care?

so, while we wait, we sing our love song to God, as He has already been singing to us since the creation of the world.