For many years, the idea of cleaning the house to prepare for the arrival of the Christ child has confused me. In short, must we “do” certain things before Jesus enters our hearts? The more profound question is, “Must I do something before Christ enters my heart?” Are we saved by works or grace?

     When I speak of grace, I mean the unmerited favor of God offered to everyone. There is nothing we did, do, or will do to make ourselves more “worthy” of receiving this holy gift, freely given by the Divine. We cannot earn God’s exceptional offering to us. Agape freely pours itself out for us to take this heavenly present.

     The season of Advent is a time of joyful anticipation, a time to prepare our hearts and minds for the arrival of the One, who comes to us as a baby. When my wife and I had our first child, we prepared our house for our new roommate. One fond memory I have was making the nursery precisely right. My wife insisted that the room needed to have bright, differently colored teddy bears painted around the top.

     She took her commitment very seriously, insisting that only she could do it correctly. So, I followed her around the room, and at 9 months pregnant, she climbed a short ladder to reach the spot where she used a stencil to paint each teddy bear to her liking. We laughed and shared our hopes and dreams for our new little welcomed guest. Our preparations had to be correct.

     Advent invites us to get ready to accept a tiny child into our lives, a child with the incredible power to transform our hearts and souls into the kind of people God made us to be. The cleaning of the house has less to do with our work to accept the grace of God and more to do with doing a fearlessly moral inventory of our lives. In other words, God gave us the house as a gift, and we did not need to take out a mortgage or pay property taxes. We have to clean and take care of our sacred homes.

     Advent reminds us to clear away the clutter in our spiritual homes. Just as we tidy our physical homes to make them welcoming, we need to tidy our spiritual lives. This means removing negative thoughts, unhealthy habits, and anything that distracts us from God’s presence. By doing so, we create a space where Jesus can see the appreciation and joy we have as the children of God. We wipe away despair and shame to free our hearts to receive joy and restoration. We need to trust that the gift given by God reflects the Divine image in the mirrors of our souls. Preparation leads to the beauty of expecting the miracle of salvation to continue to create a masterpiece within us.