A voice cries out:

‘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.

Then the glory of the LORD shall be revealed,

and all people shall see it together

for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.’

The first day of General Convention began with a worship service in which we reflected on the life and ministry of John the Baptist (FYI: Today is John the Baptist’s birthday! We celebrate his birthday six months before the birth of Jesus because the Bible says that John the Baptist was conceived six months before Jesus). According to our scriptures, John the Baptist was commissioned by God to prepare the way of the coming Lord; to make straight the path for Jesus.

Today, Christians of all denominations are walking on that path, that road that John helped prepare for Christ—at times Christians are even tasked with the work of helping to build that road, helping to clear a pathway for Jesus who continues to walk in this world.

As I sat in sessions today about a variety of issues—criminal and racial justice, addressing issues of alcoholism and addiction, and marriage equality—I found myself thinking about what this path is actually like that we are all supposed to be journeying on together. I let my imagination wander into a range of possibilities: Is it a secluded pathway, carved out of a thick forest? Or a six-lane highway surrounding a major city? Perhaps a bike lane along a river. Or dusty road in a small town.

How could one road ever carry all Episcopalians, all Christians, even all people? How could one road accommodate the diversity within our communities, the differences of opinions, our different needs? The words of Isaiah finally came to me:

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.

Isaiah doesn’t tell us too much about the terrain, but one thing is clear: the ground that makes up the roadway of God will not remain the same. Valleys will be lifted up and mountains will be made low; in other words, the very places we have come to know will be completely transformed. Change is the characteristic of the way of the Lord.

The scripture continues: Then the glory of the LORD shall be revealed.

I look forward to seeing how we walk the road of the Lord together during General Convention. How will we allow ourselves as a church to be changed in order to accommodate the transformative power of God?