One of the things I dislike doing, and will do anything to put it off as long as possible, is house cleaning. When I was working, I was fortunate enough to be able to pay someone to come in weekly and clean through the house. She retired after our youngest son started at university, and so my husband who was at home, said we didn’t need to replace her as he would do the cleaning…. well….
With all good intentions I planned to clean bathrooms and sinks, dust all the surfaces regularly every week. To be fair, my husband does get the vacuum cleaner out very regularly. However, my cleaning timetable has lapsed somewhat.
I have to confess, it is only when the bathroom sink is looking particularly grubby that I knuckle down and get on with it; and even then I have to stop for a coffee as a distraction from the task in hand.
When I have eventually finished and the taps are all gleaming, there’s a smell of pine disinfectant in the air, tiled floors have been mopped, and spiders have been forced to leave their homes, it does feel quite satisfying.
We all have those things in our lives that need dusting off, or scrubbing clean.
This second week of Advent we are thinking about John the Baptist and how he came to make a highway in the wilderness, ready for one who would baptize with the Holy Spirit.
Let us shake the dust of the wilderness off, let us mop the tiles clean and create a highway for Jesus to meet us. Let us turn away from the grime and let the Holy Spirit make us clean again. AMEN