What does it mean to “Prepare the way for the Lord”? That’s a phrase from Isaiah 40 associated with John the Forerunner in Mark 1. John is shown to be the voice crying out in the wilderness to prepare the way for the Lord. But how? Well, Isaiah says that “Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low.” (v.4) If we don’t understand this metaphorical language it is because we’ve been conditioned not to see its implications. To participate in this Kingdom Preparation work, the Gospel of Mark and the prophet Isaiah aren’t teaching us to literally become landscapers. Valleys are metaphors for the bowed low and mountains are metaphors for the haughty. Kingdom work is all about building for the shalom justice that will one day characterize the whole world. We are to begin the work of creating wholeness, harmony, and equity in society.