Second Sunday of Advent: Will You Be The Voice in the Wilderness?

Today's Scripture Readings

Isaiah 40:1-11 (NRSV)

Comfort, O comfort my people,

says your God.

Speak tenderly to Jerusalem,

and cry to her

that she has served her term,

that her penalty is paid,

that she has received from the LORD's hand

double for all her sins.

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."

A voice says, "Cry out!"

And I said, "What shall I cry?"

All people are grass,

their constancy is like the flower of the field.

The grass withers, the flower fades,

when the breath of the LORD blows upon it;

surely the people are grass.

The grass withers, the flower fades;

but the word of our God will stand forever.

Get you up to a high mountain,

O Zion, herald of good tidings;

lift up your voice with strength,

O Jerusalem, herald of good tidings,

lift it up, do not fear;

say to the cities of Judah,

"Here is your God!"

See, the Lord GOD comes with might,

and his arm rules for him;

his reward is with him,

and his recompense before him.

He will feed his flock like a shepherd;

he will gather the lambs in his arms,

and carry them in his bosom,

and gently lead the mother sheep.

Psalm 85:1-2, 8-13 (BCP., p.708-709)

2 Peter 3:8-15 (NRSV)

Do not ignore this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like one day. The Lord is not slow about his promise, as some think of slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish, but all to come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a loud noise, and the elements will be dissolved with fire, and the earth and everything that is done on it will be disclosed.

Since all these things are to be dissolved in this way, what sort of persons ought you to be in leading lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set ablaze and dissolved, and the elements will melt with fire? But, in accordance with his promise, we wait for new heavens and a new earth, where righteousness is at home.

Therefore, beloved, while you are waiting for these things, strive to be found by him at peace, without spot or blemish; and regard the patience of our Lord as salvation.

Mark 1:1-8 (NRSV)

The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

As it is written in the prophet Isaiah,

"See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you,

who will prepare your way;

the voice of one crying out in the wilderness:

`Prepare the way of the Lord,

make his paths straight,'"

John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And people from the whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were going out to him, and were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. Now John was clothed with camel's hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. He proclaimed, "The one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the thong of his sandals. I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit."

Blog Reflection

I am listening to a recording of Handel's Messiah as I write this blog post.  The words of Isaiah 40:1-11 are written all over part one of the historic oratorio.  The music that is played and sung to those words, "Comfort ye, my people" is so wonderful.  It sounds victorious with a lot of hope.  It is full of expectation and prophesy of the amazing things God will do.  Yet, it is clear from the text that not all is well at the moment.  God promises through Isaiah that a new prophet will come who cries in the wilderness to prepare a way for God to come, bringing justice and holiness.  So many more amazing things are on the horizon, that the Canticle is full of symbolism of the sky, the rain, the grass, the sheep to make the point that everything will be different than how they were.

This past week, the issue of institutionalized racism got another opportunity to become more visible.  The grand jury in NY deciding not to indict a police officer for killing unarmed Eric Garner by the means of a choke hold.  The raw emotions over the issue of racism in Ferguson, MO became only that much more viral with the Eric Garner case.  Before the ink dried in New York and we got a chance to breath after Ferguson, an unarmed black man in Arizona was shot and killed by a police officer.  The racial injustice is growing and destabilizing with every passing day.  The fact remains that those who are not white and/or Caucasian are the underprivileged on the basis of the color of their skin.  Even after a prophetic witness named Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr was shot forty six years ago; African Americans, immigrants, Native Americans and so forth remain disadvantaged even more so than lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning and/or queer people.  Such is the case in the Church and even more so in society.

On this Second Sunday of Advent, we traditionally remember St. John the Baptist as that "voice in the wilderness" calling out for the people of his time to prepare for the coming of Christ.  St. John the Baptist was not the typical prophet.  He was dressed in camels hair, had a leather belt around his waist, he ate locusts and honey.  In his time, St. John the Baptist would have been the outcast of outcasts.  He was the loud outsider calling those on the inside to recognize the need for repentance.  Repentance means to turn away from one's current direction in life and live for God in righteousness.

As soon as I wrote those words, I am immediately in trouble.  I am in trouble because, there is this part of my life that seems so contrary to the "Infallible Word of God" that when I write about repentance, I am considered a liar or even a fake.  That part of my life gets me and others like me a label and a stereotype that classifies me as a second class citizen.   A second class citizen who should not have the right to be married to my husband as I am, serve in the Church as a Benedictine Monk, write about the Scriptures or any other such thing.  That is all because fundamentalist Christians with a one sided view of the Bible cannot see in that view a bias based not on actual Biblical fact; but based on ignorance and fear driving their hate.  Thankfully, over these many years members of The Episcopal Church and other church bodies, along with those who began The Companions of St. Luke/Order of St. Benedict opened themselves to the Holy Spirit and the possibility that their previously held understandings of homosexuality and the Bible were not correct, or sustainable.  They allowed themselves and others to experience conversion that led to a new repentance; and allowed the Spirit to breath a whole new air into the lives of LGBTQ people and the Church. That air continues blowing through all of society as in one state after another marriage equality bans are being overturned by the courts. All of this happened because of the prophetic witnesses that raised their voices in the wilderness of their time.  Yet, for all of these many strides, the same heterosexism that is driven by Christianists with their own version of who Jesus is, continue their reckless violence in rhetoric and action.

The same racism that lived through the days of the enslavement of African Americans and other racial groups is still living and goes on burning through what is good about America.   It still rages on in many states, in the courts, in our police departments and sadly in the LGBTQ communities, and the Church.  The same can be said for sexism, religious discrimination, bias on the basis of disabilities, languages, economic classes and those who live in poverty.

We need prophetic voices who will continue to cry out in the wilderness through prayer, work, activism and/or other peaceful, yet effective means.  We all need to continue to educate ourselves and others around us about people we are ignorant about, and learn how to respond to their needs with compassion and respect for their uniqueness that brings vitality to any community.  Among the ways we can do this is to express our concern either through letters to newspaper editors and/or legislators, and/or talk with our neighbors in respectful, but candid ways.

It cannot be said enough, apparently, that our Baptismal Covenant as Episcopalians (and all Christians for that matter) places on us the responsibility to respond with a strong sense of commitment and urgency to these issues.  Every human person is created as an image of the Holy Trinity, that is the relationship of God's oneness of Community with all persons.  When the human community in any particular community experiences violence, neglect and oppression; all communities are equally affected.  No community is completely safe.  That is because God has given each of us our place in the Sisterhood and Brotherhood of the human family, to be a voice crying in the wilderness that calls us all to prepare for a place for Jesus Christ to be born and reborn in all of us.

Will you be a voice in the wilderness to prepare that place for Jesus?

Amen.


Prayer

Merciful God, who sent your messengers the prophets to
preach repentance and prepare the way for our salvation:
Give us grace to heed their warnings and forsake our sins,
that we may greet with joy the coming of Jesus Christ our
Redeemer; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy
Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. (Collect for the Second Sunday of Advent. The Book of Common Prayer, p. 211).

O God, you made us in your own image and redeemed us
through Jesus your Son: Look with compassion on the whole
human family; take away the arrogance and hatred which
infect our hearts; break down the walls that separate us;
unite us in bonds of love; and work through our struggle and
confusion to accomplish your purposes on earth; that, in
your good time, all nations and races may serve you in
harmony around your heavenly throne; through Jesus Christ
our Lord. Amen. (Prayer for the Human Family.  The Book of Common Prayer, p.815).

O God, you have made of one blood all the peoples of the
earth, and sent your blessed Son to preach peace to those
who are far off and to those who are near: Grant that people
everywhere may seek after you and find you; bring the
nations into your fold; pour out your Spirit upon all flesh;
and hasten the coming of your kingdom; through Jesus
Christ our Lord. Amen.  (Prayer for Mission.  The Book of Common Prayer, p.100).