Last week was the first week of Advent and I talked about getting ready for the “Big Event” of the coming of the Messiah. If you remember the reading from Paul’s letter, there was an anticipation of the coming of salvation, a new vision of the Kingdom of God, for all humankind. Paul said “now is the moment” and I talked about his sense of urgency and excitement.
This week, that sense of anticipation and urgency continues in our lessons as we prepare for the arrival of Emmanuel, God with us. The reading from Isaiah (11:1-10) is beautiful poetry that helps us to understand this new vision of the coming Kingdom of God. It is a vision of rebirth and renewal. From the stump comes a new shoot. Righteousness and faithfulness will be the sources of wisdom, understanding and power. The meek and the poor will no longer suffer. The wolf and the lamb will rest together. The people will be led by a child. Throughout this piece of prophetic poetry from Isaiah, we get glimpses of a world that is full of unlikely harmony and peace. It is a world that seems impossible. From desolation comes rebirth. From marginalization comes hope. From humility comes power. It seems impossible for us to imagine being led by a child, an end to suffering, and true peace because our reality is so far from this possibility. But for a people in exile, a people hungry and desperate for salvation and the Kingdom of God, as impossible as Isaiah’s vision was, it was hopeful. It is from Isaiah’s prophetic poetry that we begin to see not only an ancient people’s yearning for the Messiah, but also our own yearning for a new way of being in the world, a new way of understanding love, a new way to be Jesus’ hands and feet for one another. In the Gospel (Matthew 3:1-12), we encounter the all-too-familiar story of John the Baptist crying out in the wilderness “Prepare the Way”. Like Isaiah, John is an unlikely prophet with an unlikely vision. He is not on the street corner or in the temple…he’s out in the wilderness. He isn’t dressed in fine linen like the religious leaders, but is covered with a suit made of fur. Icons depict John as a crazy man…someone we’d likely avoid if we encountered him on the street. His hair is disheveled, he is barefoot, and he is dirty. He eats bugs and honey, not the meal of a rich man. And yet, people seek him out. Why? Because he is offering them welcome and hope. John’s message of “prepare the way” is about repentance. Like the message of Isaiah, John has a new vision of the Kingdom of God that requires people to change their perspective and become open to the possibility of a new way of being in the world. By the time of John the Baptist, Jerusalem was occupied by the Romans, and so once again, they were deeply yearning for salvation. They were looking for the coming Kingdom of God. They were urgently awaiting the coming of the Messiah. This week I’ve been thinking a lot about this new way of being in the world, this new creation, this coming Kingdom of God. I’ve been thinking about it, not because it’s Advent and that’s what I’m supposed to be thinking about, but because it’s been so bitterly cold. This winter freeze has made me all the more mindful of our brothers and sisters who have inadequate housing or no shelter at all. It has made me think of the guests at the warming shelter. It has made me think of the countless runaway teens who are couch surfing, sleeping in cars and abandoned buildings. Unlike any of us sitting here today, they are desperate. Regardless of how their situation came to be, these are individuals who have been marginalized, who are hurting, and who are deeply yearning for a new way of being in the world. I don’t know if they’d say they were yearning for the coming of the Messiah, but if the Kingdom of God is anything like what Isaiah or John had in mind, then perhaps this is what they desire. St. Teresa of Avila, a medieval Christian mystic wrote the following poem: Christ has no body but yours, No hands, no feet on earth but yours, Yours are the eyes with which he looks Compassion on this world, Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good, Yours are the hands, with which he blesses all the world. Yours are the hands, yours are the feet, Yours are the eyes, you are his body. Christ has no body now but yours, No hands, no feet on earth but yours, Yours are the eyes with which he looks compassion on this world. Christ has no body now on earth but yours. I believe that if we, the church, our community gathered here, are the new prophetic voice calling out into the world that the moment is now, that we need to prepare the way for the coming of the Messiah, part of our work is to help bring about this new creation, this Kingdom of God. The season of Advent isn’t just about preparing for the coming of the Christ child, but also about the second coming of Christ. As we watch and wait, we prepare actively. We are the feet, the hands, and the eyes of the long awaited Messiah. We are the agents of making the Kingdom of God not some far away place, but here in our midst. On Thursday Nelson Mandela passed away surrounded by loved ones. Mandela was known for his work towards justice and equality for the people of South Africa. Like Isaiah and John the Baptist, he was a voice calling out to those who were oppressed, fearful, and desperate. His vision of reconciliation and justice was considered unbelievable at the time. But his was a prophetic voice and people listened. And they prepared the way for a new reality…a Kingdom of God in the here and now, a new beginning in a place of desolation. There will be times when the voice calling out in the wilderness will be the voice of the unlikely prophet. There will be times when the message will seem impossible. But there is hope in the wilderness. There is hope in the stump that is able to produce new life. Prepare the way for the new vision. Prepare the way for the coming of the Messiah.
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AuthorI don't know what the future of the church is, but I know that we will continue to be a place of sanctuary and hope, working towards healing in the world. Archives
October 2017
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