Prepare and Dream Sermon by the Reverend Bernadette Hartsough
Advent II Isaiah 40:1-11 Mark 1:1-8
Today we hear the opening lines from the Gospel of Mark the “The beginning of the Good News of Jesus Christ; the son of God.” There is no baby in a manger, no angels, no shepherds, no wise men. Mark is abrupt and to the point. He is telling the story of how God brought salvation to all people. The story of Jesus does not begin in the gospel. The story begins in Hebrew scripture what many call the Old Testament. You may hear me refer to the Old Testament as the readings from Hebrew scripture. I call it that because the books of the Bible are not two testaments: old and new, but one testament, one story of God’s work throughout history. We read the Bible as one book composed of smaller books. They are all connected. The Gospel of Mark emphasizes this point by quoting the Prophet Isaiah.
In today’s reading from the Prophet Isaiah, Isaiah was speaking to a people who had been in exile for about 150 years. They lived under the Babylonian Empire. The Jerusalem temple, where they encountered God was destroyed. Isaiah tells the people to prepare. Their exile, their time away from God was almost over. Their cries to God during the exile, were heard. God was no longer silent. God would lead them home. They would be comforted but they needed to prepare themselves. They needed to make the road ready. The path needed to be cleared. The road needed to be made straight. The people made themselves ready by self-examination. They looked at themselves, what they had done, what they needed to repent of, and what needed to be changed. They prepared by giving up habits that separated them from God and taking on habits that turned them back to God.
John the Baptist, also a prophet called for preparation by turning back to God. He appeared in the wilderness and he wore clothes like those of the Prophet Elijah. He stood at the banks of the Jordan river. The wilderness and the River Jordan were cultural landmarks for Israel. They represented entering the promised land led by God. For Jewish people, it was a part of their history. They would have recognized the symbolism that John the Baptist was a prophet like Elijah.
John the Baptist, like the prophet Isaiah, preached preparation by repentance. John the Baptist also added a ritual cleansing in the River Jordan. He was reminding the people to prepare themselves. God was coming. He called on the people to turn back to God. Refocus your life. Give up habits that separate you from God and take on habits that pull you closer to God.
The Jewish people in the time of Isaiah and in the time of Jesus were living under a foreign empire. We know from scripture and other writings that they longed for God’s presence. They longed to be saved from their wilderness without God and they longed to be saved from themselves. They lost their focus as one who is lost in the desert or the wilderness.
In these last nine months, some people may have felt like we have been living in a desert. We have been wandering and not sure of the way out this pandemic. In addition to the physical effects of Covid 19, there are the emotional effects. We have all experienced losses. We grieve the loss of loved ones, the loss of jobs, the loss of social interaction, the loss of spending time with loved ones, the loss of celebrations. The list could continue. Losses force us to change even if we are not ready. Many people find themselves separated from God. Everything has changed so quickly. Church has changed. For some, it is hard to sense God’s presence. Many people are feeling isolated and alone. These are the tough times. Yet we learn from the prophets. We can spend this time preparing. We can turn back to God. We can take on habits to bring us closer to God. We can start to give up habits that are unhealthy for us. We can face the truth about ourselves and our past. We can prepare by reorientating our lives.
Prophets call individuals and communities. Just as each one of us is called to prepare ourselves, we as a community are called to look at who we are as a community. We are called to look at all the great things we are doing and to plan how to keep them going. We are also called to look at what needs to be done. What needs our attention. What are the areas of need that we should be addressing? Where do we need to name injustices? Prophets encourage us to plan and to imagine a different world.
This cycle of preparation with introspection, repentance, and reorientation create a birth story. It is how God breaks into our time with the Good News and brings us into the story. The Gospel of Mark opens with this story because it is the basis of everything we do. God through Jesus is our way forward. It is our way out of the desert. Yes, it is the baby in the manager, but it is also the man on the cross. God in Jesus is who continually saves us and who asks us to become the prophets- the heralders of the Good News and dreamers of a better world. Yes, each of us as individuals and as the church of St. Thomas/ Santo Tomás are called to be heralders to the world. We prepare ourselves and we imagine the possibilities.
I continue to dream of what we will be able to do at St. Thomas/Santo Tomás. I dream of filling the nave with people of all ages, genders, and races. I dream of having our parish hall busy with Bible studies, children’s programs, and programs to help our Latino brothers and sisters. But this must be “our” dream. In the next few months, I will be inviting you to dream with me, to share what is important. We will look at what we have learned during this last year, what we like, what we need, and how to preserve our foundation. When the pandemic is over, we will make plans to implement our dreams. St. Thomas/Santo Tomás will continue to be a heralder of Good News. We start now by preparing ourselves and by dreaming.
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