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December 04, 2005

Fred Heard - Dec 4, 2005

Sermon—Mark 1:1-8
December 4, 2005

Father Fred Heard - Holy Trinity Episcopal Church

(Audio recording here.)

The Lord Jesus Christ is coming and John the Baptist tells us so this morning. He is coming. “Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. 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.” Probably very few people understood what John was saying. Fewer understood, “I have baptized you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

The Lord Jesus Christ is coming and John is the perfect voice for Advent and alerts us of his coming to earth to bridge the relationship between God and ourselves. John’s message was the beginning of the Good News for the world. The old Chinese proverb tells us that “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step” and it is this first step that John points to today. You see today’s lesson is the first step for all those who want to follow Jesus. The wilderness is so lonely and so forsaken and John tells us what must be done to embrace the love and the comfort and the life and the spirit of Jesus Christ. John points the way for all who want to walk out of the wilderness to the promised land. My brothers and sisters, a highway out of the wilderness can offer much comfort—but what John proposes is through baptism we can build a highway into our hearts. This is a direction and the all important step we must take to get ready for Christ’s coming.

There is a Zen story about a university professor who went to visit the great master, Nan-In. “Master,” he said, “teach me what I need to know to have a happy life. I have studied the sacred scriptures, I have visited the greatest teachers in the land, but I have not found the answer, please - teach me the way.” At this point Nan-In served tea to his guest. He poured his visitor's cup full and then kept on pouring and pouring so that the tea began to run over the rim of the cup and across the table, and still he poured, until tea was falling upon the floor. The professor watched this until he could no longer restrain himself. “Its overfull, stop, no more will go in” he cried out. “Like this cup,” Nan-in said, “You are full of your own opinions and speculations. How can I show you the way unless you first empty your cup?”

And so, you see, that is how we must welcome Christ. We must make room for him in our hearts. During this Advent we can prepare for his coming…it is possible to do so. It would have been relatively simple for John the Baptist to build a highway out of the wilderness—but his task was much more difficult. John was driven to prepare the hearts of the people. He believed it was necessary to take action in order to meet the Messiah and to walk with him. John called on the folks to repent. Sometimes the word “repent” is one of those gooshie words that make Episcopalians uncomfortable. But what does repent mean? Quite simply it is to turn around or change direction or to leave the old way behind.

We can create our own wilderness by turning away from God…and that wilderness is so profound that it robs us of hope and when hope is gone—all is lost. Sometimes, when counseling people, I have suggested that things are so much worse when we wake up in the middle of the night and think about our problems…sometimes even, our hearts are so filled with sadness or worry there is no room for Christ—that my Brothers and Sisters is our choice because Christ will be with us always if we but open our hearts to him. We create our own wilderness and we keep it closest to us and that is in our hearts. Just like the professor in the Zen story, we must empty our hearts if we are to truly turn to Jesus Christ.

Sometimes during these days of the year it seems that everyone else is so merry and happy and all we feel is total despair. It is during these days of Advent when we can prepare if we will only do so to receive the Christ child once more. Our lives during these barren times do not have to lack hope and they do not have to be unfruitful. Just as there are plenty of reminders about the joy of the season—there are tools, if you will, that can not just get us through the holidays—but can move us along with substantial satisfaction. Unprepared, the Christmas season, can remind us of what we lack and more vividly paint our need for God or for anything that will ease our burdens. This can be lonely. But we must remember that loneliness is not just the lot of those who are by themselves because we can be lonely in crowds of 500…and we can be filled with a sense of community or togetherness by ourselves. It can be lonely for those who think they will find what they are missing at the office Christmas party, or in having the perfect Christmas tree, or by giving or receiving the perfect Christmas gift, or in having the most spectacular Christmas decorations in the neighborhood. We can also feel together and happy by sitting and reading a good book or by watching a good movie by ourselves.

But also remember, my Brothers and Sisters that even those who value the good news of Jesus Christ might feel a sense of unrest during this time of the year because perhaps we are looking for a new way of doing old things. There may be something we need to forgive or forget. Perhaps we need to empty our cups or simply switch to another brand of tea or fill our cups with the water of life.

It is not un-Christian to feel spiritually empty or dry or disconnected from time to time. What is wrong is to leave it there. We leave it there by trying to fill that emptiness with shopping or more parties or more noise and sometimes we try to drown out the silence with noise. Silence is not our enemy. Silence is really the natural state of the world and we have tried to overcome it and eventually, it all goes back to silence. The music can’t keep playing, the voices can’t keep talking, and the cars can’t keep chugging along. Eventually, there is silence…and this is when, if you listen, you will hear God. God, during this Advent, is not pressuring you to be happy and full of good cheer. God is not telling you to “shop until you drop.” God does not want you to remember the birth of his son with exhaustion or panic or questions of self worth because you didn’t do thus and so. God is not telling you to mark Christmas by spending more than you should. Working too hard and long, exhaustion, short tempers, lack of organization, charging beyond means—none of these things bring joy and happiness to our family and friends. This is a wilderness and it is one we have created—it truly is not from God.

My dear friends—march to your own drummer. Build an Advent that includes rest and hope for you and time for love for family and friends, and joy and peace for all. This is where God is. Remember John in this morning’s gospel and prepare your way during Advent. December is a good time to enjoy the cold days, to turn to family and friends, and your church community. It is really a time to do less—much less. It is a time to relax. Accept invitations that you really want and don’t resent when the day arrives. Spend time trying that Christmas punch or cookie or bread recipe. Write letters to friends and family. Call a person who has dropped out of your life. Sing those beautiful songs of the season. Be sensitive to those around you. Read the beautiful scriptures and pray during this time. If you don’t pray, you can always begin with “Thank you God.” Pray for your church and the world. Spend some time alone. Walk the labyrinth. Take a walk in the cold air.

Those of us who are here today know more about the world than those who listened to John the Baptist 2000 years ago. We know the King of Kings is coming. We know Jesus Christ will die for us and will be resurrected from the dead and with that life will triumph over death. We know that. John’s words, spoken so long ago call us to that life that Jesus revealed. John asked us to plan and look ahead. He asked us to change direction. Those words do not seem out of date on this day. Indeed John is talking to us on this Advent day, 2005…John invites us to the light and leads us out of the darkness. AMEN