St John’s Lutheran Church, Toluca, IL – 2nd Sunday of Advent
Malachi 3:1-4; Luke 1:68-79; Philippians 1:3-11
Luke 3: 1-6
1In the fifteenth year of the reign of Emperor Tiberius, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was ruler of Galilee, and his brother Philip ruler of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias ruler of Abilene, 2during the high priesthood of Annas and 1In the fifteenth year of the reign of Emperor Tiberius, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was ruler of Galilee, and his brother Philip ruler of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias ruler of Abilene, 2during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness. 3He went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, 4as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah,
“The voice of one crying out in the wilderness:
‘Prepare the way of the Lord,
make his paths straight.
5Every valley shall be filled,
and every mountain and hill shall be made low,
and the crooked shall be made straight,
and the rough ways made smooth;
6and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.’ ”
NRSV
The Word Comes
It came to me not all at once, but sprinkled throughout my almost 49 years of existence. It would be present, then go, then present again, sometimes strongly, sometimes in more subtle ways. I have discovered, through my years of ministry, it to be true for most believers when it comes to the Word from God.
I must admit that it was hard stay away from it when one attends catholic schools during most of ones childhood. Or, when living less than a block from the neighborhood church and the bells and the 6 pm hail Mary playing through outside speakers are part of one’s daily routine. On the other hand, it makes it easier for one to eventually tune it out, which makes me guilty as charged.
However, I can look back and see the moments when the Word came near and made himself really known to me. As a child, the prayer of St. Francis, which sometimes we would have to sing at elementary school, spoke and it is still part of my devotions until this day.
There was the spirituality of both my father and godfather which often rubbed on me. Talking about my father, there was the moment I called him after graduating from Seminary and he asked me how I felt. I told him that, for the better or the worse, I felt complete, fulfilled. Then he told that he somewhat always knew. That was one the times the Word revealed himself to me big time.
Another time was during the youth mission trip with my Lutheran home church of St. Matthew in Urbana (IL), which I served as senior high Sunday School “teacher”. This one I was totally carried by the Holy Spirit.
Nowadays I have some very limited tool and shop skills. Back then I had none. I was truthful when I filled the registration form. Carpentry skills: none. Painting skills: none. I told them so! It didn’t matter. I found myself having to supervise a group of teens that I have never met, in a project that involved the repair of stuff called soffit, and fascia board, which I had never heard of it before. There were no smart phones yet back in 2002, so I could not google it on the spot either! I looked up to the heavens and I said, really?
Well it worked. We finished. I did learned what soffits and fascia boards were. I even had my first go with painting and did a descent job. Some personal obstacles had to be moved to side, out of the way, but that is one the things the Word does; which in my case is to carry me through my clumsiness. That alone is a lot of work for the Word because my clumsiness tends to fight back, and it did! I left the power drill on top of the ladder, bumped into it, and the it fell, stabbing my arm and nicking a sizable blood vessel. You got the picture.
The point is, my fellow beloved of God, that the Word that came down to walk and abide with us, that came to John in the wilderness, also comes to all which God claims a the font and feeds at the table. The Word of God comes.
It comes regardless.
Sometimes we tune it out.
Other times his presence is so overwhelming that is impossible to ignore.
If often comes to challenge us,
To expose what we have been neglecting,
To push us into uncharted waters,
To follow paths we never anticipated,
Into missions we did not know we were suppose to carry.
It may come even if we are ready or not.
However, do not be afraid.
It comes to remove the clutter piled up along the way.
It comes to decrust the mud in our bodies and our souls.
To give us assurance of the things we hoped for.
The Word comes, because the Word has heard our lament.
The Word breaks into the world to illumine the shadows and make our path clear.
The Word invades our space to fix what is broken to open our mouths and propel our bodies for the proclamation of the good news,
To bring comfort to God’s people.
The Word, Jesus Christ is coming. The Word Jesus Christ is already here. Prepare his way. Thanks be to God. Amen.
Bridging Faith 