Advent 2 B Mark 1:1-8

Over the week of Thanksgiving I went to see the movie Australia. It is great, like a wild west cattle driving movie except set in the Australian outback, not the American West. In it there are two ranching outfits. The one whose side we're on, a little family run operation called Faraway downs, and a bigger stronger one who is trying to crush Faraway downs. So as the movie goes on it is time to make the many day long journey with the cattle to get them into town by a deadline to sell them off and save Faraway downs from being absorbed or bought up by the other outfit. As the cattle drive begins you are exposed to the outback wilderness, canyons and desert, cliffs, very little water and fewer landmarks. It is a hard road but they lead the cattle and plug along until they come upon some water that is bad.

The cattle can't drink, the horses can't drink, the people can't drink and it is hot and it is dry and suddenly the wilderness is not friendly at all. And then a man comes along calling in the wilderness. Not so much calling really as singing. He is a tribal shaman. An odd character, one that the non-native people in the movie don't trust at all. He is even rather off-putting in appearance, wearing natural things, living off the land. But he has a message, the message of life, of water, of salvation. He can get them to water in time for them to survive, soon enough that, though it will be hard, their bodies will make it, but they have to trust him and follow him and believe his strange call and song. He says he will sing them there because the native people put all things into song, even terrain, they memorize by learning it in song form. So he will guide them with song.

The tension comes from the fact that where he will lead them is the real wilderness. The really uncharted territory. Before it had only seemed like they were in the wilderness but there were landmarks, there were familiar things, there were well-known rules and policies, ways to go, paths to follow. There was shade and shelter, it was relatively easy going and certainly an acceptable route.

In order to be saved by this strange man calling in the wilderness though they had to let go of those things. Let go of the things that they had held as safety and salvation before. They had to walk away from the familiar and go forward into the unknown with only a promise. What they had to do was to repent, that means to literally turn around, away from the safe well beaten path that they were on to something new, untamed and unprecedented. And so they go, they need to live, they need to drink and so they need to follow.

There is great tension in the movie at this point as you see them walk into dead, cracked dry desert, all you can see are heat waves for miles in any direction and a whole herd of trusting cattle and a whole crew of innocent cattle-hands follow behind them. They move slowly and painfully and they are very afraid. And then you see them standing still. As if they can't go any farther as if they will surely die, but their guide, the strange man that they are following through the wilderness knows the way to new life.

He knows the secret, that the wilderness is the only place where they can find living water and so he pushes forward and they push on. And then finally as cattle stumble, barely able to walk, as people faint from the heat and the thirst, you see him, the guide, dancing in the water, dancing in new life and offering it to all.

We start our gospel lesson today right at the very beginning of the book of Mark where the gospel writer says that he is beginning to write the good news of Jesus Christ, the gospel of Christ. The whole story, from what happened there at the river Jordan all the way through the church on earth today, start, for St. Mark, with a strange man calling in the wilderness. He is dressed strangely, wearing a coat of rough fur and a leather belt-rather old-fashioned and odd for the time. And he has been living off the land. Eating locust beans (not the bugs) and wild honey when he can find it. But he knows the secret of salvation for the people.

The people you see are have been waiting for centuries to know God. To be close to God, to understand the laws and the love of God but they have run into obstacle after obstacle along the way. So they have created a familiar track. One that is safe with lots of landmarks. One that leads them to well known places. To worship in the temple and appropriate sacrifice. They know that their neighbors travel the same path. There is no danger and there is no chance of getting lost or hurt. There is even water for them. A little fountain by the temple where they can wash before worship. But John comes out calling in the wilderness promising them new living water and, even better, a new way to meet the living God.

But to get to this water and this God the people have to turn around. They literally have to leave the path that they take to get to God and take a new one. Instead of the temple they head to the wilderness and it is unknown to them and they don't know what to do but John is there ahead of them calling and promising that he knows the way and all they have to do is turn and follow. Then suddenly as people make it to the water and are baptized, Jesus comes down to the Jordan and says let me be baptized too. Let me enter into this water with you and give you new life.

Today is the second Sunday in the Advent season, we are moving closer with great anticipation to the birth of Christ. To the breaking-in of the kingdom of God all around us. And our lessons call us to wander in the wilderness. We get it in Isaiah too. For Isaiah it is promising the captive people, those forced to live in a foreign land, under the rule of a foreign king that the Lord will be their salvation. That just like in the days of the Israelites' slavery in Egypt when they were lead to freedom through the desert by Moses, God will make the wilderness safe and passable in order to lead His people home. The text says that a straight path shall be made in the desert as a highway for our God and that 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.

A straight path through a land with no landmarks. A guided way through uncharted territory. That is what we as a congregation and we as a people of God are promised on this day in Advent. All we have to do is turn around. Turn from the familiar path that we are on that leads to nowhere, to the same old temple, to the comfortable social group, to the safe way that we worship and share our church and ourselves, that doesn't alarm the neighbors and be willing to walk through the wilderness to the manger. To the living Christ, to new life promised in the water of the little river Jordan.

We know that we have a guide better than any shaman with songs about the land, better even than any prophet calling us to repentance and baptism. We know that we have Christ himself at our side and we know that we are being called to face our fears and turn around.

So what would it look like if we as a society, as a people of the world
turned around and acted in entirely new ways toward our fellow women and men, following the
promise of Christ among us? What would it look like if your family turned around and did something entirely new in order to be centered in the call to follow Christ? What would it look like if we as a congregation turned around and did something entirely new in order to meet the living Lord? What would it look like, in your life, if you turned around and did something entirely new for the sake of experiencing the new life that you've been promised?

There is a man calling in the wilderness, turn, repent, follow, make straight the paths of the Lord, go in a new direction to a new place. Your God will meet you in that new place, he is there today. Amen

Advent 1 B Mark: 13:24-37

From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near. So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that he is near, at the very gates.

Today is the first Sunday in Advent. I've been looking forward to this day for a long time. I love the advent colors, I love the extra candles. I love advent hymns. I delight in the anticipation of Christmas. I love that pine and fir boughs start to go up on everyone's doors.

But I have a hard time capturing the spirit of advent in my life. Advent starts for us with these words, Be aware, keep alert, stay awake. Watch for the son of man to come. Watch for the birth of Christ. Watch for the reign of Christ. I am not as good at watching and waiting for Christmas as I was when I was a child when I would watch presents appear under the tree and watch my stocking slowly growing fat.

Now I miss the magic of the first snowflakes because I have places to be other than staring out the window from the breakfast table. I don't keep a count in my head of which neighbors have put their lights up so far and which haven't because I am too focused on the road into town to notice the houses on the street. I don't even notice the bell ringers for whom the season means charity and giving because I am too busy trying to work out a budget in my head for food, travel, gifts, dinner party contributions and a hundred other little things. All those things which make the magic of the season are not gone but they seem more and more dim. You might argue that that is good, clear all that noise away so that I can focus on the true meaning of the season. On Christ, God's great gift to us. On his coming at Christmas and his coming again to make the world new and whole and healthy. But alas that is something I'm not so great at either.

Maybe it is because Advent happens every year. Christmas Happens every year. Church Happens every week. God loves us all the time. What really makes today different? What really distinguishes today from any other day? And really furthermore there is war somewhere in the world everyday. People die due to disease, poverty and violence everyday. Our consumer culture pushes us to buy more than we can afford or need everyday. We turn away from Godly things to worldly things everyday. How is today any different? How does Advent change any of that?

There is one thing that we know is different about today, though you might not notice it if I don't tell you, today is the beginning of
the church year. It is funny and rather inconvenient that the church
doesn't follow the same year as the calendar and that is why for the
most part we ignore our New Year other than this little mention during the
first sermon of advent. But I like it. I like that because
we are Christians we get to celebrate the New Year twice. That things
are twice as new for us. It reminds us that in Christ all things are
made new all of the time. That the world is ever being called into the
reign of Christ and therefore ever being called to renewal.

And because of that ever present and unchanging call to renewal we are
to beware, keep awake and be alert.

Jesus uses the example of springtime and growth to illustrate
this. He says to think about a fig tree. You can watch a fig tree in the spring time. From any fruit tree really, first is it dead and dry, at least it seems to be but if you look closer you can see tiny buds. Even in the harsh wintertime. Then as the thaw comes you wait and you watch and all of sudden the branches are loaded down with blooms and then before you even think to go trim one to put in a vase the blooms are falling off but you can see new growth on the tree, you watch it's leaves grow and turn a richer green and then you know that summer is near. That fruit will soon cover those branches, that harvest will come and wonderful treats will come from the fruit. Every year it happens. Every year it is springtime.

Every year it is hard to imagine when we look out a dead slick leaves, at brown, muddy grass, at bare limbs and empty gardens that spring will ever come. But then as if by magic, all of a sudden the life that was there all along springs forth. Jesus says the kingdom of God works like this. St. Mark reminded the early Christians that the kingdom of God works like this and I'm telling you that the kingdom of God works like this. Like Springtime, sometimes hidden because of all of the mud and muck and cold but always there.

Advent happens every year and there is still a lot that is broken in the world a lot of mud and muck so to speak. I look out, or rather in, at the paper and the TV, the news feeds and radio programs and it seems like this world may never bear good fruit again.

When saint Mark wrote
down these words of Christ, he wrote them to people who were
experiencing similar trials. There were persecutions and Christians were
sorely tempted to join into rebellious mobs. It was a civil war. The
temple was being desecrated and most people were denying Christ while
others were claiming that they had the right way, the only way to get
to Christ and it was through them. Mark had his hands pretty full
trying to teach Christ's words to these people and so he reminded them that Jesus had said wait for me, I'm coming, it is Advent all
the time because I am ever coming into the world so wait for me but...don't just wait.

As a matter of fact, Jesus never says the word wait. Instead he says watch, be alert, be awake. Notice the reign of Christ
around you. Notice those who would overthrow the reign of Christ too.
Notice the distractions but don't be distracted by them. Notice the wars
and fight for peace, notice the consumers and strive to be a healer
instead. Notice those who claim they know the only way and share with
them the gospel. Notice those who deny me and love them anyway. But
most of all notice the buds forming on the trees. Notice the kingdom
breaking into your world. Notice that I am with you always to the end
of the age. Don't wait for me, idly sitting, letting the world go by, dozing on a seat like your plane is delayed.

Instead watch for me as you go about my work. Act with the authority I gave. Trust in the words of the prophets and be awake. Watch for the budding of the trees, the opening of hearts, the sharing of the gospel and know that summer is coming, that I am near.

Advent happens every year. Christmas Happens every year. Church Happens
every week. God loves us all the time. What really makes today
different? What really distinguishes today from any other day? Today, like all days, God is the same, but we are different we are being called to renewal, we are being called to awareness, we are being awakened and we are waiting anxiously for the coming of Christ's life among us. This is advent the time that means the approach, it is new year's day for us and we believe that today is like every other day of the church year because today Christ will make all things new and that is great good news. Amen