Reverend Ref +

SERMON
ADVENT 2B
MARK 1:1-8

We live in the between times, the time between the already and the not yet. Advent brings that more into focus as we anticipate and look back to the birth of Jesus, while at the same time anticipate and look forward to his second coming. One of the reasons I like to use Eucharistic Prayer B during Advent is because I think the memorial acclamation fits so well: We remember his death, we proclaim his resurrection, we await his coming in glory. We are in the middle, proclaiming, and we wait.

Let's say, though, that you were between times in something a little more tangible than God's kingdom. Let's say that you recognized that the old ways were passing away to something new and you wanted to help with that transition; you wanted to legitimize the new way. Say, for instance, that we decided the government had become so bad that it needed to be overthrown and a new government established in its place. How would we legitimize the new government?

One way to do that would be to appeal to the past. We might refer back to the Declaration of Independence when it states "that whenever any form of government becomes destructive to these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or abolish it, and to institute a new government." We would be able to say, "Look, the founding fathers made space for the overthrow of the government if it gets out of hand -- we are doing exactly what is expected of good citizens." That's an extreme example, but it's sort of what Mark is doing in his gospel.

Mark is telling us that the old is passing away and that God is doing something new. He is saying that this generation is on the cusp of a new beginning, and he is telling us that, although new, it is deeply rooted in our past.

What is new? Jesus, the Son of God. How is that rooted in the past? Through Mark's first words of his gospel -- "The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God." Think back to Genesis -- "In the beginning . . . God saw that it was good." Astute readers will pick up on the similarities. This is the beginning of God's actions, and it is good. But the similarities to past, present and future don't end there for Mark.

God has a habit of speaking to people in the wilderness. There are many instances of this, but probably the most famous is when God spoke to the Israelites and Moses during their wanderings. The people were lost (or thought they were) and were looking for their way through the wilderness. God used Moses to teach them and guide them until they came to the Jordan and were able to cross over to the Promised Land. Supposedly the people forsook their old ways, went throught the Jordan and came out on the other side.

Now we have John, the messenger of God. And where do we find him? In the wilderness, of course. He is out there proclaiming a baptism of repentance. He is leading the Israelites through the wilderness, asking them to forsake their old ways, cross through the Jordan via baptism, and come out on the other side.

Mark again ties the old with the new. Remember last week I said that Mark's gospel was a book of faith. We aren't talking about actual wilderness wanderings here, but we are talking about spiritual wanderings. If all the people were going out to see him, there must have been some kind of spiritual wilderness the people were going through. Maybe they were experiencing their own dark days.

And into this darkeness, this wilderness, comes John. Like the prophets of old before him, he works to prepare his people for the arrival of the Lord. In preparing his people, John is sure to make two points: 1) that he is not the one the people are looking for, and 2) he is but a lowly servant. In other words, it's not about him, it's about Jesus.

Mark is telling us that the gospel is based in service, not in personal glory. John's entire ministry is in the service of preparation, and that preparation points us towards Jesus.

Advent is a time of preparation. But just what are we preparing for? If we are trying to prepare for Madison Avenue's version of Christmas, scurrying around trying to have the best party or the biggest tree or the brightest lights, we are wandering through a wilderness. Instead of wandering through the wilderness, we need to stand still in the wilderness and converse with God, because God can be found in the wilderness.

Like John the Baptist, we need to let people know that God is doing something new and we need to point them in the right direction. So spend some time in the wilderness, spend some time in the dark, and then point to a new way of doing things that is rooted in the past but anticipates the future. For all of his outrageousness, we need to be a little more like John.