Readings for Advent 2B: Is.
40:1-11; Mk. 1:1-8
December 8, 2002
The Rev. Karen Siegfriedt
St. Jude the Apostle Episcopal Church, Cupertino,
CA
“Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.” (Is. 40)
Today begins the second week of Advent: “the time in our Church calendar that redirects us toward our source of sustenance, the hope that God will come, and the promise that God is with us now and forever.” We desperately need this reminder as we recall the images of the collapsed twin towers in New York, the breathtaking greed of corporations in America, and the continuous threats of terrorism that makes us fearful. Advent is that time of year before Christmas when we consciously prepare our hearts for the Prince of Peace. So you might ask yourself: Hasn’t the Prince of Peace has already come and gone in the person of Jesus some 2000 years ago? Isn’t once enough? If the first coming of Christ wasn’t effective enough then why wait for a second time? Don’t we already know what the message is? What I would like to talk about today is the 2nd coming of Christ; what that means, and what we need to do in the interim. I will use the gospel as my text.
If we were to send out an artist to paint a picture of the condition of humanity and the world in which we live, that artist would have to paint at least two pictures. The first picture would be a very large canvass, painted in dark colors of black, blue, red, and grey. In one corner of the canvass would be thousands and thousands of young, angry men from the Middle East who are unemployed and feel hopeless about the distribution of wealth and power in the world. In another corner of the canvass would be empty fields on the continent of Africa. These fields would be empty because much of the adult population is suffering from or has died of AIDs and thus unable to farm the land. On this land are hungry orphans, young children being supervised by 12 and 13 year-olds, or even worse, left with no one to care for them. In the background of these children would be vengeful and opportunistic leaders, waiting for the opportunity to brainwash and draft these children into vigilante armies of hate and violence.
In another corner of the canvass we would see the sad faces of children from South America and Asia; children who are sold into slavery or prostitution by their hungry families. There would be images of the 6000 children who die each morning from starvation, not because there is a lack of food in the world, but because the food is not equally distributed. In the center, would be a depiction of thousands of people who are chronically depressed, unable to work or take care of their families. And finally, in the last corner of the canvass, would be a complacent, wealthy group of well meaning folks, discussing botox injections over Starbuck’s coffee, buying gas guzzling vehicles, and controlling 80% of the world’s resources even though they represent only 20% of the world’s population.
And if this canvass represented the only reality in our world, we would despair. This bleak, dark, grey picture, is a picture of a world that lacks the spirit of Christ; a world of people who have hardened their hearts and allowed the power of fear, injustice, woundedness, selfishness, anger, aggression, ignorance, and suffering to direct their actions. Fortunately, this is not the only reality that exists. There is another reality. A light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it. Many have turned to this light and have reoriented their lives so that the spirit of peace, generosity, self-sacrifice, compassion, forgiveness, and inclusivity direct their actions. Christians would call this way of walking in the light as the spirit of Christ.
And so our artist would have to paint another picture of humanity, although this painting would be much smaller than the first. In this canvass, would see the fruits of the labor of those who are committed to justice and the dignity of every human being. We would see prominent leaders who have joined together to convince the World Bank to reduce third world debt which causes the poorest of the nations to forgo medical care and education for their own people. We would see compassionate people and institutions feeding the hungry, educating the poor, and visiting the prisoners. We would see activists striving for peace, economic justice, and care of the environment. We would see the forgotten saints, those who on a daily basis have turned the other cheek, those who give away a generous portion of their money for something greater than themselves, those who are committed to random acts of kindness simply because it is the right thing to do.
So the question then becomes, how does the world heal; how does the human heart develop in such a way that the big, black canvass of despair and fear shrinks, and that small canvass of light and love expands such that it truly represents the new humanity? Another way to ask this same question is by using “churchy language”: When will the reign of God come into its fullness, how will it happen, and what do we need to do to prepare for this 2nd coming of Christ?
First of all, we don’t know when this great transformation will happen. So we wait in hope, a hope that resists cynicism and participates in holy living. I guess the Church in one sense is always living in Advent. As people of faith we are continually waiting and watching for signs of God; for signs of healing; for signs of transformation. How this transformation will actually happen has been an issue of debate over the centuries. One group in the debate has little faith in the ultimate goodness of humanity. Having observed at least 4000 years of history, this voice sees no evidence that humanity has permanently evolved. Thus, their hope for the future is based on an apocalyptic intervention, where good will reign over evil only after profound, intrusive, world shaking events, that will permanently get people's attention. In these final days, the wheat will be separated from the chaff and those who have been faithful will be swept up into a new creation. We read about apocalyptic events in Scripture, particularly during Advent.
But this belief that the purification of humanity can only happen through apocalyptic means extends far beyond the occasional mention of it in Scripture. For example, President Bush believes that the only way to stop terrorism and purify the human race is to bomb the hell out of the “axis of evil.” Those angry, young, unemployed men in the Middle East believe the only way to purify and cleanse the world of injustice and unrighteousness is to join Al Qaeda and wreak havoc on the powerful nations. Those disgruntled leaders from third world nations believe that the only way to get a piece of the pie is to participate in guerilla warfare at the cost of thousands of lives. Does death and destruction have to occur before a new creation can be born? Maybe.
On the other end of the spectrum are those who have a more positive view of human nature; those who believe that transformation of the human race is possible through education, reform of economic and political institutions, and through the practice of the spiritual path. These are the people who believe that people can and will eventually open their hearts to that peace which passes all understanding, loving their neighbor as themselves. They believe that if only human beings would re-orient their lives; if only people would give up their narcissistic, self-indulgent appetites, then one by one, the human race would be transformed. It is this group who believes in the power of repentance.
Repentance is re-orienting our hearts to want what God wants. Repentance is becoming aware of the bigger picture, and having the willingness to make the personal changes and sacrifices that are necessary for the well-being of all creation. Repentance is what Isaiah, John the Baptist, and all the great prophets of all the great religions have preached. Repentance is not sniveling in the dust in shame, nor pointing the finger at others. Repentance is simply re-directing our hearts toward the light and allowing the spirit and power of God to fill us with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control. What more would anyone want out of life?
Through the first coming of Christ we now have the knowledge and the spirit that will make us whole. But God does not force God’s self on humanity. Many have hardened their hearts to the knowledge and spirit of Christ, thus contributing to a wounded and suffering world. But God has a different vision for this world. It is a vision where all creation is made new; when humans and non-humans are gathered together in thanksgiving. It is a vision when nation will not lift up sword against nation. It is a vision when the oldest of enemies become the best of friends; when the wolf shall live with the lamb, the leopard lie down with the kid, and a little child shall lead them. It is a vision of a time when healing and compassion become the dominant themes such that the hungry are fed, the sick are healed, the lowly are lifted up, and those who live in fear are offered peace. When this vision becomes a reality, then we can say without hesitation, that Christ has come again. How and when this will happen? I don’t know. But repentance is a good place to start.
| Updated 12/16/02 |
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