The Rev. Robert Lundquist Advent IIB 12/4/05 St Paul’s, Ft Collins

Comfort, O comfort my people, says God to the prophet Isaiah. This comes from the time when the tribe of Judah had been in exile, in slavery in Babylonia for some 150 years. Cyrus, the Persian emperor who had just conquered Babylonia, did what most conquerors do – he gloated. And to punish the defeated people he freed their slaves, the Jews. So the prophet Isaiah records that the trial is finally over, and that it is time to reconnect with God. In the desolation of both inner and outer landscapes, in the ruin of what was, in the wilderness – “Prepare the way! Make straight the highway between you and God!”

We may be forgiven for feeling as if we have experienced, survived, prayed through the wilderness, at least in some small way. We know of and see instantly the devastation of last year’s tsunami, the unbelievable situation in New Orleans this past summer, the earthquakes that killed thousands upon thousands on the other side of the globe. Many of us have sojourned in the wilderness of our own families, our own lives, our own tragedies. We may have come to that point, as we all do eventually, of saying, “Nothing will ever be the same again!” And for creatures who love consistency and predictability, the sentiment is often offered in anguish.

Take comfort, says God. Take comfort, and prepare my way – I’m coming back! “Here is your God,” states Isaiah. And like a shepherd God will lead us home.

This well-known passage from Isaiah sets the stage for the Gospel of Mark, of which we hear the first eight verses this morning. Imagine today’s gospel as a play – the off-stage narration (“This is the beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ!”), the quick succession of images and characters (Isaiah, a messenger, wilderness, an equally wild baptizer…), the long-silent voice that is heard again (Isaiah), and the introduction of the messenger. This all takes place in the first four verses! This whirlwind account presents John, who foretells the arrival of the One who will wrestle with the powers and principalities of this world, even unto death. [I’m indebted to the book by Ched Myers, Binding the Strong Man, for much of my understanding of Mark’s Gospel.]

The Good News according to Mark will shape our Sunday worship for the next 50 weeks. And there are two themes in Mark to attend to: Repentance and Hope.

Repentance means “to turn around,” to do a 180, to get back on the path rather than going off the cliff. We Christians are always returning to God, turning back toward the Divine, for we realize that the paths of righteousness are often thin and narrow, and that we need God’s help, always. Repentance means not adhering to the status quo; repentance is not usually the concern of those who “have it made,” who are on the inside. Repentance is what keeps our faith from becoming the opiate of the masses…

Hope: we repent because we hope! We hope for a better world, for justice, for peace, for comfort, for clarity. We hope for Emmanuel-coming – literally “God-with-us” and “please get here soon!” Without hope, we die. With hope for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells!

Mark was the first of the biblical gospels to be written. It was a completely new literary form at the time. It was good tidings, news of victory – the gospel was comfort. The word means, “Good News,” and in medieval England it was “Godspell,” a spell (period of time) with God. A Gospel is not a history of Jesus, but rather a story of the Risen Christ. It is a category mistake to treat any of the Gospels as one would read a newspaper – a gospel is a story told to evoke faith in the hearer.

Mark’s telling of the Good News is almost breathless. It is the shortest of the 4 canonical Gospels, and as originally recorded ends with the empty tomb. The later addition “finishes” the story, but I sense that the author meant for the hearer/reader was challenged to finish the story with his or her life. “The tomb is empty,” it seems to say – “So how does that change your life?”

Look for 3 subplots in Mark:

Community (primarily in the passages concerning Jesus’ disciples and followers)

Liberation (of the poor and any in bondage or servitude)

Challenge (to the establishment, to those in illegitimate and unjust positions of power)

Because Mark comes from the “outside” he speaks to those who are on the periphery, to those in the wilderness, to those at the edges of society. He speaks to the people who are marginalized, forgotten and ignored. To all those who dwell in the edges comes John the Baptizer – he is wild, undomesticated, and absolutely on fire with God’s aweful/awesome love. John comes to offer the baptism of repentance – turning back around toward God – for the forgiveness of sin, for the release from sin. The word rendered here as “forgiveness” (or in earlier translations “remission”) comes from the Greek word meaning “unfastening a boat from its mooring.” Christians adopted the word to mean “release from bondage for honorable service.” Remember, Judah/Zion has been released from 150 years of bondage – “Comfort, O comfort my people.”

John gives the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins, and the people leave the temple in the city and go out to the desert to find John. They are starving for release. They hear John, whom some call the new Elijah, a new prophet for the time, preaching repentance and hope.

You may have heard it said, “It rains on the rich and the poor,” usually to justify a disparity of status with a shrug. We all realize, though, that the poor are much more likely to get wet when it rains. You may have also had cited in your presence half-a-quote from Jesus: “The poor your will always have with you.” Oh well, what’re ya gonna do, right? Things’ll never change… Funny thing, those folks lie by omission, for they omit Jesus’ next sentence, “Therefore open wide your hand.” The poor in your midst always present the opportunity to serve God.

Remember, Mark’s theme which we’ll rehearse throughout the coming year: Hope & Repentance. Turn back, look again, for something new is about to happen. The words of the wonderful hymn put it this way:

Prepare the way, O Zion, your Christ is drawing near.

Let every hill and valley a level way appear.

Great One, who comes in glory, foretold in ancient story,

Oh, blest is Christ that came in God’s most holy name. AMEN.

A Parish For All People!