The
Rev. Joseph Peters-Mathews
St.
Joseph-St. John Episcopal Church, Lakewood
December
10, 2017
Advent
2, B
Mark 1.1-8
When I was in seminary,
my
friend Ben did and impersonation
of
southern fundamentalists.
I’m not even sure that’s the right impression,
but
the way he would widen his eye,
fry
his voice,
and
say “REPENT!”
was basically the call
of a prophet.
Three years ago I was in a really bad mood
and posted on Facebook,
“I'm totally in the Advent spirit.
The same Advent spirit as
Isaiah
in today's Office
reading: WOE TO EVERYONE!”
Last week I said,
“In Advent the Church tells us
to get ready for the Son
of Man coming in clouds
and
the angels collecting Jesus’ followers.
In Advent the Church tells us
to get ready for the beginning
of Christ’s reign.
In Advent, it’s the end of the world as we know it.”
I reminded us that we don’t come to church
just
to feel good
and
that it’s hard to feel good when Jesus is talking about
a
dark sun and moon.
I also said that following Jesus,
breaking
bread and pouring wine,
changes
the world.
Today’s gospel text
is
about getting ready
for the beginning of
Christ’s Reign.
Isaiah says that someone will be sent
Saying,
“Prepare the way of the Lord!”
Mark says that the beginning of Jesus’ Good News
is
John the Baptizer appearing in the wilderness,
and
proclaiming a baptism of repentance
for the forgiveness of
sins.
If we needed anything clearer that
church
isn’t just about feeling good,
it’s
that John preaches a baptism of repentance
to
make the paths straight
before
the coming of the Christ.
Proclaiming a baptism of repentance
for the forgiveness of
sins
is the beginning of the Good News.
Let’s wrap our brains around that.
People wanting to be told they’re bad
is
what brings crowds?
No, I don’t think that’s it at all.
People don’t want to be told they’re bad.
They look around —
at
global poverty,
at
climate change,
at
persistent unchecked police brutality —
and
they know that we’re not good enough.
John preaches a baptism of repentance
and
that’s good news
because
we can’t be good enough.
It’s good news to know that we aren’t doing enough
because
we can’t do enough.
However,
that
doesn’t mean we don’t try.
We don’t try to do enough,
but
we do keep trying to make God’s reign
here
around us.
A read through of Mark’s Gospel
shows
how many times Jesus says,
“The
kingdom of God is at hand!”
In Advent we prepare
for Christ’s coming in
final glory
for
the end of the world as we know it
by
repenting of the ways we fail.
After we repent
we
ask for a greater awareness of how we’ve failed
and
a better resolve to not fail in the future.
Our failures are sometimes personal,
and
sometimes communal.
Despite the myth of American rugged individualism
we
rely on one another in one way or another
for
so many things we do.
We get here on road we paid for collectively.
Our funding is aided by ways everyone
contributes
to the diocese through the assessment.
Inside and outside this place
we're
represented by elected officials
and
often know people represented by different officials.
As the tax reform bill comes out of reconciliation
we
are called to be voices for the poor
who
will be utterly devastated by this plan
and
to talk not only to our elected officials
but
those in other parts of the state and country as well.
During the general confession today
I’ll
be repenting
of not yet talking to
anyone I know in Alabama
about their senate special election on Tuesday
and all that is at stake in it.
John preaches a baptism of repentance
for
the beginning of Jesus’ ministry.
Crowds come to him
to
hear that they have failed
and
more importantly, that they are forgiven.
When we take the Bread and Wine,
we
are forgiven of all our sins.
Gathering together
to hear
John proclaim the need of repentance
and then taking time to repent,
to acknowledge simply that we aren’t perfect
that from time to time — or a lot
of times —
we fail
changes the world.
In a world of fake news and alternative facts
simply
saying, “I was wrong” or “We were wrong”
is
revolutionary.
Following Jesus is revolutionary
when
we actually do it.
Coming to church can’t be a disconnection
from
the world outside
because
we’ve made promises
to change the world
outside.
Coming to church can’t just be about feeling good
when
we’ve got John the Baptizer telling us
that
although he baptized with water
Jesus
will baptize us with fire.
Mark says this is the beginning of the Good
News.
It starts with saying, “I’ve failed. I’m sorry.”
It only gets better from there!
It gets better when we break bread and pour wine,
when
we are forgiven our sins and offenses
and
empowered to go change the world.
In Advent we wait for Christs’ coming back,
and
we change the world so that it’s
ready.
