December 4, 2022 Advent 2 St. Andrew Church Rev. Anne McAnelly
First Lesson: Isaiah 11:1-10
A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots. 2 The spirit of the Lord shall rest on him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. 3 His delight shall be in the fear of the Lord. He shall not judge by what his eyes see or decide by what his ears hear, 4 but with righteousness he shall judge for the poor and decide with equity for the oppressed of the earth; he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked. 5 Righteousness shall be the belt around his waist and faithfulness the belt around his loins. 6 The wolf shall live with the lamb; the leopard shall lie down with the kid; the calf and the lion will feed together, and a little child shall lead them. 7 The cow and the bear shall graze; their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. 8 The nursing child shall play over the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put its hand on the adder’s den. 9 They will not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. 10 On that day the root of Jesse shall stand as a signal to the peoples; the nations shall inquire of him, and his dwelling shall be glorious.
Second Lesson: Mathew 3:1-11
In those days John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness of Judea, proclaiming, 2 “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” 3 This is the one of whom the prophet Isaiah spoke when he said, “The voice of one crying out in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord; make his paths straight.’” 4 Now John wore clothing of camel’s hair with a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. 5 Then Jerusalem and all Judea and all the region around the Jordan were going out to him, 6 and they were baptized by him in the River Jordan, confessing their sins. 7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for his baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? 8 Therefore, bear fruit worthy of repentance, 9 and do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our ancestor,’ for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham. 10 Even now the ax is lying at the root of the trees; therefore, every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. 11 “I baptize you with water for repentance, but the one who is coming after me is more powerful than I, and I am not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.”
Prepare Ye the Way of the Lord. Prepare Ye the Way of the Lord.
This famous line first from Isaiah (40:3) then about John the Baptist (Mt. 3:3), calls us to prepare the way of the Lord. It is a perfect antiphon for Advent, preparing our hearts and minds to receive once again our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ. One commentator writes, “the main purposes of Advent are to prepare for remembering (and re-experiencing) the birth of Jesus at Christmas (the first Advent), and to prepare for the second coming of Jesus (the second Advent, or the Apocalypse) and the final and complete manifestation of the Realm of God” (Working Preacher, Ronald J Allen). Hope is woven through these advents. But I must tell you, singing that line, as many of you might know comes from Godspell, it took me back to the first musical Cheryl Goodman-Morris choreographed and directed for our youth group. Cheryl was the first female pastor I had ever met. She shattered a glass ceiling with grace and artistry. I was 15 and Mark and Cheryl were a dynamic clergy couple hired to lead our youth and downtown congregation. Their love and faith, their spirit and joy nurtured my faith into being. They led us on ski trips to Colorado and mission trips to Alaska. On the ferry heading north, Mark asked me if I ever thought about going into ministry, and I laughed. Yet here I am. He planted a seed.
Isaiah speaks of a stump, a shoot, growing forth from the lineage of Jesse. Jesse is of course David’s father and Jesus’ ancestor. Isaiah tells us who the Messiah will be: One filled with the spirit of the Lord, with great wisdom and counsel, strength and knowledge. One who delights in awe of the Lord. Then we hear what the Messiah will create- a hopeful future where enemies coexist, threats are neutralized, and pain is no more. This hopeful future will be glorious.
Part of the way we prepare the way of the Lord is to help foster this hopeful future, by sharing our faith and nurturing those around us and seeing blessings and hope. This week I spent some time with Warren and Ilene. I truly love how they choose to see the world filled with hope and blessings. This is a choice, a faith practice, seeing whatever comes along, trial and joy, as a blessing from the Lord. One commentator calls this filling the hope chest. He writes, “Hope-filled dreams have a way of shaping what it is we are enabled to see. They are like lenses that train us to interpret and to act in the present. Each generation learns to dream the visions that are taught by those who have dreamed before and by those who are able to keep dreaming in the present. To borrow a metaphor, every Christian needs to have a “hope chest.” To know that promises will be kept is a way that hope is shaped” (Working Preacher, James Boyce). The hope of faith is knowing that God works even through our trials. Moses knew something about this. (slideshow picture 2)
Our last stop in Jordan was Mt. Nebo, the mountain where Moses gazed out over the Promised Land but was not allowed to enter (Deut. 34:6) On a clear day you can see (slideshow picture 3) Bethlehem, the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem, Hebron, the Dead Sea and Jericho. Even the Sea of Galilee. Here Moses passed on his mantle to Joshua who was filled with the spirit. Later in the wilderness, (slideshow picture 4) Elijah passed on his mantle to Elisha before ascending. Remember because Elijah ascended, it was believed that he would return before the Messiah. (slideshow Picture 5) This is where he was thought to ascend. The Baptist John’s camel hair clothing and locus eating are all reminiscent of Elijah. Some say John the Baptist stayed in a cave in this same area. (slideshow picture 6) Here in the Judean wilderness is where Elijah ascended and John started baptizing, at least according to John’s gospel. (slideshow picture 7) John the Baptist did not pass on a mantel to Jesus, but without him preparing the way, people would not have seen Jesus as the Messiah. Would not have been able to hope he is the Anointed One. John helped them to create a hope chest for Jesus. A hope chest of faith.
In Jerusalem we met Bishop Azar who is bishop of The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land. (slideshow picture 8) He graciously spoke to us about the Christian witness within the Holy Lands, with school, churches, orphanages. (slideshow picture 9) Jews, Christians and Muslims are living beside each other, but not living with each other, he said. He seeks to create hope to live with each other, holding their hopes, dreams, and challenges. He proudly shared that next month they will ordain the first woman pastor, who happens to be his daughter. I had the honor of thanking his Grace for his time and shared how we started ordaining women in 1956, and that I am here with my youth pastor Cheryl Goodman-Morris who paved the way for me to pursue ministry. I hoped that soon his church would witness the many gifts of women in ministry in the Holy Lands. (slideshow picture 10) Then we took this picture with his Grace and all the ordained women on our trip! It was a magical moment.
As I reflect on that moment, and the blessed opportunity to spend time with Cheryl in this sacred place, holy because of what happened there and who I was sharing the experience with, I am grateful for so many perfect moments. ( slideshow picture 11 ) In my youth, Cheryl prepared the way for my ministry, showing how a woman could faithfully serve God when all I had seen before were men doing that job. How she and Mark lived their vibrant faith in a way that was contagious, hopeful and one that I can now say was a blessing. (slideshow picture 12) For those of you who were at my Installation Service, Cheryl preached for that occasion. She and Mark were serving in Portola Valley at the time, they shared that blessed day with us here! Reconnecting with Mark and Cheryl was life giving and faith affirming. They both led the youth group with my mother and knew her grace. (slideshow picture 13) Then at the Mount of Beatitudes, I sat with Mark and Cheryl for worship overlooking the Sea of Galilee as we sang, Let There Be Peace on Earth and Let it begin with me. A song we sang countless times. Then we heard Jesus’ words of the Beatitudes, Blessed are the peacemakers…Tears fell as I sensed the hope of faith, the dreams that we had birthed together so many years ago. (slideshow picture 14) Then we took this picture, you can see the joy of faith on our faces.
Then on our final night in small group, Cheryl had each person move into the circle one at a time and we each shared a blessing we see in that person or a connection we have with them. When Cheryl was in the circle, I said she was my mentor. Even though she was so much more. Then when it was my turn in the circle, Cheryl said I was her “Spiritual daughter.” What a blessing. She birthed my faith, she helped to shape the pastor I have become, she renewed my love for my call to ministry. I am her spiritual daughter. We shared in liturgical dance overlooking the Sea of Galilee and a movement prayer while reaffirming our baptism. Both providing embodiment of the spirit of God’s love and hope.
Standing on a rooftop a glorious rainbow appeared, moments later I took this picture with Cheryl. (slideshow picture 15) Cheryl prepared the way of the Lord for me; she was my spiritual mentor and I her spiritual daughter. So I ask you who is your John the Baptist? Who prepared the way of the Lord for you and your walk with Christ? How have you prepared the way of the Lord for someone else? Maybe a friend, or a child, or a stranger. John the Baptist prepared the way of the Lord, and we are called to do the same today, so that we can help others to dream the dreams of faith and see the wonders of God’s love and the blessings of Jesus Christ in our lives.
As you come to Christ’s table today, I ask you to think for whom you have prepared the way of the Lord? And who prepared the way of the Lord for you. Today we are preparing the way for Christ’s Advent and Christ’s coming just as much as we are anticipating Christmas and Christ’s birth.
May we fill our hope chest with God’s love and share those blessings with those in our lives. Amen.
