December 3, 2023
St. Andrew Church
Rev. Anne McAnelly
First Lesson: Isaiah 40:1-11
Comfort, O comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that she has served her term, that her penalty is paid, that she has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins. A voice cries out: In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain. Then the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all people shall see it together, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.” A voice says, “Cry out!” And I said, “What shall I cry?” All people are grass, their constancy is like the flower of the field. The grass withers, the flower fades, when the breath of the Lord blows upon it; surely the people are grass. The grass withers, the flower fades; but the word of our God will stand forever. Get you up to a high mountain, O Zion, herald of good tidings; lift up your voice with strength, O Jerusalem, herald of good tidings, lift it up, do not fear; say to the cities of Judah, “Here is your God!” See, the Lord God comes with might, and his arm rules for him; his reward is with him, and his recompense before him. He will feed his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms, and carry them in his bosom, and gently lead the mother sheep.
Second Lesson: John 1:6-8, 19-28
There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. This is the testimony given by John when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” He confessed and did not deny it, but confessed, “I am not the Messiah.” And they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the prophet?” He answered, “No.” Then they said to him, “Who are you? Let us have an answer for those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?” He said, “I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’ “as the prophet Isaiah said. Now they had been sent from the Pharisees. They asked him, “Why then are you baptizing if you are neither the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the prophet?” John answered them, “I baptize with water. Among you stands one whom you do not know, the one who is coming after me; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandal.” This took place in Bethany across the Jordan where John was baptizing.
Who here has been camping? Communing with nature, sleeping in tents, cooking in the great outdoors. The fresh air and majestic scenery offer renewal of spirit. Unplugging from the world truly provides a respite. Sleeping under a blanket of vibrant stars is a blessing born from being away from city lights. Yet when nature calls in the middle of the night, the darkness is deep and vast. If you are lucky, a full moon illumines your path. If not, you trust your flashlight to shine a ray of light. The flashlight beam allows you to see a few steps ahead of you, and it is only by taking a few more steps, that you can see further down the path. It gets the job done, unless the batteries are dying and you shake it and hit, hoping for enough light to get back to your tent. John’s gospel describes the world in light and dark ways. From the beginning the Word was with God and the Word was God. All things came into being through him, and life was the light to all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it (I :1-5). The gospel writer takes us back to the creation story, God’s power and creativity, and the duality of light and dark. Jesus is woven through this account as part of the light, the source of light, and being equal to God. Now let’s hear how John fits into this story. Let’s note: John is John the Baptist, but he is never referred as such in this gospel. Listen to how John prepares the Way. READ
Jesus said, I am the Way, the Truth and the Life (Jn 14:6). Jesus defines himself as “I AM.” Yet John is clear to say, “I am not.” He is not the Messiah, Elijah, or the Prophet. He is not the light that shines in the darkness. Yet John came to testify to the light! To bear witness to Jesus, the Light of the world!
Yesterday I experienced the Holiday Lights at the Santa Cruz Fairgrounds. It was my first time seeing these amazing lights. After exploring the craft fair, my friends and I walked our way through the more than 2 million lights gleaming in the darkness. Lit snowflakes, farm scenes, and penguins singing Feliz Navidad. I ran into Sandy Petznick and enjoyed her Rotary light display, wishing us all Peace on Earth. As one friend said, “I just love lights at the holidays.” Most nights people drive through the lights. But I was so glad we walked our way through because we could go at our own pace, chat along the way, and just enjoy the evening air. With lights on both sides, it would be hard to lose your way.
Jesus said, I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life.
Yet without light, we are lost in darkness. If someone is lost in the dark, how would you go about finding them? The best way would be to use light or your voice. Flashlights, spotlights or to call out their name. John does both- he testifies to the light, sort of like shining a flashlight in Jesus’ direction, pointing others to Jesus. He cries out in the wilderness, using his voice to proclaim the Messiah. Later he says, “Look, the Lamb of God” and he names Jesus the Son of God. John is helping people find Jesus within the darkness of the world. Jesus even describes John as “a burning and shining lamp” one where people were “willing to rejoice for a while in his light” (Jn. 5:35). Remember John had his own followers, who followed his light, until he pointed them towards Jesus, the Light of the world. It is like that flashlight we used when camping, John could gather people to his little light, and start them on the path, help them find their way, until Jesus came and was a brighter light, a God powered light, much like that full moon. Jesus was/is the light that enlightens everyone. John courageously testified to it.
With light ever available to us with the flick of a switch, it is hard to comprehend how dark the world was in Jesus’ time. How the world and its people were in desperate need of light. Darkness included lack of light but also the broken human darkness that plagued the world. The advent of Jesus means the light of God’s love and the darkest parts of humanity come together. God comforts the people as Isaiah proclaims. Not simply showing compassion but comfort that means reversing one’s mind- or feeling-state. This comfort “reversal, will be one from fear to hope, sorrow to joy, shame to self-love. From insecurity and uncertainty to the assurance of divine providence and care” (Working Preacher, Anathea Portier Young).
John preparing the way of the Lord is to make a highway to God. Create a path for people to follow to find God. Much like that path I walked through the holiday lights. Jesus is our path to God. Jesus shines a light into or dark places. Especially this time of year, when the days are short and cold, and the troubles in the world seem big and overwhelming. We are blessed to have Jesus be both our way and our light.
In Harry Potter the Deathly Hallows, it is a dark time. Dumbledore is dead, the trio is searching for horcruxes but have no way to find them. Their journey from place to place is much like that flashlight where you can only see so far, and you need to take a step forward so that the beam of light shows you another action to take. The movie starts with Dumbledore leaving a small device to Ron Weasley. He also left a snitch to Harry and a children’s book to Hermione. Dumbledore created the Deluminator, which he gave to Ron. It is the size of a lighter, yet it magically takes the light out of a room. It demuniates a space of its light. Thinking about Jesus being the light and the darkness not overcoming it, somehow reminded me of this movie moment. Flick it open and it absorbs the surrounding light, do it again and the light is restored. At first you think it is simply a parlor trick and you wonder why a wizard created this when he has a spell to do the same thing. But after Ron abandons Harry and Hermoine on their quest, we discover the deluminator has another ability. When weeks later Hermoine used Ron’s name, he could hear her voice from the deluminator and then its light merged with his chest and with a little magic it brought Ron back to his wandering friends. It showed him the way. The thing that took and made light helped Ron find his way to Harry and Hermoine. Light and way embodied in one thing. The deluminator offered comfort too in the reversal of fortunes and the joy of reconnecting.
Light and way embodied in Jesus. Jesus helps us find our way, much like the deluminator helped Rom find his way back to his friends and their shared purpose. Much like a flashlight helps us find our way in the dark. Jesus is both the way and the light that shows us the direction we should go. Jesus is the Way, the Waymaker, the Light, and the Answer. Jesus said, I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. I admit, I used to think Jesus said I am the Way the Truth and the Light- not Life, because that made more sense to me. But of course, Jesus was right. When Jesus is our way and we abide in his truth, we are promised abundant Life.
Soon we will taste that life through communion. We will taste the hope, we will taste the way of the Lord. The bread and cup are spiritual food for our journey. Jesus is the light. Jesus is the way; taste the banquet of abundant Life.
As we prepare our hearts to welcome Jesus once again, let us celebrate the inextinguishable light available to us. Advent elicits excitement for a light that can’t go out. Like the burning bush that was on fire but did not bum, Jesus is the light that the darkness of death cannot extinguish. And this is good news! So as we prepare our hearts and home, grateful for Christ’s light, “maybe, preparation means simply adjusting our eyes to see light when there seems to be none. God calls us to be witnesses like John who point to Jesus and say “Look!” so that all might know God’s pastures of peace. Perhaps pointing and saying, “Look!” can be our preparing the way” (Working Preacher, Karoline Lewis). AMEN.
