Word to the Wise
Sunday, December 6, 2015 - 2nd Sunday of Advent - C
[Bar 5:1-9; Phil 1:4-6, 8-11; Luke 3:1-6]"The voice of one crying out in the desert: 'Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths.' Every valley shall be filled and every mountain and hill shall be made low." [Luke, quoting Isaiah]
Every time I see this passage, I hear the wonderful music of Handel's MESSIAH ringing in my mind with the majestic language of the King James Bible. Those words, "the crooked straight and the rough places plain," can be an inspirational program for an intentional Advent. This weekend I begin a parish mission at the Basilica of St. Michael the Archangel in Pensacola, FL, and this is the challenge that I will offer.
The figure of John the Baptist comes bounding onto the stage of history. Luke makes sure we know when it happened. He names all the folks in power at the time. Despite all their power, it is the powerless child in a future manger who will be the truly powerful ruler. Isaiah was calling the Jews in exile to recognize the opportunity being offered in their return to their homeland from Babylonia. Luke offers a community under persecution the reminder of Jesus as the true fulfillment of Isaiah's prophecy. In telling this story each year, we are reminded of the task before us both personally and socially.
The mountains and valleys in their physical beauty are not at issue here. It is the virtual kind in ourselves and our communities that needs attention. The mountains of pride and valleys of sinfulness are personal. The mountains and valleys of hunger, homelessness, violence, and other continual social sorrows confront our communities. The task seems unending, but it is the task that Isaiah and Luke place before us which begins with the birth of Jesus and continues until the Lord returns. Handel gives this a powerful musical setting, but once we turn off the music, the challenge awaits us. Make this an intentional Advent! AMEN
config
view
logs
3840.0 KB
102 ms
4
