SUNDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2023 | ADVENT - Second Sunday of Advent (B)

Texts

Revised Common Lectionary 12-10-2023: Second Sunday of Advent

OLD TESTAMENT

Isaiah 40:1–11

40Comfort, O comfort my people,

says your God.

2Speak 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.

3A voice cries out:

“In the wilderness prepare the way of the LORD,

make straight in the desert a highway for our God.

4Every 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.

5Then the glory of the LORD shall be revealed,

and all people shall see it together,

for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”

6A voice says, “Cry out!”

And I said, “What shall I cry?”

All people are grass,

their constancy is like the flower of the field.

7The grass withers, the flower fades,

when the breath of the LORD blows upon it;

surely the people are grass.

8The grass withers, the flower fades;

but the word of our God will stand forever.

9Get 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!”

10See, the Lord GOD comes with might,

and his arm rules for him;

his reward is with him,

and his recompense before him.

11He 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.

PSALM

Psalm 85:1–2, 8–13

1LORD, you were favorable to your land;

you restored the fortunes of Jacob.

2You forgave the iniquity of your people;

you pardoned all their sin. Selah

8Let me hear what God the LORD will speak,

for he will speak peace to his people,

to his faithful, to those who turn to him in their hearts.

9Surely his salvation is at hand for those who fear him,

that his glory may dwell in our land.

10Steadfast love and faithfulness will meet;

righteousness and peace will kiss each other.

11Faithfulness will spring up from the ground,

and righteousness will look down from the sky.

12The LORD will give what is good,

and our land will yield its increase.

13Righteousness will go before him,

and will make a path for his steps.

NEW TESTAMENT

2 Peter 3:8–15a

8 But do not ignore this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like one day. 9 The Lord is not slow about his promise, as some think of slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish, but all to come to repentance. 10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a loud noise, and the elements will be dissolved with fire, and the earth and everything that is done on it will be disclosed.

11 Since all these things are to be dissolved in this way, what sort of persons ought you to be in leading lives of holiness and godliness, 12 waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set ablaze and dissolved, and the elements will melt with fire? 13 But, in accordance with his promise, we wait for new heavens and a new earth, where righteousness is at home.

14 Therefore, beloved, while you are waiting for these things, strive to be found by him at peace, without spot or blemish; 15 and regard the patience of our Lord as salvation. So also our beloved brother Paul wrote to you according to the wisdom given him,

GOSPEL

Mark 1:1–8

1 The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

2 As it is written in the prophet Isaiah,

“See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you,

who will prepare your way;

3the voice of one crying out in the wilderness:

‘Prepare the way of the Lord,

make his paths straight,’ ”

4 John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 5 And people from the whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were going out to him, and were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. 6 Now John was clothed with camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. 7 He proclaimed, “The one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the thong of his sandals. 8 I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

Good morning,

We are in the middle of our very short Advent - just 14 days to go until Christmas Eve! So let’s make the most of it!

We are at the very beginning of the gospel of Mark, considered the oldest gospel of the four, written roughly around the year of 70 CE, so in the thick of the failed Jewish revolt and the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple at the hands of the Romans - a treacherous time for everybody, Jew and Christ follower alike. Some may still remain who remember first hand the ministry of Jesus, but the average life expectancy is not in their favor. In any case, they likely have access to some primary sources of teaching from the likes of Apostle Peter and others. We can assume that then more than ever, they were expectant of Christ’s return in glory as the reality must have been hard to bear - the Roman Empire is not known for their forgiveness and lovingkindness when they are the victor, are they.

The text begins with establishing a historical and Biblical context - there was a man called John the Baptist, foretold in the prophecies of Isaiah, that proclaimed a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, performed it for all that came and foretold the coming of the one that is more powerful than him. A simple message, really. From other gospels, we know that he was a little on the rougher side, both in his language (calling the Pharisees brood of vipers) and appearance, as really someone emerging from a filming set of a survival reality TV.

This situation resonates both with the first coming and second coming of Jesus, I think. This text was already written from the perspective of the expectant believers - the only real difference is that they have waited a little at that point and well, we’ve got a few thousand years under our belt. Historians say that the society was ripe in expectations for the coming of the Messiah and so is today…and any time, really. When people say that these and these times were hard, I affirm them, but then I ask the rhetoric question - aren’t they always hard? Like, in general? In general, because of course, times tend to be usually easier for one group or another - in ancient Greece, it was a good time to be a privileged philosopher; in the edo period of Japan, it was a good time to be affiliated with the ruling Tokugawa family; in the early 1920s it was a good time to be an industrialist in Europe, or perhaps during WW2, it was a good time to be a Swiss banker. But humanity as a whole always had its struggles and its hopes for deliverance.

So waiting on the Messiah, the deliverer, is a long tradition embedded in the very fabric of humanity - times are never ideal for many people, to put it mildly. Just this week, the headlining stories are not good again:

A woman in Texas is suing the state, so that she can legally get an abortion due to her unborn being diagnosed with a fatal genetic condition and having health complications from the pregnancy. And men that are not medical professionals are trying to restrict her. The unborn has trisomy 18 or Edwards syndrom - in 50% of cases they die in the womb and 90%+ do not survive beyond the first year. Ms. Cox says she was to three different emergency rooms in the last month due to the complications. In some states of the U. S. it is so hard to be a pregnant woman, despite U. S. being counted as a developed nation. What women and advocates feared would happen is happening.

https://www.cnn.com/2023/12/08/us/texas-abortion-ruling-attorney-general-petition/index.html

It is reported that about a half of Gaza’s population is starving due to continued Israel’s military campaign against Hamas that is entering its second momth - nine out of 10 people cannot eat everyday. Can you imagine that? Despite who is at fault for what, we are talking about human beings, many of them children, stuck in the middle.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-67670679

Government shutdown looms again as power games are continually played in Congress....

I think you get the idea, all that and more on top of the usual mass shootings (Las Vegas, NV, Peyton, Colorado, Austin, Texas, Lugoff, South Carolina..just this week!), natural disasters (in Kentucky, Tennessee…and soon to reach us or flooding in Chennai, southern India), really frightening election cycle, continued war in Ukraine...

There is a reason that Advent is partially apocalyptic - seeking God’s protection and comfort stems from living in a world that is ever on fire, full of injustice and lacking in peace. One of my favorite quotes from the ethician Stanley Hauerwas is that “without the church the world wouldn’t know what [true] justice entails.” A bold proclamation perhaps, but it is not without merit - justice in the society is popping up again and again throughout the Bible, not just in Jesus’ teachings. Laws in Leviticus, the Ten Commandments, Book of Ruth, the prophets... - it all points towards justice that encompasses women, children, immigrants, prisoners of war, war enemies in general and so much more. It points BEYOND political self-interest and the needs of some chosen tribe. God wants EVERYONE to have justice, peace, and wholeness. Just like John the Baptist was proclaiming the beginning of Jesus’ ministry to all people, not just the chosen few, the Advent is likewise for everybody, announcing to all the inherent goodness and hope of the upcoming celebration of Jesus’ birth.

Our role amongst all this is to proclaim hope and justice that points beyond what is considered possible or in the words of Amos 5:24 “But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.”

The kind of justice God wants is not practical or convenient, just like there is nothing convenient or easy about the birth of Jesus (or his life, ministry, death, and resurrection) - God would definitely save Godself some serious trouble and wrinkles if God decided not to send down Jesus as the God incarnate, Messiah that will in God’s perception of time, ends up suffering and dying in just mere seconds following his birth. Christians may be called out of touch and prehistoric in terms of sensibilities, but it’s not always all bad - it is definitely good to be out of touch in terms of what is considered justice in the world! Out of touch with what we are supposed to hope for, perhaps just a little change there or there, some regression, but for true justice to come for everyone? Have you seen what is happening in the world? Some might say… But that is at the core of believing - a religious belief requires that we train our eyes, ears, minds, and hearts to go beyond what we can perceive, learn, or feel - to hold onto faith in God that promises justice rolling down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream for the whole creation. This Advent, let us be realistic about the nature of our world, let us hope beyond the worldly hope and as we head towards the celebration of the birth of the savior of the whole creation, let us hold fast to our believes that he is coming again and that God’s justice shall prevail and try to live, every day, as if that has already happened. Amen.