Readings: Psalm 85:1-2, 8-13; Isaiah 40:1-11; 2 Peter 3:8-15a; Mark 1:1-8

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 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.” [Isaiah 40:1-5, NRSV]

The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news. [Mark: 1:15, NRSV]

Readings: Psalm 85:1-2, 8-13; Ezekiel 36:24-28; Mark 11:27-33

Again they came to Jerusalem. As he was walking in the temple, the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders came to him and said, “By what authority are you doing these things? Who gave you this authority to do them?” Jesus said to them, “I will ask you one question; answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things. Did the baptism of John come from heaven, or was it of human origin? Answer me.” 

They argued with one another, “if we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say, ‘Why then did you not believe him:’ But shall we say, ‘Of human origin’?” – they were afraid of the crowd, for all regarded John as a true prophet. So they answered Jesus, “We do not know.” And Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.” [Mark 11:27-33, NRSV]

Their Response: We do not know. 

Their Honest Thoughts: We know, but we are afraid to say so.

The True Answer: We do not know.

The elders, scribes, and priests weren’t seeking God when they asked their questions: they were doing their best to keep God’s grace confined to the accepted venues and authorized dealers. A controlled God, a predictable God, a God that colored within the lines. John was the human embodiment of scribbling outside the lines, regardless of his baptism coming from heaven. That’s not how truth is supposed to look; he’s not the one God is supposed to choose.

The problem isn’t in the answer, it’s in the asking. If I ask bigger-than-life-and-death questions for reasons other than wanting bigger-than-life-and-death answers, I won’t recognize the truth even when it comes from my own lips.

How often do I ask profound questions, not wanting the answers? How much of God’s grace and presence am I willing to ignore because it doesn’t dress in the right clothes or conform to my limited expectations?

Maybe this Advent waiting time is necessary – not because I don’t know the right question and answer, but because I’m not really prepared to receive either one quite yet. Maybe this walk through scripture, this road to Bethlehem, is my best shot at wanting the answer God gave to my ultimate question: Do you love me?

Readings: Psalm 85: 1-2, 8-13; Jeremiah 1:4-10; Acts 11:19-26

Now the word of the Lord came to me saying, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.” Then I said, “Ah, Lord God! Truly I do not know how to speak, for I am only a boy.” But the Lord said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am only a boy’; for you shall go to all to whom I send you, and you shall speak whatever I command you. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you, says the Lord.” 

Then the Lord put out his hand and touched my mouth; and the Lord said to me, “Now I have put my words in your mouth. See, today I appoint you over nations and kingdoms, to pluck up and to pull down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant.” [Jeremiah 1:4-10, NRSV]

The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah in a vision.  The word came in different ways to other Biblical figures. For example:

to Mary and Joseph from an angel,

to the Wisemen from a star,

to Moses in a burning bush,

and to Elijah in the “still small voice”.  

God’s words were those of comfort, challenge and direction, and God continues to speak today in ways that are unique to each of us. 

God speaks to me in the still small voice found in morning prayer, in the challenges of sermons and news stories of tragedies and heroics, in the signs of death and resurrection found in nature, and in the love of family and friends, to name a few ways.  But, as Psalm 85:8 says Let me hear what God the Lord will speak.  I must want to hear God’s voice.  How will the word of God come to you today?

Once we hear the word, we must be willing to share that word with others.  Jeremiah felt he was too young.  I often feel that I am too old or not as wise as others or I am afraid to appear foolish.  There should be no excuses.  The word comes to us and then must be passed through us, to encourage and challenge others. Who needs a word from you today?

I end with a blessing by Nan Richardson:

That you will see in the way God longs you to see.

That you will be given vision that speaks precisely

      To and through who you are.

That the holy will reveal itself, divulge itself in you.

Offered by Ann Fowler, spiritual director, bound for Bethlehem.

Readings: Psalm 85:1-2, 8-13; Hosea 6:1-6, 1 Thessalonians 1:2-10

“Come, let us return to the Lord; for it is he who has torn, and he will heal us;

he has struck down, and he will bind us up. After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will raise us up, that we may live before him.

Let us know, let us press on to know the Lord; his appearing is as sure as the dawn; he will come to us like the showers, like the spring rains that water the earth.”

What shall I do with you, O Ephraim? What shall I do with you, O Judah? Your love is like a morning cloud, like the dew that goes away early. Therefore I have hewn them by the prophets, I have killed them by the words of my mouth, and my judgment goes forth as the light.

For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings. [Hosea 6:1-6, NRSV]

Irrational: Believing that all my problems will simply dissolve into a puddle of happiness and security because I profess faith in God is about as realistic as believing that the world is flat. Sure, it looks flat from where I’m standing – but my lack of a wider perspective doesn’t change the shape of the planet I call home.

Rational: Accepting that wishes and my best efforts to do the right thing won’t change the fundamental truth that suffering and loss will be woven into the fabric of my life makes it difficult to assign to God the pettiness of vindictive action on those who share my faith and those who most certainly do not. How can I square the love of God with the notion that all the good things in life and all the hard things are just so many gold stars and F’s I’ve earned in some cosmic grading system? Sometimes, it’s easier to let go of those thorny scripture passages in favor of trusting my own common sense and and sense of justice. Or at least cherry picking the acceptable and leaving the embarrassing.

non-Rational: Perhaps I’ve missed the point because I’ve mistaken the purpose. Holy writ is holy because its words create a doorway. If the beauty, ugliness, reassurance, and doubt it offers gets me to stand still, even for just a moment, a miracle has surely happened. It only takes that moment for the Spirit to enter, embrace the imperfect child I am, and draw me into a love so deep that I cannot find its limits.

Sometimes, standing before the door scripture builds can feel like death – and death at the hands of God, no less. And maybe it is. It’s the tearing and striking down of a faith too small to hold me or God. But I’ll only know that in retrospect. The question is: am I willing to stand before whatever door I’m offered to get there?