A Sermon for the Second Sunday of Advent
The Rev. Patricia A. Gillespie
Baruch 5:1-9
Philippians 1:1-11
Luke 3:1-6
Psalm 126
"You'd better watch out
You better not cry
You better not pout
I'm tellin you why:
Santa Claus is comin' to town."
Well he was at my house yesterday. At least the earlier version of Santa Claus -- St. Nicholas.
When my children were little
St. Nicholas would arrive in full bishop's regalia --
cope, miter, and staff.
He'd quiz them carefully
and somehow he did know some of their little failings.
This was always a mystery to the children
because every family member who might have know that stuff
was already in the room.
Till one St. Nicholas' Day, when watching for the bishop out the window,
the kids came running in and said:
"Mom, St. Nicholas drives an abbey car!"
And only then did they notice an uncanny resemblance
between St. Nick and Father Wilfred,
a family friend from the abbey next door.
For us every St. Nicholas' Day was full of forgiveness and grace. Even though he knew all about the messy rooms and assorted other not-so-nice things, the good bishop left lots of goodies in the kids' shoes.
It's not like the Santa Claus in the song. That Christmas song is kind of scary: "He's makin' a list, checkin' it twice. Gonna find out who's naughty and nice. He knows if you've been bad or good so be good for goodness sake."
It's bad theology. That's not what Christmas is about. The old guy in the red suit has it all wrong. Let's not have any of this "keeping a list" stuff. God's not like that. We dont want our God to keep lists. Our Loving God, like Saint Nicholas of Myra and Father Wilfred of St. John's, gives gifts to everyone.
That's why in Advent we prepare a place in our lives for God's gift, right?
So what's John out in the wilderness shouting about? No jolly old man in a red suit or kindly bishop in elegant clothing, but a wild crazy guy wearing leather and camel's hair. So this is our message for Advent: "Season's Greetings" he says "Prepare the way of the Lord -- Repent"
Repentance? Wilderness? That's not how we prepare for Christmas. Come on. Let's have "Joy to the World" and shopping malls instead. It's Christmas -- we're looking for love, peace, and joy. We haven't got time for the wild scary emptiness of the wilderness
But where is it that Scripture tells us that God is found?
-- in a manger
-- in a tent
-- on a mountain
-- in a storm and in a still small voice.
This god doesn't seem too fond of nice, enclosed places.
This is a not a safe household god,
but a god of the wilderness -- a wild god.
God is not about to be tamed, domesticated and controlled by us. A pastor* in the Twin Cities once warned his congregation: not to try to make a pet of this wild god who "shreds furniture and pisses on the carpet."
God comes into our neatly ordered lives and wrecks things: dynamites the mountains we have built to protect ourselves and raises up the low spots we've neglected.
Get ready!. Look to the wilderness: God is coming! God's got a list. God KNOWS. God knows the depths of our valleys, the mountains of our sin, and the crookedness of our hearts.
The only way to Bethlehem is through the wilderness. Look out! God is coming and there's no stopping God.
The Baptist is running ahead of him, shouting Prepare the way! Don't let this dangerous and wild God come up behind you. Repent! (It means turn around.) Turn toward God. Let us place before God the depths of our valleys, the mountains of our sin and the crookedness of our hearts. And then "Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways made smooth; and all flesh shall see the salvation of God."
We will see our salvation in a manger. That lowest of places will be exalted. An infant God will destroy every mountainous list that is set before him. And "those who sowed with tears" of repentance, " will reap with songs of joy."
*Steve Sylvester