Mark 1:1-8
Second Sunday of Advent
The beginning of the good news* of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. As it is written in the prophet Isaiah, “See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, I who will prepare your way; the voice of one crying out in the wilderness: “Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight” ’, John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 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. Now John was clothed with camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. 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. I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit. NRSV
Australian E-Journal of Theology
There is a difficulty in reading the beginning of Mark’s gospel freshly because we already know too much. We know of Mary, of Jesus’ birth, of his teaching in the temple but Mark does not start with this information. When Mark says the beginning and then goes on to tell of John’s baptism of repentance, he says that this is our beginning – the place where we begin the encounter with Christ.
John prepares the way. When we open ourselves and let known what is broken or hurt or damaged inside of us, when we are honest by saying how we have hurt someone or ourselves, describing the ways that we have been separated from one another either by self-deception or anger or shame or anything else, we repent. We enter the Jordan recognizing our need for wholeness.
It says in the scripture that the people of the countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were going to John. Again, this says all of the people of Jerusalem. The people’s needs were not being met in their synagogues, their relationships, and their work. Our sins – and here I use Martin Buber’s interpretation: the idea that sin is anything which separates us from each other, ourselves and our God – can be a pathway to being open to each other and to Christ.
But it is our holding it inside which causes us separation. In the next section of this text, God says to Jesus, “you are my son, my beloved and with you, I am well pleased.” When we allow ourselves to confess the ways that keep us separate, we are then prepared to hear that we are God’s beloveds, and with us he is well pleased. And it is true for all.
If we continue to hold on, we will either dismiss this message or cannot hear it. It is not that God needs this from us. But rather it is we who need it for ourselves. If we are attaching ourselves or clinging to our sense of inferiority, or wrongness, or our superiority; if we cling to the ego we are not open to the message of God. And so we confess; we can then feel our being forgiven and loved, as we hide nothing from Him.
By doing this, not only with God, but with each other, we are free to be more loved and loving in our relationships, in our community life, and in our ministries.
The other part of this text, which I’d like to accent, is John’s message for Franciscans and for all Christians. John has often been characterized as a little crazy – this wild man who despite himself has an in with God. What I see is a man who has instead risked everything to develop a true simplicity to keep watch for Jesus’ arrival. In Jerusalem, there was no one who found the truth of simplicity and humility. In this way, he could proclaim what needs to happen for openness to God. In our giving everything up for God, we provide something, which we may not fully understand, that gives people access, an opening to relationship with God the Father, the Son, and Holy Spirit. Let us accept our responsibility and like, John, keep watch. We are needed. God has a role for us whether or not all the people of a city recognize it. We are pathways to God.
Amen
