Isaiah 35:1-10 Advent Light in Prison Advent 3, December 15, 2013 First Trinity Lutheran Church

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Kristin Berry
6 years ago
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1 The days continue to get shorter and the nights longer. It s getting closer and closer to Christmas. Here and there lights are popping up and Christmas trees ride on car tops to their new home. All around us preparations are being made for Christmas. Here in church, we re preparing for Christmas, too. It s Advent 3 and today we ve prepared with 3 candles. The Moravian stars and an ever-increasing crowd of animals and figures in the crèche help us to prepare, too. From our Advent readings and the banner, you might have noticed the word for today is prepare. Isaiah says to prepare for the coming of the Lord: Look for the signs: blossoming of deserts, a highway for God s people to travel where there is no sickness or danger, and those in exile are rescued by God. James tells us to prepare by strengthening our hearts, The coming of the Lord is near. And, John the Baptist well, He is known for his time and life in the wilderness, calling people to prepare by turning and repenting. He s the master of prepare, right?! Yet today we learn John environment has been constricted. After declaring he himself was not the Messiah and Pointing to Jesus as the One that God sent for the healing and restoration of Israel, John finds himself in jail. 1

2 It seems John s preaching and teaching has gotten himself cross-wise with Herod for calling him out on grounds of adultery. And, John, the one with a strong sense of call, who had to have been one of the Most prepared, for the coming of the Messiah, Finds himself in prison and wonders if, well, if he might be wrong about Jesus. This is what I really like about having this reading on the 3 rd Sunday of Advent. Even with preparation, Even with turning and repentance, you and I might still find ourselves in prison. You might literally find yourself in jail one day Perhaps because of a bad decision you made or Because of one that someone else made. There are other kinds of prison, too: Prisons of abusive relationships, Addictions, Homelessness and Poverty. Prisons of resentment, anger and boredom. Prisons of grief, fear or anxiety. Prisons of fears and sins. And, from these prisons we ask, are you the One, Jesus? Or are we waiting for another? It is hard to hope in prison. It is difficult to find your way no matter the prison. Whether physically or emotionally imprisoned, 2

3 no one will tell you prison is easy. Sometimes prison is long, hard, and chills our hearts. The prison gates remain locked. The grief remains overwhelming and dark. And the cycles of homelessness and poverty continue. And, I think there are some prisons we can never be prepared for. Sandy Hook Elementary and the Navy Yard, for instance, and the grief and longings for the families of friends of students, teachers and employees. We are imprisoned by a culture of violence by guns and various weapons. Daily we see signs of the prison of mental illness that ends with homicide. We see parents of children with mental health issues cry out for help and are locked out of health insurance, adequate facilities, skilled professionals and medication to help. We know this is not the royal highway that Isaiah foretold. We wait in hope and expectation for a better day. We need the strong hearts that James talks about as we wait for Jesus to return. To John s question, and to ours, Jesus says, The blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them. And, blessed is anyone who takes no offense at me. I don t think Jesus gave John the Baptist any new information With what he told his disciples to tell him. And, it s not new information for us. Today, John the Baptist reminds us that we have our part In ushering in the kingdom of God. Prepare. Prepare as if Jesus is coming tomorrow. 3

4 Or, indeed, already here. That God is breaking in to our lives every day. But, like John, on some days and nights, I want a sign, in this day, here and now, as big and clear as John seemed to need. I want the hurt and pain to vanish in an instant. I want the violence to stop. Immediately. I want the prisoners released. I want the blind to receive their sight. I want the deaf to hear And the poor to receive good news. And I want these things in grand fashion So that there is no doubt in anyone s mind That there is a God. That Jesus is Lord of all And that the Spirit renews the face of the earth. These are my Advent longings. The hopes and expectations that I have, The hopes, dare I say, that we all have for God to fulfill. And, I believe it will happen. The Good News for us today is that no prison is beyond the reach of God. Through the darkness, On every prison and on every prisoner, The light of Jesus shines. No prison is too dark, too long or too locked up for Jesus. Not even the prison of death. Gathered together in hope, We are prepared by our Lord Prepared to serve, 4

5 Prepared to comfort those who mourn. Prepared to accompany each other through prison. Prepared to proclaim Good News to the poor. Thanks be to God. Amen. 5

I came back to evensong that night and the psalm was a lament:

I came back to evensong that night and the psalm was a lament: Advent 3 John the Baptist Introduction One afternoon last week I returned to the cathedral following a pastoral visit where the person I had been to see shared with me a little of her sorrow. It s a story