Dec 05, 2021 |
Already Here
| The Rev. Philip DeVaulAlready Here
I want to be clear, I don't actually have a problem with New
Year's resolutions. I think they're great if they work for you and if they
don't, that's also fine. Some of us, we're going to actually try to do things
to make ourselves better and some of us are just going to be like, yeah, that’s
just not going to happen. I just want to say that this text is for you, because
the presence of God that John the Baptist is proclaiming, is not actually about
you, it's about God. It's not about you making it happen. At first, it sounds
like that because he says prepare the way of the Lord, make his path straight.
And you're like, ah, good, I needed some duties. Thank you for giving me some
clear concrete steps that I'll avoid. But then we start to think if I don't
make the world exactly what it's supposed to be, God's not going to show up.
We begin to think that it's on us to improve ourselves and improve this world
or else this won't be the kind of world that Jesus wants any part of.
Like, somehow, we have to make ourselves our hearts, our souls, our lives, our communities, perfect or else God will not love us. But we know the story of Jesus, right? Like when he shows up, does he show up and go, oh man, you guys have been preparing such a great way for me, thank you so much. And everyone's like, see the road we made it straight for you. Is that what happens or does Jesus show up into an absolute bloody mess? Jesus shows up into deeply complicated lives and impossible situations, into the uncertainty of occupied Israel in a place where everything is falling apart. That's where Jesus shows up. And the prophets tell us this, both John the Baptist, and Isaiah, whom he quotes. Every valley shall be filled in every mountain and hill shall be made low; we heard it in our reading from Baruch as well today. And guess who does the leveling out? Guess who makes things just in this world. You? No, God. Guess who is at work to make love apparent, manifest, obvious, clear in this world, God.
Like, somehow, we have to make ourselves our hearts, our souls, our lives, our communities, perfect or else God will not love us. But we know the story of Jesus, right? Like when he shows up, does he show up and go, oh man, you guys have been preparing such a great way for me, thank you so much. And everyone's like, see the road we made it straight for you. Is that what happens or does Jesus show up into an absolute bloody mess? Jesus shows up into deeply complicated lives and impossible situations, into the uncertainty of occupied Israel in a place where everything is falling apart. That's where Jesus shows up. And the prophets tell us this, both John the Baptist, and Isaiah, whom he quotes. Every valley shall be filled in every mountain and hill shall be made low; we heard it in our reading from Baruch as well today. And guess who does the leveling out? Guess who makes things just in this world. You? No, God. Guess who is at work to make love apparent, manifest, obvious, clear in this world, God.