The Second Sunday in Advent ----- 9 December 2018

Luke 3:1-6

In the fifteenth year of the reign of Emperor Tiberius, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was ruler of Galilee, and his brother Philip ruler of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias ruler of Abilene, during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness. He went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah,

"The voice of one crying out in the wilderness:

'Prepare the way of the Lord,
make his paths straight.

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.'"

the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness.

·       Luke’s Gospel tells us of a number of dignitaries today. We’ve heard the names and only a few remain in our memories. The evangelist is setting the stage by giving us the time when the action happens, a specific time, such as In the fifteenth year of the reign of Emperor Tiberius…

·       We also hear of John the Baptizer and his call to his mission. He’s out in the wilderness, away from all the powerful people. He doesn’t actually appear out of nowhere; he’s already living in the wilderness, the desert east of the towns and places around the Jordan.

·       We’ve talked about the wilderness before and the place it holds in the life of God’s people. John lived in the wilderness, possibly with the Jewish religious communities that settled there. Elijah the prophet went into the wilderness to escape those who wished to kill him. We’re told that the Hebrews wandered in the wilderness for 40 years. Jesus went into the wilderness after his baptism and a number of times after that in order to pray.

·       In the Scriptures, the wilderness is a place of desolation, danger, and scarcity. It’s where he wild animals are. However, it is also a place of blessing, of safety, and of divine providence. During what we call the Exodus, it was the place where the Hebrews were utterly dependant on God and where God did not fail them. It became a sanctuary for those on the run and a place of prayer, a place to be with God.

·       For Luke, the wilderness was the site of the truly significant activity of God. A prophet was being raised up and a message and messenger prepared. The most significant action in the cosmos was taking place far away from the seats of power and the presence of the high and mighty, like Tiberius, Pilate, or Herod.

·       The Word of God did not come to those folks, but to a desert dweller who we know dressed oddly and ate strange meals (although Luke doesn’t tell us this today.)

·       We all heard last Sunday that what God is doing is hidden. So much that is going on is not able to be seen. The power people are not entrusted with the message; it is given to an eccentric who will proclaim the message and not make it about himself… as the high and mighty would be tempted to.

·       What is going on is outside the notice of most. The newsmakers of the day would be unaware, but things are happening – earth-shaking things… things that reach far beyond themselves in time and space.

·       Last Sunday again, we heard of our preparations for the coming holiday and how, no matter how we prepare or what we prepare for, God remains in charge and the grace of God, the love of God is at work all around us, whether we know it or not.

·       The Word of God still comes to us from the wild places within us and often from the wild places and people around us.

·       One of the best and simplest examples of the grace of God coming in a hidden way could be seen in our celebration of Baptism today. Hudson could do nothing to achieve this, but it is by the grace of God as a free gift, reaching to us that makes this moment of salvation happen.

·       The Word of God still comes to use each and every day and the presence of God every time we pray.

·       The Roman Empire fell 1500 years ago in the West and 600 years ago in Eastern Europe. The names we call what was known as Judea, Galilee, Trachonitis, or Abilene have all changed. Yet, John the Baptizer’s call to repentance remains fresh and the grace that powers that call remains fresh. We know what the world is like and what its history is. Even if we don’t know where the world is going, we know in whose hands all things are.

·       I’d like to close with a quote that carries a lot of weight, especially in times of uncertainty, those time when the fog closes in around us and we might feel lost. In those times, we might want to remember this:

“I know not the way God leads me,

 but well do I know my Guide.”

I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work among you will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ.

W