This week, we continue to explore the gifts of Advent. The second week of Advent is often about Peace. In the time of Jesus, the Hebrew people were struggling under Roman rule and looking for peace in their lives. Into that world first came John the Baptist, calling the people to repentance and reminding them that God wants to forgive them.
According to the Gospel of Mark, the appearance of John is the beginning of the good news of Jesus (see Mark 1:1-8). Drawing primarily on Isaiah, Mark helps us to see John as the voice crying in the wilderness who heralds the coming of God into the world. John is in the world pointing to the one that is coming into the world. He is reminding us to listen to God's call to us, to listen to the call to forgive, to listen to the call to peace.
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As the calendar of the church year starts over, we also switch to a new primary gospel. Where our gospel readings over the last year were primarily drawn from Matthew, the next twelve months will see readings predominately from Mark. Mark is the shortest of the gospels and, most likely, the one written the earliest. Even though many of the stories found in Mark are also found in Matthew and Luke, one of the things we will begin to notice in the coming months is the way that Mark does things a bit differently.
Maybe some of you notice this difference with today’s readings. The stories surrounding the birth of Jesus that we are most familiar with come primarily from Matthew and Luke. Luke gives us the story of the angel visiting Mary, the journey to Bethlehem, the manger, and the shepherds. Matthew gives us an angel visiting Joseph, the magi, and the escape to Egypt. Even John gets some attention at Christmas by connecting Jesus to the creation story in Genesis.
But when we look to the first chapter of Mark, we step into a story already in progress. For Mark, “the beginning of the good news about Jesus Christ” (Mark 1:1, CEB) is not in the story of Jesus’ birth, his genealogy, or his existence since the beginning of creation. For Mark, the good news about Jesus starts with John the Baptist. Mark is writing primarily for a faithful Jewish audience. His focus is not on miracles. His focus is instead on how Jesus is the Messiah, the one foretold in the prophets. So he begins his gospel by quoting the prophets.
Mark uses both Malachi and Isaiah to help us understand who John is in the story. “See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way; the voice of one crying out in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight’” (Mark 1:2-3, NRSV).
Some of the Hebrew prophets had spoken of the Messiah, a holy man who was to come into the world to bring healing and peace. This Messiah took different forms in the various ancient writings, but Mark points our focus squarely at Isaiah. Isaiah uses the language of the good shepherd who is to come, who will take care of his flocks. In Isaiah 40, the prophet speaks of a voice crying in the wilderness, a voice that calls us to prepare for the coming of our Lord. Mark begins his story of the good news by telling us that John is that voice.
The hope that we have in knowing that God does not forsake us and that God is coming back into the world offers us a sense of peace. We nourish this peace as we prepare for God’s coming. We can feel peace in the knowledge that we are made clean, that our past is not held against us. We can feel peace in the knowledge that God wants to forgive us our wrongdoings. Even so, peace is not always easy to find.
I have to admit that I struggled with the message this week. How do I speak about peace when I am having such a hard time finding it in my own life? How do I share a message about the gift of peace when I am struggling to feel it for myself?
In recent weeks, my family has wrestled with decisions about whether or not to have family from out of town visit. We have struggled with the question of sending our kids back to the school building. We have done our best to negotiate three adults, two kids, and a handful of pets all sharing the same space all the time. As a rather solid introvert, that last one has been a particular struggle for me personally. Where do I find peace?
These struggles aren't only being felt in our household. This season of waiting and expectation is a season of unknowns. As we look to the coming of Christ into the world, we are longing for salvation from the chaos in our world. For the past nine months, all of our lives have been turned upside down by a virus that has impacted our entire globe. Many people have cut back on their outings and visits with others. People with school-aged children have had to struggle with the pros and cons of educating their kids from home or sending them to school. That is, if that is even an option for them. Some have no choice but to send their kids to school. Some people have tried to figure out how to work from home, while others have no say in the matter. Still others have lost their jobs or seen their businesses fail. Some have watched friends and loved ones suffer and die while watching people in the world around them blithely ignore the warnings and precautions.
Beyond the viral pandemic, our nation has experienced a contentious political season, one that for some is not even over yet as we anticipate the completion of run-off elections. Our world has seen an increase in public violence and hate-filled speech in recent years. Climate change is wreaking havoc on the lives of people, particularly those who are already the most marginalized.
Where do we find peace?
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John the Baptist was noted as a powerful preacher. He is recognized as a prophet not only in Christianity, but also in Islam. Even though he preached in the wilderness, people flocked from the cities to hear him and to be baptized by him. There were some that thought perhaps he was the Messiah.
And yet, John spoke of one who was greater than him that was coming into the world. John clearly steps into that role of the voice in the wilderness, the one who announces the coming of the Lord. Given the way the people saw John, his power and popularity, how much greater must the one to come be?
Through his ministry, John offered the people peace. He spoke of God’s forgiveness. He offered cleansing in the waters. He told them of the one who was coming into the world.
There is a comfort, a peace, in knowing that things will turn out for the best. For those of us in the world today, we can still find some comfort in these words. We can still find peace in the knowledge that we are cleansed of the dirt of the past. We can find peace in the knowledge that our past does not stop God from reaching out to us.
The last two nights, my wife, April, and I took a brief vacation up to the mountains. We rented an Airbnb on the Coosawattee River. The river flowed over light rapids perhaps 20 yards from the windows. And for 36 hours, I was able to find peace as I listened to the sounds of creation offering praise to our Creator. I was able to listen for the Word of God that spoke all of creation into being. For a time, I was able to find peace and comfort in what God has given.
Where do we find peace? And how do we continue to offer peace to a world sitting in darkness today?
Peace is found in many places. For some, peace can be found in the written word, as we read or hear stories like the one we read today. For some, peace can be found in the Word that spoke creation into being. And for still others, peace might be found in the Word represented in the meal we share at this Table.
We can find peace in the nourishment of bread and cup. We can find peace in the offering Jesus has made of his body and blood. We find peace in the food that is placed before us.
No matter where we find it, we can share the peace we have received with the world around us. We can reach out to others without holding their past against them. We can offer them opportunities for forgiveness and change from the parts of their lives that are broken. And we can and do offer opportunities for others to eat. Sometimes that means inviting them to this Table. Sometimes it means inviting others to the tables we set in our own homes. And sometimes it means providing food to those we may never meet.
People who are fed are more likely to be at peace. And so we extend this Table out to all who would receive. And then we build on that by continuing to offer food to those in need around us, food that nourishes and fills.
This Table is prepared for all who would come. This food is available to all who would partake. This meal is one that we share with others.
When we are in need of peace, often we just need to take time to listen to God speaking. Through the ministry of John, the people were reminded to listen for God's voice. This weekend, I was reminded to listen for God's voice. Through this season of waiting and expectation, we are reminded to listen for God's voice. At the Table, we are reminded to listen for God's voice.
As we consider the gift of peace that God has offered, may we be mindful also of the peace offered to us by those who have come before and the gift of peace that we may yet give to the world.