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And thou, child, shalt be called the Prophet of the Highest:
for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways;
To give knowledge of salvation unto his people
for the remission of their sins; Through the tender mercy of our God;
whereby the day-spring from on high hath visited us;
To give light to them that sit in darkness, and in the shadow of death,
and to guide our feet into the way of peace.
Preparing the way for the Kingdom of God.
John the Baptist is the figure that is the focus on this the second of advent. He is the quintessential figure we think of when we imagine what went into preparing for Christ’s birth. However, I don’t know if John would have thought of himself that way…I think for John, his ministry was to be a prophet in the traditional sense.
Camel hair robes, locus and honey for dinner and fire and brimstone preaching, all meant to lead the people of Israel into repentance and humility so that they would return to the ways of God. So, that the people of God would follow the teachings of God once more.
Of course, Jesus came to ensure that would…in God’s own time…happen, but going before Jesus…preparing the way for Jesus’ teachings, life and ministry was a prophet in the truest sense. But there have been many prophets before John doing the same, and many prophets that came after John.
This past week I have been reflecting one some more modern prophets. Prophets who paved the way for the Kingdom of God in the face of controversy, and inspired the church to humility and took us all one step closer to God’s kingdom.
In the Anglican Church of Canada, St. Andrews day, Nov 30th, 1976 the first 6 women were officially ordained to be priests in the Anglican Church of Canada. The very first to wear the stole and chasuble, the first to officially preside at the altar…taking one more step towards establishing God’s kingdom for all.
Here in Rupert’s Land, in 1981, we had another ordination…the story of which has held great sway in my imagination and memory. I think it was the 20th Anniversary of the Ordination of Women, I was the server at St. John’s Cathedral and Rev. Edna Perry was Presiding… and it was the story of her ordination that in a sense paved the way for my own.
Rev. Perry was ordained in 1981 at St. John’s Cathedral under the protests of many. Women’s ordination still was highly controversial and Rev. Perry had to face that opposition head on, which included people protesting at her very own ordination.
What she must have been thinking and feeling, what conviction she must have summoned, the bravery to stand firm in her calling is something that I admire and that I have never had to face…because she did. It wasn’t that which inspired me however, it was the fact that in the face of all the protest, whispers, and doubts… the very floor of the Cathedral collapsed at the service.
Can you imagine! If ever there was a sign from God (I can imagine people saying) that was it! I can imagine how I would react … even the strongest of convictions would flicker if the very floor of the church fell through. Yet, Rev. Edna and her bishop did not let this stop the service…this is what amazes me. The ordination of this amazing women wasn’t cancelled or even postponed…in the face of unimaginable opposition and circumstance the ordination continued. Everything was packed up… people, flowers, eucharist…everything was carted down the road and the ordination took place regardless.
These are the prophets of our time…those people who speak God’s truth in the face of power, and opposition … that have made straight the path before me, before us. There have always been prophets…those people who look up at the mountains that block the path to God’s kingdom and grab a pick. Those who look down the valley before them and grab a shovel.
“I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made straight and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together.” ― Martin luther king jr.
John the Baptism may be the quintessential prophet of advent, but advent doesn’t just refer to the coming of Christ as incarnate at Christmastime. Advent is also the time we are living in now. We, ourselves, are living in a time of advent, a coming into being of Christ’s Kingdom. We are living in a time of preparation for Christ’s second coming and the final restoration of God’s Kingdom. And just as the prophets, such as John the Baptist, called the people of Israel to repent and return to the word of God so too do all the prophets since call us to do the same.
We are called to hear the words of our prophets, in our times. Those people who call us to account, who live and speak God’s truth in the face of protest, derision and tradition. Prophets still exist, people like Martin Luther King Jr. calling for God’s justice for all people, People like Rev. Perry standing at the altar showing God’s face takes many forms. People like Greta Thunberg, young, female with Asperger’s Syndrome speaking the unflinching truth of Climate Change and Autumn Peltier, a 15 year old indigenous woman who began to advocate from Manitoulin Island about the necessity for all people to have access of clean drinking water. People who speak truth to powers that don’t want to hear it.
And thou, child, shalt be called the Prophet of the Highest:
for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways;
To give knowledge of salvation unto his people
for the remission of their sins; Through the tender mercy of our God;
whereby the day-spring from on high hath visited us;
To give light to them that sit in darkness, and in the shadow of death,
and to guide our feet into the way of peace.
These words not only foretell the advent of John the Baptist, they speak to all of us. All Christians, all people, who live on this God given Earth. Christ gave up all he is to be incarnate at Christmas, his power, his majesty, his divinity … everything…to bring humanity from conflict into peace… from darkness into light …from death into life.
Christ’s birth and life were for that one purpose, to bring about a reconciliation between humanity and God. Repentance and return. Listening and action.
It isn’t hard…we know how to do this, and at Christmas we instinctively do it. People are kinder and more generous, the poor and those who suffer are given greater attention, forgiveness and peace … even in the midst of war are possible at Christmas, however briefly.
At Christmas we remember and we act, but too often on New Years day…we forget and the drive to gather food and toys become a focus on loosing weight and personal goals.
John the Baptist called Israel to repent, as the prophet so often do…over and over and over again and now they call to us.
This advent …I pray that we recall the advent not of Christ’s birth, but his second coming. That the ways and means we so naturally employ in the Spirit of Christmas we can continue throughout the year. That we heed the prophets call …the many prophets call and live that life of repentance and reconciliation.
Perhaps, as we gather gifts, food and blessings for the hampers we sponser this Christmas…bringing joy and feast to families in need; we can continue a focus throughout the new year. Bringing food and necessities to those families and others like them throughout the year.
Perhaps, we can heed the prophets call for repentance, for justice, for equal representation in the church, for stewardship of the Earth, for clean water and for reconciliation each day we live and work in God’s church for God’s mission.
Perhaps, we can hear the stories of those whose advent brought God’s kingdom that much closer. Whose ministries, whose calls and whose servanthood destroyed mountains, filled valleys and made straight the path that leads humanity to God’s kingdom.
And thou, child, shalt be called the Prophet of the Highest:
for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways;
Perhaps, this is a foretelling not just of John the Baptist’s ministry, but of all our ministries.
Perhaps this advent, is our time of advent when we, together, prepare the way of the Lord.
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