First Presbyterian Church
What I long for
Sermon for December 4, 2005
by Pastor Susan Barnes

Our unison reading is on page 638. These words reflect a time just before the fall of Babylon. The prophet could tell something was going to happen soon; eventually Persia triumphed over Babylon, and King Cyrus restored exiled Judah to Palestine. Listen for the word of God as it is found in Isaiah 40:1-11.

1 Comfort, O comfort my people, says your God.

2 Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that she has served her term, that her penalty is paid, that she has received from the LORD 's hand double for all her sins.

3 A voice cries out: "In the wilderness prepare the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.

4 Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain.

5 Then the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all people shall see it together, for the mouth of the LORD has spoken."

6 A voice says, "Cry out!" And I said, "What shall I cry?" All people are grass, their constancy is like the flower of the field.

7 The grass withers, the flower fades, when the breath of the L ORD blows upon it; surely the people are grass.

8 The grass withers, the flower fades; but the word of our God will stand forever.

9 Get you up to a high mountain, O Zion, herald of good tidings; lift up your voice with strength, O Jerusalem, herald of good tidings, lift it up, do not fear; say to the cities of Judah, "Here is your God!"

10 See, the Lord GOD comes with might, and his arm rules for him; his reward is with him, and his recompense before him.

11 He will feed his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms, and carry them in his bosom, and gently lead the mother sheep.

This ends our reading from Isaiah. This translation of the text doesn't help us understand the meaning. The you's are plural. It could be translated “y'all comfort my people – comfort my people, y'all. The King James Version of the Bible uses the old fashioned “ye,” meaning second person plural: “ Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God.”

We want to know why Israel has received double for her sins. I think it means that the verdict is that the time of service is over; her debt is completely paid.

Let us listen to the choir interpret this reading.

Anthem

Isaiah spoke of preparing a way for God to travel, like a road is made for royal parade. The gospel of Mark begins with the same idea, quoting our passage from Isaiah, and throwing in references to the story of the Exodus. Our reading is on page 34.The gospel begins, not with the birth of Jesus, but with the coming of John the Baptist, or baptizer. Mark likens him to the messenger in Malachi preparing the way of the Lord. 1

When Mark says “prepare the way” he is inviting us, the hearers of the gospel, to prepare for Christ's return. Preparing for the way of the Lord means get ready, God's work of renewal and liberation is happening soon. Hope for it.

We'll be reading from a different translation than the NRSV. Listen for the word of God as it is found in Mark 1:1-8.

The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, as it is written in the prophet Isaiah “Look I send my messenger before you who will construct your way. A voice shouting in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way of the Lord; make his paths straight.'”

John the Baptizer happened in the wilderness proclaiming a baptism of repentances toward forgiveness of sins. And the entire Judean countryside and all the Jerusalemites were going out to him, and they were letting themselves be baptized by him in the Jordan River confessing their sins. And John was wearing camel's hair and a leather belt around his waist, and he was eating grasshoppers and wild honey.

And he was proclaiming saying, “The one stronger than I comes after me, whose thong of his sandals I, stooping down, am not worthy to loosen. I baptized you with water, but this one will baptize you with the holy spirit.”

And it happened in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and he was baptized into the Jordan by John. And immediately going up out of the water he saw the heavens being torn apart and the Spirit going down like a dove into him. And a voice happened out of the heavens, “you are my beloved son, in you I began to take pleasure.” 2

This ends our gospel reading. Jesus came once and did amazing work. Despite his humiliating death, there was his triumphal resurrection. Jesus will come again to do the final amazing work. Our epistle reading speaks of that. Our reading is found on page 238. Paul writes to Christians, warning them that skeptics will scoff at Christ's delay and live as if there'll be no judgment. 3 They ask what's happened to the promise. And so Paul reassures them, using apocalyptic imagery to comfort them. Listen for the word of God as it is found in 2 Peter 3:8-15a.

8 But do not ignore this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like one day.

9 The Lord is not slow about his promise, as some think of slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish, but all to come to repentance.

10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a loud noise, and the elements will be dissolved with fire, and the earth and everything that is done on it will be disclosed.

11 Since all these things are to be dissolved in this way, what sort of persons ought you to be in leading lives of holiness and godliness, 12 waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set ablaze and dissolved, and the elements will melt with fire?

13 But, in accordance with his promise, we wait for new heavens and a new earth, where righteousness is at home.

14 Therefore, beloved, while you are waiting for these things, strive to be found by him at peace, without spot or blemish; 15 and regard the patience of our Lord as salvation.

This ends our reading of God's word. You and I don't normally think of apocalyptic imagery as comforting. But when Paul speaks of all that burning, he means that what is unimportant or bad is burned away, leaving only what is significant and good. The fire is purifying. The earth and heavens pass away to make room for the new heaven and new earth. It will come suddenly, and so preparation is critical. It doesn't mean creating timetables and calculating charts. It means be at peace, without spot or blemish.

I love the phrase “Where righteousness is at home.” Some of you might be more familiar with the King James translation “where righteousness dwelleth,” or the RSV's “ where righteousness dwells.”

But I like “where righteousness is at home.” The new heavens and new earth is the location where righteousness ordinarily lives. Righteousness belongs there and knows it, and everyone else knows that it is righteousness's address.

That word ‘righteousness' in Hebrew and Greek means justice, equity, reconciliation, innocence, victory, prosperity, and deliverance. It means the guilty can make restitution and do; if they die before they do, then their sons and daughters can make reparations. Righteousness means reconciliation is possible and the innocent don't have to suffer.

I hear about so much injustice and evil that I long for righteousness.

Years ago, when a committee interviewed me, they asked me once to describe my perfect church. I was taken aback, and my first thought was a church with an AIDS ministry. I lived in a place where there was still much prejudice against people living with AIDS, and a lot of fear around people dying of AIDS.

After I finished the conversation, I thought more about what the perfect church would be like.

It would also have a homeless ministry; a food bank, with plenty of trained volunteers who run all those ministries; a sister church relationship with a country in Africa or South America, and people from both places visit every other year; and too many people volunteer to teach Sunday School.

It would be a place where the people who have suffered a loss can feel at home without being afraid someone will say “but you two were always so happy” or “you can always have another baby” or “you're young enough to remarry” or “that's why there's flood insurance.”

It would be a place where people whose first impulse is to offer immediate advice or small comfort have a support group to go to. It's run by a therapist who can help them recognize when their thoughtless words are unkind before they speak them aloud. Everyone goes to that group once in a while, except the pastor, who goes more often.

It would be a place where no one feels inadequate about his or her faith.

It would be a place where racial-ethnic people can come in and feel welcomed, unafraid that anyone will make a racist remark. The church members think their skin color and background are one of many gifts they bring with them.

It would be a place where people who have inherited racism and prejudices unawares from their parents can find patient people of their own race to challenge them on their attitudes so they can find a kinder unprejudiced way to be.

It would be a place where the “Friends of Bill” 4 don't have to hide or feel ashamed, but can just admit they're alcoholics and recovering.

It would be a place where veterans find a safe place to talk about their experiences and feel appreciated and honored.

It would be a place where people can disagree without their faith, patriotism, or humanity being called into question.

It would be a place where righteousness is at home.

I served on a social justice committee for a presbytery once and we had a consultant from Louisville come help us. At a visioning meeting he asked us what our dreams were. I chaired the committee, and I said, “I dream of a committee where everyone who is supposed to show up to the meeting shows up and all the members do what they said they would do, and each one asks for help when he or she need it.” He laughed hard. He was expecting something more global, I suppose.

Sometimes my dreams aren't very biblical because they are too small. The Bible dreams large. Since I'm dreaming, why not have a church that doesn't have an AIDs ministry, nor a homeless shelter, nor a food pantry, because AIDS is gone, everyone has a safe home, and each person can afford good food.

And while I'm at it, why don't I ask for complete access to health care and for everyone to die peacefully in old age.

I long for politicians who are short and unattractive because their jobs don't depend on being telegenic and having a commanding presence, but on ability, experience, and ideas.

I long for war correspondents to be out of jobs, because there's no war to report on. So they write history books about old wars.

I long for a time when the only enemies are weather, ignorance and germs, instead of poverty, drugs, terror, and each other.

Those are biblical visions. But in the meantime, during God's patient days of a thousand years I try to do my part to prepare the way and get ready, to repent and to pray. I work on my own stuff so that I can be at peace.

I am comforted by the vision of the new heavens and the new earth. I am not afraid of those apocalyptic texts. I hope you aren't either. I hope you too can look forward to the time and place where righteousness is at home. This Advent we work to make that home more liveable for the one God sent, who's called the son of righteousness.

1Malachi 3:1 “See, I am sending my messenger to prepare the way before me, and the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple. The messenger of the covenant in whom you delight-- indeed, he is coming, says the LORD of hosts.”

2 Translation by Herman Waetjen, A Reordering of Power, p. 27-8.

3 Brueggemann, et al. Texts for Preaching, Year B . p. 17

4 a relative in recovery told me that's another way of referring to people in Alcoholics Anonymous.