READING Mark chapter 1 v 1 – 8

John the Baptist Prepares the Way

The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God, as it is written in Isaiah the prophet: “I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way a voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.’

And so John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem went out to him. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River. John wore clothing made of camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. And this was his message: “After me comes the one more powerful than I, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

SERMON

Hagar the Horrible is one of my favourite cartoon characters. Let me explain… Hagar is a Viking and finds himself in many scrapes with his friend lucky Eddie and his suffering wife Helga. One of my favourite Hagar cartoon strips is the one in which Hagar is addressed by a Monk.

In the first frame, the monk, bible tucked under his arm and an expression of peace on his face, says to Hagar,

“Remember, it is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness.”

In the next frame, we see the monk disappearing over the horizon, and we see Hagar looking puzzled, and in the next clip Hagar is looking out at us saying – “But I enjoy cursing the darkness”

How many of us enjoy cursing the darkness?

How many of us would rather complain about what is wrong rather than what is right? to feel sad or upset, or angry, about what is going on around us rather than trying to change it. Or to cast stones and criticise what is happening, rather than to gather up the stones and build from them a new and better thing?

Advent and Christmas is a strange time of year for many of us and its certainly going to be strange this year.

A time in which, as we prepare for the coming of the son of God, we can feel down, disappointed, and anxious; A time in which instead of feeling joy, we feel despair, a time in which instead of rejoicing, we fret and worry.

You know, as I look forward to Christmas Eve, to the candles, to the hymns, and the smell of incense filling the church, I am amazed by the number of Bah Humbugs that exist around me, the number of people who grumble and complain about Christmas.

I am amazed by how I hear around me the voices of doom in the darkness, by how people tell me that nothing is as it was, and that Christmas has become nothing but a shopkeepers delight, although in the current financial climate that is no longer the case. Others moan that there is nothing but greed and despair.

So where is our sense that God has come to us in Jesus and that he has overcome the power of darkness?

Do we like Hagar enjoy cursing the darkness? or do we enjoy it more than we enjoy lighting a candle?

This in the season of Advent is the start to the season of good news, the season of preparing ourselves for the coming of the Lord, the season of celebration, of rejoicing, of praising God for what he has done, and what he is doing.

But how can we tell? Can people look at us and say “Yes, something special is happening! Something good is going on?” and I want a piece of what they’ve got?

Every year at Christmas we should want to cry out “See what is happening! Prepare the way for God! Look for his coming in power! Rejoice and be glad – for while there is darkness in the world – there is also light, and the light is stronger than the darkness, the darkness cannot overcome it.”

Like today we meet John the Baptist, it’s obvious that he doesn’t shop on the high street in places like New Look, Burton, Top Shop, Top man and for sure there’s no going to Primark for John the Baptist.

We are told that he wore clothing made of camel’s hair, which must have hummed a bit!!!! He wears a leather belt, probably homemade, around his waist. And has for his culinary dishes we are told that he ate locusts and wild honey, just the kind of guy you want to have around for Sunday lunch.

Can you image… what would you care to eat John? Oh just pile me on a few heaped spoons of locusts please with a nice bit of local honey to mix in for flavouring he would reply.

Thinking about it, he probably would have done well on the television programme ‘I’m a celebrity, get me out of here’ eating and dining on whitchity grubs and other such revolting delicacies like…. I will leave that bit to your imagination.

But he probably would have been the first one voted out, why?…. because of the things he’d have said or rather the message he would have spoken about.

This guy doesn’t care what people say or think about him. He’s a breath of fresh air. And his message is one that hits us in the heart.

What would he tell us if we had the opportunity to meet him whilst we feed him another bowl of locusts and honey.

He would probably have told us that we needed to repent but also to open our hearts to the good what is about us and to prepare the way.

He knew that there was going to be a light stronger than darkness.

What did the Monk say to Hagar??? It is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness.

Well a candle has been provided to us. A light of good news has been granted to the world, and it ‘s power is unquenchable and lets us see the good around us.

So what are we doing??? are we letting the Bah Humbugs win? are we cursing the darkness rather than lighting a candle?

Think of the good news! and let us celebrate instead of cursing the bad news…. Do we really want good news? Of course we do.

So look around for what is good, look for God – and we will see that not only is he coming, we will see that he is already here.

There are a lot of people who believe in God, and who yet miss the good news.

For them God is always coming, but never here. God is always promising, but never delivering. God is always near, but never quite in touch…. But that’s not so!

God lives. God is here. If you but take a while to look around you..

We can see it in the face of a new born baby.

We can see it in the gaze of young lovers.

We can if we wish to even see it within our own hearts, and all we need to do is take the time to look.

The questions for us are will we light a candle this Advent and see God all around us like the monk in the cartoon strip? or will we be a bah humbug, a Grinch or even be like Hagar and curse the darkness? Amen

PRAYERS

O come, O come, Emmanuel. Come and renew or faith this Advent. Awaken our hearts to the message of the prophet Isaiah that we should make a straight path for you to re-enter our crooked world and our confused loves. Fill us with such confidence in your presence, always and everywhere, that we may live fully and gladly in your world, always facing towards grace.

Lord of our Advent journey, hear our prayer

O come, O come, Emmanuel. Come to a frightened world with hope and courage. Let us hear again your favourite words ‘Do not be afraid’, We recognise the ferocity of humanity’s hatreds, and we pray for your mercy where there is hatred. Equip the peacemakers with the wise judgement and a calm spirit, and keep them ever hopeful of patient progress.

Lord of our Advent journey, hear our prayer

O come, O come, Emmanuel. Come to those who feel empty of love. Too many people are lonely in our crowded country; too many are unvisited, unknown. Enable us to love our neighbour with the kindness that goes the extra mile, that seeks out the lonely and notices the closed curtains. And enable our church to be a place of warmth, welcome and hospitality for all. We offer a prayer to someone we know who may have been neglected………

Lord of our Advent journey, hear our prayer

O come, O come, Emmanuel. Come to a forgetful world and remind them of your endless love. We are born seekers, but many people pretend they ‘have it all’ and have no need of otherworldliness. Yet you leave your gracious footprints all over creation. May the dawning light of Advent steal across the minds and hearts of many in our community as Christmas comes. And help us, in our turn, to fill Christmas with Christ and help others to feel invited to your party.

Lord of our Advent journey, hear our prayer

Come, Lord Jesus, as we prepare our own hearts for your Advent. This week, give us time to reflection, space for prayer and a hunger for more of you in our lives.

So come. O come Emmanuel. Amen

And so we seal our prayers in the prayer that Jesus taught his disciples

Our Father, who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name,
Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done; on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory, For ever and ever.
Amen

Revd Kevin. Priest at St.Wilfrid and St.Thomas