Crowd Around the Word ~ Mark 1:1-9 ~ Second Sunday in Advent

What crowd is this who’s come from Jerusalem and all over the countryside?

What about this man—this “baptizer?”  He dresses like Barney Rubble and eats bugs… Why do they follow him (on foot) into the wilderness, miles away from civilization? Why do they listen?  Why do they allow him to baptize them in the murky waters of the Jordan River?

God must be up to something.  Here you have a crowd of people just like us, going through many of the same things we are.  They had duties and responsibilities like we do.  Many were undoubtedly experiencing pains and anxieties that tested their faith.  Some may have enjoyed great prosperity in life—but still, they lacked something that could not be found in power, privilege, and possessions.  Whether they realized or not, they needed a Word from God.  Today, God is speaking,

God knows how much we’re hurting and our world is hurting.  God hears the cries of God’s children; particularly those who are hungry, hurting, and forgotten.  God never acts in secret.  God pulls people in, to listen as God speaks, and to see what God is doing.   God pulls is in to transform our lives, so that God’s plan for your life may come to fruition. 

You are here today because God is speaking; speaking to lead you to Jesus Christ.

But the challenge before us is this: are we paying attention?

The tragic irony of Christmas in 21st century America is how easily we leave Jesus out of it.  Anymore, we spend nearly one-fourth of the year calendar rushing about; shopping, decorating, working, baking-- all to make for “the perfect Christmas.”  I’m constantly amazed by the things you can hire people to do for you to make the Christmas bright.  You can hire people to stand in lines to obtain those hot-selling gifts.  You can hire people to put Christmas lights on your house.  I recently met a woman who’ll wrap your gifts so beautifully that it would be a shame to open them up.  Her fee: $75 an hour (excluding gift-wrap materials).

For some, however, busyness isn’t the problem.  For some, this time of year only multiplies our sorrows and fears.

But whatever the case—Christ is born for this.  Christ is born for you. 

In this season of Advent, we are invited to listen as Jesus is calling.

Paying attention demands Sabbath—which comes only through a willingness to stop what we’re doing, lay side our plans, and be present before Christ.  He’s born into our lives in the baptismal waters.  He speaks through the Scriptures.  He gives his precious body and blood at the table.  But our gathering here is only the beginning.  Jesus will be going with you into daily life, taking all of your hurts and fears in hand.  He will be offering himself to you in the little gifts and the people who show you grace, even in your hardest days.  But Jesus will also be offering himself to you in the neighbor who’s lost, and hungry, and forgotten; who needs mercy and compassion…

God’s desire for you is nothing less than what we see in this short Gospel story—to bring you to Christ and completely transform your being.  John doesn’t eat bugs and dress like a caveman merely to make a statement…  The people don’t leave behind their lives and livelihoods for nothing…  This happens because God has drawn them into the salvation coming into the world through Jesus Christ.  To them, there is nothing better than knowing Jesus Christ, being born into their lives by the power of the Holy Spirit, and abiding in them constantly by faith.  God is pulling you into Christ, for the very same reasons.  So pay attention and listen—because God hears your prayers and knows your aching for life that the world cannot bring.