Adjusting to the Light

“What do you want for Christmas?” the question is asked at least a time or two in my hearing every day. “Are you ready for Christmas?” I hear almost as frequently. The voices of warning that Christmas is only 3 more Sundays and 20 more days away. Better get ready! Presents to buy, services to prepare, parties to plan… other voices speak from Scripture – Joseph, exhausted from worry, humbly telling Mary that they would bear the public shame together and he would protect her and be this baby’s father; Mary exhausted from her trip, sighing with relief at Elizabeth’s warm welcome, the two laughing as the boys in their bellies kicked and squirmed. Elizabeth’s son, John, the one who summersalts within her at the sound of Mary’s voice, is the prophet about whom Jennifer read this morning. As the time came for Jesusto begin his earthly ministry, John’s voice is heard calling for repentance. “The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.”

For one is coming…unto us…a child is born… whose cradle is not conventional. Martin Luther called Scripture “the cradle in which Christ lies.” Long before we hear his cousin John preparing his way, we hear the voices of the ancient prophets “there is one who will come”. And his arrival will stand in sharp contrast to all the world knows.

The passage we read from Isaiah this morning is a composition written for the coronation of a king. The Hebrew reads like the string section of the orchestra at the coronation – long, broad, warm, legato bow strokes. Listen to the poetry, “Yakira shemo Pele-joez-el-gibbor-Abi-ad-sar-shalom.” “And his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

The festivities spare no expense. The people celebrate and feast. All is bright! Yet, the prophet who is planning the coronation celebration, who is proclaiming that the people who have walked in darkness have seen a great light – that prophet – is living in darkness. Dr. Christopher Seitz, Professor of Old Testament at Yale Divinity School, says of the prophesy, “…next to that vision of just and righteous government stands the stark and sober portrait of a prophet under siege, of a God who is sanctuary for some but a snare and a stumbling block for many. Before we encounter a people who see a great light, we must first encounter a people thrust into thick darkness.”

A child is born, a new life begins, a bright new day in which peace will have no end, established and upheld with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore.

It was as hard to believe then as it is now. Hope for peace and unity in the world were as bleak as they are now. And the people had adjusted to the darkness. They had accepted not seeing what they didn’t want to look at. They had nestled themselves in their beds of safe, warm blankets, they had locked their doors against the creatures of the night, and they didn’t really want the lights turned on. Because when they thought of the lights coming on, they squinted. Really? So bright?

That’s the message of John the Baptist – the lights are coming on – get ready. Rev. Jill Duffield muses, “God’s greatest gift is just about to be revealed, so all of those outward trappings that make us feel and look good pale in comparison. All the layers of metaphoric tinsel in which we wrap ourselves – status, piety, wealth, righteousness – are barriers to meeting God face to face where we are judged, yes, but also beloved, forgiven and freed. If we are going to participate fully in the reign of Jesus Christ, then we must let go of all the posturing in order to be ready to go down an entirely new path – to follow the path of the Way, the Truth and the Life.”

If we are going to make our way out of the darkness and into the great light, we have to leave the comfort of the beds we have made for ourselves. And our eyes are going to have to adjust to the light. And it won’t be comfortable because each of us has learned to live in darkness.

We have learned to snuggle down with our privileges and affluence and make ourselves comfortable. But the voice of the prophet cries out, “Comfort, comfort my people, says your God.”

We have learned to string tiny lights of charity and make ourselves comfortable. But the voice of the prophet cries out, “The light of the moon will be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun will be sevenfold, as the light of seven days, in the day when the Lord binds up the hurt of his people…”

We live in a world of deep darkness, but we hear the voice of the prophet, “In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God…. And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed…”

Amidst the noise of the season we hear the questions, “What do you want for Christmas?” “Are you ready for Christmas?” Will you prepare the way? Will you welcome the light?