By The Rev. Bernard W. Poppe, RectorIn the Gospel this morning we read that John the Baptist began his ministry of repentance in the region of Galilee. Those who heard of him recalled the writings of the Prophet Isaiah who spoke of a messenger crying in the wilderness to prepare the way of the Lord. To make the crooked ways straight and have the mountains and hills be made low. That all flesh shall see the salvation of God.
It was a wonderful prophecy and what excitement John must have generated to be associated with it. The place of this story in the Advent season is important since in the Gospels Jesus hadn’t yet made his appearance. The people were still waiting and hoping. John’s refreshing ministry was a sign to the faithful that something was about to happen. Some thought that John was the one they’re waiting for, but John discouraged that belief and pointed to one who was to come later. In the meantime, John preached repentance.
"Repentance" is a word that for me conjures up dire warnings of the end of world. Comic book characters wearing sandwich boards to induce groveling remorse for past ill deeds. As dramatically attractive as that can be, that’s not it’s real meaning. It literally means "to turn around." It means to change direction to one that is more positive and healthy. Such a change implies the recognition that the direction one was heading in was a mistake, but it means that the correction can be made and the new direction found. Repentance and the forgiveness of sins. That was John’s message as they waited for Jesus. One of the ways we know we might be traveling down the wrong road is that people get hurt by us. Part of turning around is to see where injury has been caused by us and seek forgiveness.
Last year at the Diocesan convention I saw a woman from one of my former parishes who was also a delegate. We had seen each other several times since my return to this Diocese, and our contact was characterized by the kind of formal courtesy reserved for people who are trying to make the best of running into someone they would rather not have run into. And the fault was mine.
An action I took as curate some twenty five years ago hurt her more deeply than I realized. For many years I wasn’t even aware of it. But once I became aware it, it was too embarrassing to confront, especially since so much time had passed and I wasn't even in the state any more. Coming to Maplewood and returning to this Diocese it was only a matter of time since we crossed paths and we did. At our last convention, when I saw her, I thought to myself that this has gone on long enough.
She agreed when I asked if I could talk to her and I told her I owed her a long overdue apology. The passage of twenty five years seemed to evaporate when talking about the incident. We discussed it, I offered an apology which she accepted. We had both made a mountain smooth and watched the elephant that stood between us leave the room. There is now warmth when we meet. And I wonder what took me so long.
The love of God enters when we make room. In the meantime, as I certainly discovered, ego and pride make mountains and valleys that are hard to negotiate. No matter how we may try not to make mistakes, it is impossible, the work is then to recognize where we have left the path of integrity and faithful relationship and try to get back on it. That’s repentance. And doing the work often takes asking forgiveness from someone.
A time honored phrase in the United States system of government is "separation of Church and State." Despite that description, they seem to bump into each other a lot!
Our Episcopal Church is dealing with an issue active in national and state politics as well. Namely gay and lesbian rights. New Jersey has a vote coming up this week whether or not to change the existing Civil Union terminology to Marriage as the legal status between same gender couples. We have many gay and lesbian couples in this parish for whom this is particularly important, and some of us who still have our Hope Chests packed! One of the hopes in that chest is that the term "marriage" will be available in that golden someday! We have a representative from the Garden State Equality group here today to discuss the issue more fully after the service. But suffice it to say the divisions in the church and state over this issue are as perplexing as they heart breaking. Equality is not a gift one group bestows upon another. It is a right that all share and should not be bartered, ignored, or blocked.
While we face the issue of marriage equality in this country, across the globe Uganda is putting forward legislation to make homosexuality a crime punishable by both imprisonment and execution. The mountainous level of cruelty and absurdity defies description. Even advocates for the rights of those so treated would be liable for prosecution. Recent atrocities of ethnic cleansing as well as the Holocaust stand as horrific witnesses of the ability of nations to distract the public from the substantial issues of poverty, hunger, homelessness, illiteracy, the abuse of women and children, political corruption and irresponsibility - and focus it on who is loving who as though it’s a crime.
From criminalizing homosexuality to denying human rights like marriage, the international community has made mountains out of mole hills. John the Baptist calls us to repent and take those mountains, and put them back into mole hills so that all people shall see the salvation of our God.
Yesterday morning the state of California made the news again. Rather, the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles. For the first time since the National Church lifted the moratorium on electing openly gay Bishops, a partnered Lesbian named Mary Glasspool was elected Bishop Suffragan. The mountains are going to shake.
Progress doesn’t come easily. History has shown time and again it comes in fits and starts and painfully. The scriptures often refer to progress arriving like a woman in the travail of childbirth. But in both cases, once it starts, there’s no going back!
Advent is a season of waiting. It’s a reminder that the love of God comes in wonderful ways and always in unexpected ways. There are so many issues that press upon us. National and international struggles, local and family struggles and challenges. We all have changes to make, obstacles to those changes, and yet the promise of grace as we work through them.
It does seem like a wilderness at times in which we have lost our way. The direction doesn’t always seem clear and we don’t always know when we’re right or wrong. The words of Isaiah and John the Baptist are comforting in that they say there is a voice in the wilderness to guide us. It says Prepare the way of the Lord. The way is prepared with love. The road is paved with justice. And we will eventually all see the salvation of our God, and discover that it’s been here all the time, because that’s what gives us the courage to fill the valleys and make the mountains low. Amen.
©2009 St. George's Episcopal Church, Maplewood, NJ
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