Johnny Carson had Doc Severensen and Ed McMahon. David Letterman has Paul Schaefer and the fellow who sounds sort of like me. Jimmy Fallon has The Roots and that squeaky voiced guy. At the beginning of each of their shows you know that the host is about to come through the curtain whenever you hear the theme song and the voice saying, "Here's Johnny!" or something similar. The job of the musicians and the announcers are to announce the star.
John the Baptist was that man or that band for Jesus. "A VOICE CRYING IN THE WILDERNESS, PREPARE THE WAY FOR THE LORD" is the way John is described in the Gospel this weekend. John the Baptist knew his role. He was to announce the star. John was to set the stage for the Savior who was about to come through the curtain.
John must have been a disarming sort of man. Camel hair clothes and a disgusting diet of bugs and bee poop sounds like a description of someone I'd prefer to stay away from. However, in other parts of the Gospels it is written that people from Jerusalem and all over Israel were traveling the long mountainous and treacherous road to go see and hear him. His attraction had to be his message. Prepare! Repent! The One following me is greater than me! The subjected, terrorized and hungry people of his time and place wanted to hear that relief and rescue were on the way.
As we know some folks didn't like John's message. Herod and his wife are just a couple of many who wanted him to shut the heck up. There were those who were comfortable in the world of John and Jesus who enjoyed life just as it was. They may have been making a good living off of others because of the Roman occupation of their land. St. Matthew and Zaccheus were at least two of those folks. Some may have wanted to silence John because what he was saying about faith, religion and the need for the Messiah conflicted with their faith, religion or messianic hopes. Repenting, waking, preparing, and listening to something new meant change. And the reality is that change is normally resisted.
The reading from Isaiah today begins with the word COMFORT. This Old Testament Prophet reveals that God's Chosen One is coming to His beleaguered people to bring them COMFORT. That sounds great if you're beleaguered and miserable. If you are already comfortable, though, you will probably not be very welcoming and open to God's introduction of someone and something new and "more" comfortable. Why would you want to wake up if you were enjoying your nap? However, we also know, that if someone doesn't yell "FIRE!" then the sleepy ones will perish in the flames. Being discomforted can save our lives too.
This morning I got to hear Sr. Helen Prejean speak to youth and young adult ministers from all over the U.S. Her topic was how to be ministers for God's justice in the world. She told her story of how she went from being a Catholic sister teaching comfortable Catholic high school girls and living a comfortable life to being a Spiritual director for men an women on death row and ministering to families of folks whose children or parents were murdered at the hand of the folks who are condemned to die. She said that "justice" is actually "just us". God has called her, you, me and every disciple to make something right that is presently wrong. Just she is called to be who she is for the folks she touches. Just you can make a difference in the life of someone else. We are all called uniquely and specifically by God to change, comfort and love those He needs us to love.
She also calls the One who calls her and us to be "just us" is sneaky Jesus. She went from being a classroom English teacher to being a death row Minister because another sister asked her if she would be willing to write a letter to a man on death row in Louisiana. Since she was a good English tea her and a good writer, she said "Yes." That decision is where "sneaky Jesus" intruded into her comfortable life. The prisoner wrote back. They developed a relationship. He asked her to be his spiritual director. Her life has been changed. And many people have come to see that even the guilty deserve to have their lives valued and redeemable.
Where is "sneaky Jesus" calling you to say "Yes!" to something or someone you find uncomfortable? Are you resisting a Call to listen, wake up, prepare or repent? Where do you need God's comfort? What needs to be awakened in you?
Peace,
Fr. Chuck
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