Advent IIIA - 2014 - Images of the Kingdom: Streams in the Desert
This year for a series of sermons for Advent have decided to take
the suggestion of Dr. Barbara Lundblad and focus on the images which
come out of the Isaiah texts for the season in year A. Her suggestion
is offered in this article found on the Working Preacher website:
To read the Isaiah 35 text click here: Isaiah 35:1-10
Images of the
Kingdom: Streams in the Desert
As I write this reflection this
morning it is very cold outside. Today
is perhaps one of the coldest days we have experienced here in Southern
Illinois in a while! So our image for this weekend is Streams in the Desert stand in profound contrast to our current
weather conditions. We, in fact, might
today find ourselves longing for a desert right about now. So perhaps we should try to lift our minds
momentarily out of our cold, snowy and icy environment and picture a desert –
the opposite of what we are in the midst of.
As we all know, a desert is a place of intense heat and dryness. The famous deserts in our world – Death
Valley in California, The Sahara in Africa, the Arabian in Saudi Arabia and
Palestine are places of desolation and death.
Very little can live there.
Scientists tell us that at one time these were places brimming with life
but as time went on a change in topography and the availability of water turned
these locations into places of endless sand, death and nothingness. And one does not dare to be stuck in a desert
environment for very long.
But these deserts are not
completely devoid of water. In fact, every
so often there is rain. But since there
is so little rain when it does finally comes it can be equally dangerous with
the dryness. In Palestine throughout the
desert there are these dry conduits that are called Wadis. A wadi is simply a
dry riverbed. Over the thousands of years
these rains have dug deeper into the sand and sometimes they are deep enough to
be lined with cliffs on either side. This makes them attractive for travellers
to use them as roads. As they are deeper
they are a bit cooler. But there is a
danger there. Rain doesn’t come often,
but when it comes it can come without warning and it can come as a major
downpour. People can get stuck in the
wadis and can be swept away by the waters that quickly accumulate and turn
these wadis back into rushing rivers.
These streams (or rivers) in the desert often do not last long,
but sometimes they last long enough to encourage some growth. Immediately following a rainstorm and a full
wadi, green growth and flowers will appear and bloom, until the water
evaporates and the heat of the desert return these wadis to their usual dry,
desert desolation.
This is then our image today:
The
wilderness and the dry land shall be glad, the desert shall rejoice and
blossom; like the crocus 2it
shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice with joy and singing… For waters shall
break forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert; the burning sand
shall become a pool, and the thirsty ground springs of water… (Isaiah
35:1-2, 6-7)
Streams in the desert!
For Isaiah and those listening to him, this image was profound. They were surrounded by desert – and the
desert represented desolation and loss and death. They had all seen and experienced moments
when the sudden rains had come and turned everything lush for a moment. Perhaps
some of them had even scrambled out of a wadi just in time. And they had all
desired that this momentary lushness could just last a little longer, before
the desert returned. But Isaiah is not
just talking about geography and weather.
Isaiah is talking about something much closer – the deserts that reside
in the life of the community and the deserts in the hearts of the people of
Judah. Isaiah is talking about the
deserts that dried up compassion to the extent that the South could stand by
and watch impassively as the Assyrians destroyed the North. Isaiah is talking
about the desert wadis within the community and individuals which lead people
to ignore the desperation, and desolation of human need – the blind, the lame,
the hungry, the naked. Isaiah is talking about the desert wadis that run
through our own hearts that encourage us to think only of ourselves and
encourage us to accumulate and hoard stuff leading us to completely disregard the
needs of others. And Isaiah’s word here
is both a promise and a word of warning: the justice of the Kingdom of God will
sweep through these deserts like the rains in a wadi, and human selfishness,
cruelty, callousness, greed, exclusivity will all be swept away and in their
place will grow love, grace, kindness, compassion, inclusivity and community!
And this time they heat of the desert will not return!
This proclamation is also echoed by Jesus in our Gospel for
today. How can we tell if you are the
Messiah? How can we tell if and when the
Kingdom of God will appear? These are
the questions that the imprisoned John the Baptist sends to Jesus. And Jesus’ answer: "Go
and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight, the lame
walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor
have good news brought to them. And blessed is anyone who takes no offense at
me." In other words, look out! Because the rains of God’s love and grace are
coming and they will wash away all those things we prize so much – power,
strength, greed, the worship and accumulation of things, the categories we put
people in, cruelty and hard-heartedness, all those excuses we come up with for
why it is ok for us to let children starve in our own streets and communities;
And in their place we find love and grace and community and sharing and
compassion and caring and justice.
What
are the deserts in your lives, in your hearts?
What are the deserts within this community, parish? What is the darkness in your lives that needs
to be illuminated by the light of Christ?
What are the losses we need to give to God? Of what do we need to confess and be
forgiven? What do we need to
forgive? What are our priorities, and
how do they interface with the priorities of the Kingdom? Brothers and Sisters in Christ - this is the
Gospel message for today from both Isaiah and Jesus: Be prepared, the rains are
coming! Streams will break forth in the desert and the wadis will be
overflowing with the love and grace of God.
Are you ready?
This beautiful work is by Mark Lawrence. See his other work and purchase copies here:
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