Isaiah 40:1-11
11-04-12
Advent II
How about those prophets? They intrude on our otherwise joyous season of Advent. Their voices crying, strange and disturbing words. Always they leave us with a challenge rather than the warm fuzzies. I don’t know about you, but I would rather hear stories about the weary traveler finding rest for the expecting mother. I would rather hear about the angels who couldn’t keep a secret finding the poor shepherds. Tell me about the baby wrapped in the swaddling clothes and lying in the fresh hay of the manger as the animals are seemingly the first to respond. But the prophets, Isaiah, John the Baptist and the rest, seem to say to us, “No! You are not ready for that story! If you want to hear that story you must get ready; make the necessary preparation. Then, and only then, will you be ready to receive the story of the events that are coming.” We, like those who went out to hear John the Baptist, think these prophets have to be crazy. At the very least, they are a sorry lot who want to say bah-humbug to our otherwise joyous season.
While we would like to receive the good news of Christmas without the challenge that is not the way it goes. If we are to hear the songs of the angels we must first hear the cries of the prophets. If we are to arrive at the manger we must “prepare the way.” Let’s stop and listen to the cry of Isaiah today. Let’s try to understand what it is he is saying to us. Let’s attempt to respond to his challenge in a way that would prepare not only ourselves but the world in which we live for the coming of the Christ Child.
It is important to remember that the prophets were more “forth-tellers” than “fore-tellers.” Yet, they seemed to look at the state of affairs of their day and see more. They were aware of the ills of the time in just as real a way as everyone else but they could also see the “not yet” of what God purposed and was preparing to do. They could see what was not visible to others. They were a voice that gave rise to hope in the midst of disappointment and doubt. They could proclaim comfort and peace even when suffering and conflict were the realities of the day. The message of Isaiah we hear today is, “Get ready! Make the necessary preparations! God is going to do something but you are not ready for it just yet.”
Let us ask ourselves some challenging questions based on this cry of the prophet. First, what are you aware of that is not yet seen? It sounds like one of those elusive questions of philosophy that has no substantial answer. Yet, it is one that had the prophets not entertained, they would have been silent. Had the prophets not asked the question and sought the answer, there would have been no vision of what God was about to do. There would have been no hope beyond what already met the eye. So, what is God doing that is not yet seen in your life, in our congregation, in our neighborhood and beyond? Isaiah and his counterparts would challenge us, regardless of the conditions of our day, to capture a vision of God’s “not yet.” This is a vision not reserved for Old Testament prophets or ancient holy men. It is information God offers as an “open secret” to all who will allow themselves to look, see and imagine in new ways. To arrive at this awareness we have to look past what is physically present. We have to look into that which is about to become visible. We have to join the prophets in seeing God’s “not yet.”
We all have fleeting glimpses into the “not yet.” We can, when we let our defenses down, begin to imagine how things could be different than they are—we know things are not as they should be, whether in our lives or in our world. What do you imagine being different? That is where the prophets started. But they didn’t stop there. They didn’t dismiss what they were seeing that was not yet visible. They didn’t allow it to be hidden—but cried out the message that all could hear. They did not dwell in the boundaries of doubt and personal limitations. They simply stood, in the face of reality, with eyes of their spirit wide open and took a peek beyond what they were seeing. Then, they told everyone what was “yet to be.”
The first way these prophets disturb us is by challenging us to stand shoulder to shoulder with them and gaze into God’s “not yet.” It goes beyond taking a glance and realizing that things are not as they should be…anybody can notice that. But, what do you see coming that is “not yet” seen? Take a look with the prophets into God’s “not yet,” catch a vision and proclaim it boldly, regardless of who it disturbs.
That would have been challenge enough but Isaiah doesn’t stop there. He perceives not only the “not yet,” of how things could be different but he realized that he and his hearers were a part of it. The prophets realized that if things were not as they should be, and they weren’t, they were to be where the change began. So, Isaiah calls the people to make preparations necessary for God’s purpose to come. Isaiah’s second challenging question to us is “what more can you be?” We are put into the scenario of the “not yet.” Isaiah calls his hearers and us to be more than our immediate situation. We are called to be more than passive observers. We are to be more than victims of circumstances. We are to be even more than visionaries. We are to become the change God purposes to bring into reality. “Prepare the way…make straight the way…” The call is to make the preparations in our lives, in our world, for the change to take place.
When it comes to the peace we think about this second week of Advent, we are challenged to become more than we have been. It is not enough to notice the places peace is less of a reality than what God intends for our world. It is not enough to imagine what it would be like if there was “peace on earth.” Isaiah cries for us to make a way for it to happen. We are reminded of our personal responsibility by Quinn Caldwell who writes, “if you really want swords beaten into plowshares you’re going to have to work. You’re going to have to pay and organize. You’re going to have to convince other people, people like you and people who run businesses that do stuff that you can’t do yourself, that peace is profitable.”
In short, we are challenged by the prophets to not only capture a vision but to use that vision and risk doing the work to make it into something real. We are challenged to do the work of personal involvement and preparation that it takes to test, to refine, to start over as many times as it takes. This is the kind of work that is enough to make us give up before we ever start. This is the kind of work that, if we refuse to do, keeps things the same and prevents the “not yet” from ever becoming a reality. We are called to ask ourselves what more we can be. To paraphrase Isaiah, eye has not seen, ear has not heard nor has it entered into our hearts what we are prepared to become.
It would be so much more convenient to start with the baby in the manger. But we have to go to Bethlehem through the prophets. We can only hear the angels’ songs after we have paid attention to the cries of the prophets. They challenge us to ask what is not yet seen. They challenge us to ask ourselves what more we can become. When we answer these questions, and only when we answer these questions, are we ready for the rest of the story.
In a moment we will be called to the communion table. We will affirm our faith; we will confess our sins and receive assurance of pardon; we will bless the bread and cup. Then we will hear the words, “The gift of God for the people of God. Come all is ready.” Let these words be about more than our participation in communion. Let these words be our Advent prayer. Let us see the “not yet” gift of God; let us see ourselves as the people of God and all that we can become. Let our Advent prayer be “Come! All is ready!”
