December 12, 2010 – 3rd Sunday of Advent

Is 35:1-6, 10 Jas 5:7-10 Mt 11:2-11

“What did you go into the desert to see?” Jesus asked the question of all those who were traveling to the Jordan River in order to see and hear the prophet, John the Baptist. He was a sight to behold dressed in camel skin; and he ate nothing but locusts and honey. So when Jesus offered possibilities, like soft robes, he knew that was not what the seekers went to the river to see.

When people began to follow Jesus, we might wonder what they expected, too. Many people were hoping for the messiah to appear, but the expectations around what a messiah would do varied widely. Some expected a messiah to restore Israel to political glory by overthrowing the Roman government. Clearly those expectations were not fulfilled in Jesus.

“What did you go into the desert to see?” His question is as vital to us as it was to his listeners two thousand years ago. When we begin Advent— when we open our Bibles— when we pray each day—what are we expecting? When I was a child, I thought that God might fulfill all my desires and I prayed for all kinds of things that God did not deliver. Clearly, my expectations were off base and I needed to adjust my expectations. As adults we can fall into a similar trap, expecting God to deliver nothing but gifts like Santa Claus.

When we listen to the Isaiah today, we hear the prophet tell Israel that God will bring them back rejoicing. The desert and dry land will blossom and all will rejoice. But notice what else the prophet says: “Strengthen the weak hands and make firm the feeble knees. Say to those who are frightened, ‘Be strong, do not fear!” In their waiting for God to act, the people were supposed to strengthen their fidelity to God, make firm their commitment to walk in their covenant with God. When they did this, then God was sure to come and free them.

For Christians who believe that God calls us to restore the earth and heal our land, this reading has special appeal. Isaiah tells us that “the wilderness and the dry land shall be glad, the desert shall rejoice and blossom”—a far cry from the condition of the environment at this moment. In this passage from Isaiah, there is a promise from God to make our Earth produce abundantly, but we must do our part. We are the ones who must be strong in our commitment to live sustainably; we must strengthen our efforts to move public policy to environmental strength. We cannot sit back to moan and groan that things aren’t going our way. No! We must renew our efforts and sustain our commitment, our covenant with God to honor creation. When Jesus asks, “What did you go into the desert to see?” we must not be like children expecting a “Santa Claus god” to undo our centuries of Earth destroying behavior like magic. We need to know that we are in partnership with God. This planet has been handed over to us for safekeeping and our faith tells us that it doesn’t belong to us. Earth belongs to God and we are to act as good stewards.

We would do well to reverse the question and ask God, “What do you expect to see when you look at Earth?” The answer from scripture is simple: “a well-tended garden.” If we are able to pour our hearts and souls into the work needed to restore and heal the Earth, then we can look forward to obtaining the joy and gladness as the sorrow and sighing flees from our planet as promised in Isaiah comes to pass.