In the beginning of the New Testament starting with the book of Matthew, we are given sudden and incredible revelations. First, the genealogy of Christ, from Abraham to Joseph. Secondly, the miraculous conception of Mary and the doubts of Joseph which are satisfied by the angel who declares the name and office of Christ. Thirdly, Jesus is born. But there is a fourth and very important revelation that is being announced during these years, thus in Matthew Chapter 3 we are introduced to a fierce and formidable man, with an uncompromising message. He is John the Baptist, the one who the Old Testament prophet Isaiah spoke of by saying, "The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight." The Bible says, "In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judea, and saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." Now John does not seem to be a very popular figure in the story of salvation, he was not popular among the people of his time nor is he today - we don't find him as a character of the nativity scene, nor in any Hallmark Christmas cards or Christmas cookies. John was an eccentric figure, in weird clothes who ate locusts and wild honey so naturally, he is not one who is embraced easily - yet, we cannot tell the story of Jesus without telling the story of John the Baptist.
There are many events and prophecies throughout the Old and New Testaments leading up to the birth of Christ, where there is a sense that the coming of the savior would be a history making event - something that would change the course of history and human destiny - a world shattering event - and in the Gospel of Luke, we see how this announcement begins. In Luke Chapter 3, he begins by telling us about all the people who are in power at the time who ruled over Judea and Galilee. The Bible says, "the word came unto John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness. And he came into all the country about Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins." What is interesting is that the announcement doesn't come from the halls of the Roman government, or the synagogue, rather the announcement comes from in the quiet of the desert, a voice cries in the desert. How is it that the most historical event in human history would be announced where no one would hear it, in a desert like place? And yet - it is a reminder of what we see in the beginning of creation, God's voice which speaks, "Let there be light," into an empty void where there was nothing - it is a reminder that God does his best work in the desert, in the void, in the emptiness, for it is by his own work that everything is created, and that this desert like existence is where God is present. Our lives today seem very dry especially in this pandemic, there are people are still looking for work and businesses are looking for people to employ, feeling as though there is a dryness in the land. Or maybe a loved one was not with us this year, or those who have such abundance maybe feel so satiated that everything feels dry in life, it is true for us all, this dryness - we are to listen to what God is telling us in these stories about the desert, that there is more to life than dryness, and he is doing his best work there and it is an invitation to us all, to also be a voice in the dryness of the world. Maybe the dryness of someone who is living by themselves and hasn't had a person to talk to them in a long time or even believing in God because of the difficulties they face in life, just one act of charity of giving to those in need. To remember, that in the dryness not to be afraid, that just because we cant do everything doesn't mean we cant do something that allows God's message of salvation to be heard in some small way. Just as John cried out in the desert, ask yourself in your prayer, if God is asking you to be that voice that proclaims salvation is close at hand, that God has not forgotten about us, and realize once again, that God does his best work in the void, in the desert, in the dryness, and never be afraid to embrace the desert that is apart of our lives.
People had to pass the Jordan river to enter into Judea, so all those who were passerby heard John's testimonies and of the Christ who was to come. "Who is this wild man?" People must have asked themselves and others. John worked no miracles, he held no office, he did not belong to any religious sect, but was someone unique. He is the last of the greatest prophets, standing between the Old and New Testaments. He is the link between what was promised and that which was to be fulfilled. Long before John was present, on the scene was the Baruch. Baruch was the secretary and devoted friend to the prophet Jeremiah who 500 years before Christ, wrote at a time when the people of Israel found themselves in the midst of the ruins of Jerusalem, for King Nebuchadnezzar had destroyed it and they were exiled as captives. He writes to them in exile, to those who felt hopelessness of their future, and the crushing of their identity as God's chosen people and his message is of hope and restoration of not just their land and the temple, but as a people of God.
The Gospel of Luke also tells us that the word of God came to John, by passing through those great figures of the Old Testament. His task was not just to yell and scream at people and point out what was lacking in each one of them, but to hold a new weight in life, sometimes by being very direct. He announced the good news, the dawn of a new world order that would permeate their lives, the dawn of this new age that would be brought about by the birth of a child. Isn't this something we are looking for right now, something we pray for? Isn't this what we want to hear from our politicians, world leaders and religious leaders? But when it does not happen, that which is promised, we can perhaps blame it on people, politicians, racism, poverty, injustice and other issues, but the truth is all these elements and issues were present even during the time of Jesus and before, during the time of the prophets in the Old Testament. Jesus as we all know was born into a world of violence and terror. Long before John and Jesus, the prophet Isaiah, spoke about a voice crying out in the desert, sent to prepare the way of the Lord and to make straight his paths. So here we are, 2000 years later and we continue to hear the voice crying out in the desert and the big question for us is, do we hear his voice? Just like during the time of John, in our day too, there are many voices that compete for our attention - cynicalness, hate, indifference, hopelessness - or do we give our attention to those voices of hope and joy, peace and restoration as the people did hearing from Luke about his account of John and Jesus, to rebuild their lives and land. Today, 2000 years later we prepare ourselves every year to celebrate the birth of Jesus among us, sometimes in the midst of hope, sometimes in the midst of despair, or in the midst of peace, of in the midst of war, and in the midst of life, and in the midst of death. Yet no matter how perfect or messed up the world and our lives are, we are reminded again and again that the God who levels the mountains and raises valleys is here, he is walking among us and lifting us up. The birth of Jesus is God's decision not ours, all we are asked to do is trust God's plan for each one of us.