As many of you know, last Sunday we voted to extend a call to our hoped-for next Associate Pastor here at St. John’s. It is an exciting time to be part of this congregation. So much hoped for good news seems near. While there is no formal news to share just yet, plans seem to be coming together nicely for this possible call. Waiting for a formal acceptance of call, for a Pastor, during Advent, a season of waiting, seems, well, apropos.

Two weeks ago, to help us prepare for this hoped for addition to the team, our church treasurer Kathy McIntyre drafted the accompanying call compensation package. This fairly mundane task involves built-in calculations residing in an Excel spreadsheet. Much of which is predefined by Synod guidelines. Kathy asked me to take a quick look at her work, giving one more set of eyes to it before hitting send.

This, plus this, equals that;
That, times a percent sums just so –

Everything seemed just fine.
But then, something popped.

That social security offset?
It needed an update.
I was sure of it.

I picked up the phone to tell Kathy.
Just calculate it from this row, not that.

Are you sure, Pastor Ryan, she asked?

The directions, Kathy continued,
suggest it be done –

that way,
not this.

Oh, I’m sure of it, Kathy.
It’s a quick fix.

Ok…she replied…I’ll update it. In retrospect, she seemingly sounded somewhat unsure.

I was right, wasn’t I?

This is a standard form.
I’ve used it many times.

I must be right.

Beginning to feel a bit unsettled I decided to recheck.
Perhaps, this time, it would help to read the directions.

As Kathy suggested, the directions said the calculation should be done that way, not this. Hmm…

Following directions now, I rechecked, confirming a sneaking suspicion.

My pulse quickened.
A lump in my throat soon formed.

It was pretty clear what I needed to do.
I picked up the phone to call Kathy again.

Hey Kathy!

It’s me again, Pastor Ryan.
You know that calculation?
Apologies, my friend.

I WAS WRONG.

This is my confession 😊.

Wilderness
Our text this second week of Advent begins with the beginning of Mark. It is the beginning of the good new of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. With this opening we are pointed back to the prophetic voice of Isaiah.

A messenger is being sent,
Who will prepare the way.
A voice from the wilderness, saying –
Prepare the way of the Lord!
Make his path straight!

This text serves, too, to introduce us to a New Testament prophet with some Old Testament bona fides.

He was clothed in camel hair.
With a leather belt around his waist.
And he ate locusts and wild honey.

I can’t help but think –

He’s got electric boots, a mohair suit,
You know I read it in a magazine.
B-B-B-Bennie and the Jets.

J-J-J-John the Baptist.

This wild child, cousin to Christ, couldn’t help but stand out in a crowd. He didn’t just stand out. Crowds flocked to him. People came from the countryside, and the big city of Jerusalem. What exactly were they drawn to? What caused them to leave their daily routines, drop everything, and head to the wilderness to meet this man?

Why was it he, who claimed to be unworthy to untie the sandals of his cousin Christ, could cause such a stir?

Release
Perhaps it wasn’t John that they were interested in. Perhaps they needed to let something go. Perhaps they had been holding on to conflict, with a neighbor, friend, relative, coworker, spouse or child. Perhaps, like me, they had been wrong about something. And yes, that does happen with some frequency. Just ask my wife 😊.

Perhaps they needed to confess something.
Perhaps this need to confess had been brewing for some time.

Perhaps they needed to name this conflict and their role in it.
Perhaps they needed to have a difficult conversation, long overdue.
Perhaps their pulse was quick; their feelings of guilt strong.

Perhaps they desired absolution, to receive God’s word of forgiveness, making them whole with God and neighbor once again.

Perhaps.
Perhaps.
Perhaps.

Whatever their reason for being there the people came from near and far. They confessed that which separated them from one another.

Oh, there would be more ahead for the people gathered there that day.

John prepared the way,
John was not the way.

And yet this act of confession and absolution, in the waters of John’s baptism, had done something.

They had been cleansed from that which soiled them.
They had been released from that which held them down.
They had been prepared for he who was soon to come.

Today
Just as John prepared the way for Christ, so too are we called to prepare.

May we too recognize that which separates us from God, from neighbor.
May we too confess what needs confessing.
May we too seek to make amends.

For it is in these cleansing waters of restoration where we find peace.

May we ready –

Our hearts,
Our minds,
Our souls,

Forgiveness is ours for the taking.

Right relationship? It’s just around the bend.

Let us prepare for the divine to dwell among us.
May Christ’s path to us be made straight.

Come, Lord Jesus, come.  Amen.