This text is used for the Lectionary Year B on December 7, 2014.

We as preachers have an incredible task before us this Advent.  We are challenged with the opportunity to preach the message of “the good news of Jesus Christ” (Mark 1:1) in a way that it has never been preached before.  Of course, this task presents us with quite the challenge: How do we present the “good news” in a fresh, new way to a congregation full of many, if not most, if not all of the same folks who heard it last week, and the week before that? 

Perhaps this task begins with our asking, what is this good news all about?  We are told that an angel of the Lord shared “good news of great joy” with the shepherds about a tiny baby who would be the Savior of the world (Luke 2:10).  This good news spread all throughout Bethlehem that first Christmas night.  But what does it mean for us in this time and place?  Is this still good news that can break into our lives again today?

The reality for our congregants is that bad news seems to be the only news we hear today.  News about the threats of terrorism, the Ebola outbreak, turmoil in Syria and Iraq, gun violence, crises at the border, and natural disasters flood our social media, newspapers, and televisions today.  In the midst of such news that screams of despair, fear, brokenness, and hopelessness, our congregations are desperate for someone to point them toward good news.  So, perhaps this text from Mark couldn’t come at a better time to remind us that bad news doesn’t get the last word.  Darkness can not, does not, and will not overcome us.  The good news is that hope is on the way.

Of course we couldn’t have a more unlikely character to point us in the direction of this good news than John the baptizer.  Matthew and Luke proclaim the good news with angels, shepherds, and a tiny baby lying in a manger.  Mark uses a hairy man eating locusts and honey who looks like he’s been out in the wilderness for a few days too long.  But for Jewish readers, John the baptizer’s appearance would immediately have reminded them of someone else who preached a powerful message: Elijah.  The book of Malachi ends with God’s promise to send one like the great prophet Elijah, and the book of Mark begins with a similar prophet who picks up right where Malachi left off.

What I love about John the baptizer is that he points to “the one who is more powerful than I” (Mark 1:7).  He doesn’t draw attention to himself; rather, his role is to “prepare the way of the Lord” (Mark 1:3).  This is an important message for all of us as ministers to prayerfully consider.  Do our sermons point people toward Christ, or toward ourselves?  Do our churches point people to how great we are, or in everything we say and do, do we point people to how great God is?  Do we, like John the baptizer, take of a ministry of preparing the way, and then getting out of the way?

“The way” will continue to develop as a theme throughout the gospel of Mark as the disciples follow Jesus on “the way” to the cross (Mark 8:27; 9:33; 10:52).  In fact, Mark is so focused on “the way” that he seems completely disinterested in presenting any information about the beginning or ending of Jesus’ journey.  For instance, Mark’s gospel says nothing about Jesus’ birth or early years; Mark begins with Jesus’ baptism.  He also says very little about Jesus’ resurrection, and we never see the resurrected Jesus.  The gospel ends with the women fleeing from the tomb, and out of fear, they tell no one about what has happened (Mark 16:8).  Mark pays very little attention to the starting point of Jesus’ life or the ending point of Jesus’ resurrection; rather, his primary focus is on “the way” that Jesus travels throughout this ministry.  Unfortunately, the disciples spend most of their time completely missing this point and often getting in “the way.”  Still, time and time again, Jesus continues to point them toward it.  In this way, Mark reminds us that sometimes, the journey isn’t about the beginning or the ending but rather about what and whom we encounter along “the way.”

This is an especially important message for us to consider during Advent.  During this season of anticipation, do we become so concerned with reaching a particular ending point that we lose sight of the significance of the journey?  John the baptizer comes to “prepare the way of the Lord.”  We as preachers have the same task before us to prepare the way for God’s coming into the world, and into our lives.  The good news is that Hope is coming, but we might just miss it if we don’t pay attention along the way.

Mary Alice Birdwhistell
Associate Pastor, Calvary Baptist Church
Waco, Texas
mab@cbcwaco.com