Loving God, sometimes we find ourselves in the midst of the wilderness and feel as if there can be no hope. Help us to see the signs of hope that you give to us today, and keep us firmly anchored in our knowledge of you; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

John the Baptist looked at God's people, and it was just like looking into the wilderness. All he could see was lack of commitment and concern over appearances. Worse yet, the religious leaders had become self-righteous and self-centred. They had come to believe that, because they were descendants of Abraham, God's favour rested on them and could never be taken away. John the Baptist looked at God's people and saw sinners who were unprepared for the coming of the Messiah. He saw people who needed to repent and to beg God for mercy in preparation for the coming judgment. John looked at the religious leaders who had no true faith, and hoped that they would get the punishment that they deserved when the Messiah did come.

Well, as you know, Jesus did come, but John couldn't quite understand. Where was the hellfire and the judgment? Why hadn't Jesus cleared out the Pharisees and Sadducees who clearly weren't being faithful teachers anyways? Hadn't Jesus come to bring punishment to these people of lukewarm commitment who hadn't prepared for his coming?

Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him (Jn. 3:17).

Yes, Jesus called people to repentance. Yes, Jesus condemned those who believed themselves to be righteous. However, Jesus did not come as Judge. Instead, Jesus showed people what God is like.

The blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them (Mt. 11:5).

This is the nature of God. This is God's message for all those who find themselves in the wilderness and looking for hope.

That's the trick, isn't it, when you are in the wilderness -- to be able to see the signs of hope? In today's lessons, we have John the Baptist, who is reminded of the signs of hope that were prophesied by Isaiah, which are already being seen through Jesus. We are also reminded of Mary, whose song of praise was read as our Psalm today. In Mary, we have somebody who has definitely learned how to see signs of hope in the midst of the wilderness.

All too often, we seem to skip right over Mary without giving a second thought to how truly amazing her faith really is. We forget that Mary's experience had the potential to seem like the biggest wilderness that God ever created. Have you ever stopped to think about how her family and friends must have responded to the news that she was pregnant? "Oh yeah, sure -- the Holy Spirit! What did he look like, Mary?" Actually, what would be the likelihood of being believed by anybody, if she had told them about what the angel Gabriel had to say?

Yet, as we hear the words of Mary's song of praise (Lk. 1:47-55), it is all faith. Mary believes that God is her saviour. Mary believes that she will somehow be blessed through her experiences. Mary believes that God will cast down the mighty and lift up the lowly and feed the hungry. Mary believes that, through the child that she will bear, God's promise to Abraham of an everlasting covenant (Gen. 17:7) and of blessing for all the nations of the earth through his descendants (Gen. 22:18) will be fulfilled. Mary doesn't seem to see how difficult her life will be. Instead, she sees God's faithfulness in keeping promises from many years before.

Now, how, exactly, do you do that? How do you remain focussed on the signs of hope, even when you are in the middle of the wilderness? Although this is often easier said than done, our lessons today do offer us some clues as to how to find hope. Take Mary, for example. I have become convinced that one of the keys to Mary's ability to trust God, even in the strangest of circumstances, is the fact that she has taken the time to get to know God. Merely the first two lines of her song of praise are enough to suggest to us that Mary is a very spiritual person. "My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my savior" (Lk. 1:47). One gets the impression that Mary's soul and spirit know God very well.

But how do you really get to know God? Reading and studying the Bible. Worshipping regularly. Taking time for prayer and for meditation in the presence of God. Daily devotional time. Talking to others who have taken the time to get to know God. Trying out different types of prayer until you find something that works for you. To get to know God takes time and effort, in the same way that it takes time and effort to really get to know another person. However, to know God is truly an anchor for us when we pass through difficult, wilderness-like times. Remember that even Jesus needed that anchor, as we read in the gospels about him going off by himself in order to take time to pray. Otherwise, he would not have been able to face the troubles that came to him day after day.

Actually, just as we read of Jesus taking time to renew his spirit in the gospels, so we read about other things in the Bible which also provide us with hope in the midst of the wilderness. For example, in today's gospel we are reminded of Jesus' power to heal. He gave sight to the blind and helped the lame to walk. He cleansed lepers and opened the ears of the deaf. He raised the dead and brought good news and hope to the poor. Can he not do the same in our day?

In the same way, in today's second reading, those who receive the letter of James are reminded to look back at the example of the prophets, who were patient in their suffering as they waited to see the fulfilment of their prophecies (Jas 5:10). The fact that those who lived at the time of James had already seen the fulfilment of the prophecies about Jesus was meant to give them hope as they awaited the fulfilment of Jesus' promise to come again.

It seems to me that this is one of the most important reasons that we have the Bible. Through it, we are able to see how God has rescued people many times over from the midst of the wilderness. We are able to see how Jesus has the power to heal and forgive. We are able to see how even those who were surrounded by despair were lifted up and given new strength in order to be able to continue to serve God. To know how God has acted to save his people in the past is a source of hope in the present.

Has there ever been a time in your life when you were able to look back later and see God carrying you through the wilderness? Perhaps it was an illness that you recovered from or a death in the family that you thought you'd never survive. Perhaps it was a time when your job was very uncertain or when your finances were always touch and go. Perhaps it was a time of grief over many losses or a time of conflict and arguments. These are the wilderness experiences that we go through as human beings. Yet, there are always signs of hope for those who trust God.

It can be something as simple as a letter or phone call from a caring friend. An unexpected cheque when money is scarce. Friends who welcome you as family when your own family has fallen apart. Christian friends praying for you. A show of affection from a faithful pet. An answer to prayer. All of these things can be signs of hope in the wilderness. The trick is to be able to see them.

And so, in order to improve our eyesight in the wilderness, today we are invited to take the time to get to know God better. We are also invited to look back at the Biblical signs of hope, as well as at the answers to prayer in our own lives and in the lives of others. Perhaps then we will be able to sing with Mary, even in the midst of the wilderness:

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my saviour (Lk. 1:47).

Amen.

Advent 3(A) Matt. 11:2-11
December 16, 2007 Luke 1:47-55
St. Luke's Zion Lutheran Church Isaiah 35:1-10
Pastor Lynne Hutchison Moore

© 2007 Lynne Hutchison Moore All Rights Reserved