Advent 2

Advent 2 “Prepare” (Mark 1:1-8)

The true prophet proclaims one message in two words: repent and prepare.

The call to repentance is the invitation to consider the fundamental problem that defines the human race. If you misunderstand the problem the solution our Heavenly Father offers makes little or no sense.

The call to repentance is the invitation to look into the perfect Law of God. It is as we perceive ourselves, our attitudes and actions, in the perfect mirror of the Law that we recognize sin.

Sin, however, is not the root of the problem. The prophets encourage us to ask questions. Through the prophet Isaiah God says: come let us reason together. Think. Ponder. Question. Dialog.

The logical question to ask ourselves when we look into the perfect Law of God and recognize sin is why? Why do I sin? Why does everyone sin?

The Bible offers a unique answer to this question. It is an answer that leads to another question. The reason why all people sin is because in each of us our reason, emotions and will are distorted.

More often than not we use our reason to rationalize sin. We experience an emotional attraction to sin. And we use our will to rebel against God and to compete with and fight against other people.

The next question is where did these distortions come from? The Bible offers an answer to that question as well. It is an answer grounded in the observation of human behavior spanning several thousand years, Distortion comes from pain. It is a deeply rooted all pervasive existential pain that we are born with.

If we are born with this pain where did it come from? This question takes us to the source of the problem. Deeply rooted existential pain comes from the original choice our species made to separate from God. The One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church calls this choice “Original Sin.”

Original Sin is the real choice our species made to separate from God. Separation plunges our spirit into profound existential pain. That pain distorts the way we think, feel and make choices. Those distortions cause sin. The end of the process is death.

The true prophet calls people to recognize the reality of sin, the process of sin, and the origin of sin. As far as I can tell, almost every religion teaches actual sin. No religion other than Christianity teaches Original Sin.

If Moses and the prophets are correct in their observations of human behavior and human nature, there can be only one solution to the problem. The solution is Jesus Christ.

If Moses and the Prophets are correct in their conclusions about the human condition then our species is not only lost in Original Separation, we are lost and do not want to be found. We separated to avoid the Living God and we are willfully and rebelliously lost in that separation.

If this is true, then the moment Jesus came to earth he would meet opposition, redefinition, rejection and death. And, that is exactly what happened.

If this is true then the second prophetic word completes the first. The call to repentance is the introduction and foundation for the call to preparation.

What is it that the prophets ask us to prepare for? It is not the Law. We already have the Law and fail to keep it. Is it religion? There are a multitude of religions and an even greater number of denominations, sects and cults generated by those religions. The prophets declare human religion is distorted by the same process of sin that distorts our mind, heart and will.

The prophetic call to repent identifies the problem. The prophetic call to prepare identifies God’s solution to the problem. The solution is Jesus Christ.

Sadly, just as people rejected the call to repentance by killing the prophets then encapsulating a distorted image of the prophets in religious structures, so people rejected the call to prepare for the coming of the holy Beloved. Instead, they prepared for the coming of a Messianic Caesar. They prepared for the wrong person and the wrong plan because they incorrectly identified the problem.

Jesus knew this. He knew what he would find in his generation. He understood the problem better than anyone. He knew that a species lost in separation is also lost in religion, politics, economics, philosophy, culture, self-will, fear and pride.
The lost do not wish to be found. We are found only in the person of Jesus Christ. In Jesus God unites His divinity with our humanity. It is that union that God finds us and makes it possible for us to receive reunification with the Way, the truth and the life of God made manifest in Jesus Christ.

On this 2nd Sunday of Advent the Holy Spirit is calling us to prepare our minds and hearts and wills to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. In that birth we celebrate the holy Beloved of God who seeks the lost, finds the lost, and rescues the lost.
Repentance and preparation are two sides of one coin.

The Holy Spirit encourages us to ask the questions that can bring clarity to our thoughts, purity to our hearts and unity to our will. The question is: who or what do you prepare for this Advent season? Are you already caught up in the Santa celebrations? Are you preparing to celebrate the cleverly devised myths or the transcendent reality of the Living Lord Jesus Christ?

When Jesus was born into the world the world did not know him. The world did not want to know him. They were preparing for someone and something very different. Advent is that time when we have the opportunity to reflect on our religious lives and our spiritual needs. It is a time of quiet in the midst of a time of activity and distraction. It is a time of real choice.

The true prophet call out “Prepare!”

The Holy Spirit calls to us: Prepare for the holy Beloved of God. Make the pathways of your mind, heart and will straight in the light and love of Jesus Christ. Enter into the new life of grace. Enter into the new way of living by faith. Make a real choice to believe in Jesus. Make a real choice to receive Jesus into your soul. Make a real choice to prepare for the birth of the co-eternal Beloved of God.