Mark 1:1-8  New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

1 The beginning of the good news^[a] of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.^[b]

² As it is written in the prophet Isaiah,^[c]

“See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you,^[d]
    who will prepare your way;
³ the voice of one crying out in the wilderness:
    ‘Prepare the way of the Lord,
    make his paths straight,’”

⁴ John the baptizer appeared^[e] in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. ⁵ And people from the whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were going out to him, and were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. ⁶ Now John was clothed with camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. ⁷ He proclaimed, “The one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the thong of his sandals. ⁸ I have baptized you with^[f] water; but he will baptize you with^[g] the Holy Spirit.”

Peace!  The Second Sunday of Advent, our second candle gives us the word Peace.  Peace is better defined as “shalom, and that is defined as follows:

In Hebrew, the word “peace” is translated as “well-being”, “well”, and “in good health” is all one word – Shalom.

That last definition seems to fit this season of “giving”.  We fritter about doing things, looking for gifts to give, and we receive gifts from others.  

Yet, do we experience peace, or well-being?  It seems to me that oftentimes when we look for peace or think that things will bring us peace.  We are disappointed or disillusioned and settle for lives filled with despair and a lack of peace.  

In Scripture and even in the world around us, we find that there is a great sense of well-being in announcing the coming of Jesus.  Jesus is coming to bring restoration, wholeness, justice, peace, forgiveness.  The very meaning of the word Advent is “appearance,” “arrival,” “dawn,” and “return”.  

Most in this culture know that Christmas has something to do with the arrival of Jesus.  Yet, we can’t seem to remember why we should have peace in a world of division and violence.  We are reminded often in this culture with clever phrases like “Jesus is the reason for the season”.  Sometimes commentators on some channels or so called news outlets will talk about a “war on Christmas”.  Based on the amount of spending and consumerism…and the number of times of seen Christmas movies reappearing in ad nasuesum, I’m not exactly sure what war is being fought and who’s winning.  

All of this to say, it is oftentimes hard to find peace when we are being pushed so many messages trying to break through to us to distract us and even divide us.  We are busy, we have things to do, we can’t slow down and expect everything to be done by December 24.  

We have expectations of what Christmas peace should be, yet we may not always experience it.  We need time to slow down and experience peace.  It takes making space in the midst of craziness to be still.  What we need in this season is to simply stop, to contemplate or become contemplatives.  To look and notice things and people around us as infused with God.  That can be hard, but it’s so necessary.  When we slow down though, we often are faced to sake some hard questions around life.  

In our passage this morning from Mark, John the Baptist is announcing the arrival of Jesus, of whose sandals he’s not worthy to tie.  I’m not sure what John was expecting, but I’m sure it wasn’t to face a horrendous death at the hands of King Herod just a short time afterwards.  When he was sitting in a jail cell, waiting for death, he had some hard questions to face.  I wonder, did John, in the midst of his expectations being dashed, in the midst of his sorrow, did he find peace?  It seems like he certainly found some courage, but, I have to admit, I don’t know how I’d feel in the place of John.  

And yet, it seems like he had peace and was still searching for shalom within himself and within others.  He did not blame others, but in his uncertainty, he still found faith and, I believe, found peace.  He knew that this Jesus would call forth the shalom, the peace and well-being of humanity.  

I had the privilege of hanging out with a church member this past Monday night.  We talked briefly about how this world is always trying to find a scapegoat.  A group of people to blame our problems on.  Jews, Palestinians, Russians, Ukrainians, Black folk, Hispanics, Trans kids, women, Democrats, Replublicans…just go down the list.  Given the events of the past few years, it’s important for us to have a discussion on how we can be a better community with each other.  It could be easy to pass judgment as well on some of what we’ve seen or heard based on propaganda.  Yet, I believe that there has been generations of oppression, of sexism, and racism experienced and felt by so many of our brothers and sisters.  As a white male, I cannot say that this has been my experience.  However, what I can do is not pass judgment, and go into my community and listen while practicing being a friend or a good neighbor.   And, I can find peace even in the midst of this sorrow.  

Why?  Because I believe that the message of Jesus bringing freedom does give me peace and a desire for shalom or the well-being of all.  How?  Because Jesus demonstrates to me a God who isn’t far off, isn’t affected by what we experience.  God knows what it’s like to be oppressed, to be captive, to be brokenhearted.  God has experienced all that we experience.  God has experienced sorrow, deep sorrow.  Yet, God still came to us, God listened to us, God demonstrates throughout history and through Jesus, and even now through God’s Presence and Spirit, in and through our communities and each other, that we are not alone.  

Jesus did come, he did arrive.  And, he did also die and have many of his expectations shattered.  Yet, there was something deeper.  Something more beautiful than we could ever imagine.  This Jesus’ power was not found in conquering Rome or forcing himself over us, his power was loving deeply.  Loving to the very core of all of us.  Not giving up on us, even in death.  This love that God has for us and that we can share in does lead to sorrow, but sorrow always gives way to peace, a deeper joy than simply a song or words can describe.  

I don’t always get it, but, at times I catch glimpses of this peace.  It can come in the midst of a run, or in the gift of listening.  Listening, however, can be hard.  Our Mark passage has the word “repentance”.  Repentance in Greek is metanoia, it literally means the changing of one’s mind.  To experience this change, one must be open to the gift of change and growth.  That starts with a sense of knowing that things may not be right within us, a deep sense that there has to be something more to our lives as persons, and as a community called Fleming Road.  

As we listen to our community, we will hear so many things that can cause growth, but  that starts with commitment, just like being a parent, we don’t know how things will turn out, but, as we listen to one another, to our community, and to a God who has entered into our experience and calls us into experiencing life together.  At times it will be painful, filled with sorrow, yet there is a deeper joy welling up within us as we listen, work towards justice and forgiveness, and actively expect God’s Presence to come to us now and in the future when everything is restored to what it should be.