Second Sunday in Advent
2004 Matthew 3:1-12; Isaiah 11:1-10; Romans 15:4-13
With age comes wisdom. Or so we like to believe. With age also comes certain prerogatives. A book. Or rather the title of a book, has inspired many women of a certain age. The book's title is based on the poem Warning by Jenny Joseph which begins with the words, "When I am an old woman I shall wear purple with a red hat which doesn't go, and doesn't suit me." There is also a book for older men that is not quite so poetically entitled, "When I am an Old Man I'll wear mixed plaids." The point of both books, among other things, is to affirm the often-observed fact that with age comes the freedom to embrace certain eccentricities. Of course, some people don't need the excuse of age. To be eccentric. The dictionary definition of eccentricity refers to unusual or odd behavior on the part of a person as opposed to being normal. Eccentric behavior is often considered whimsical or quirky, although it can also be strange and disturbing. The list of eccentrics embraces a cross section of world history and societies. If asked to identify someone they might define as "being eccentric." One of the most often mentioned names is that of billionaire Howard Hughes. A true eccentric in his older years. Forgetting his successes as a movie producer, inventor and aviation pioneer most people remember his reclusive final days when he hid away from the world in his Las Vegas penthouse unwilling to cut his hair or nails.
Each society and time has its favorite eccentric. The Germans remember fondly Ludwig II of Bavaria who was king of Bavaria from 1864-1886. Anyone who has ever been to Disney World owes Mad King Ludwig a nod of thanks for he spent his years designing and building fantastical grand castles, the most famous of which is Neuschwanstein, the definitive fairy tale castle that inspired the Disney Cinderella Castle. And what made him especially popular is that he did it all with family money. No tax dollars. Of course old Ludwig's relatives eventually had him declared insane. That is one of the challenges with being eccentric. Of standing outside the norms of society. Not everyone is happy with you or your actions. The world has come to recognize and sometimes celebrate a wonderful creative side to many eccentrics. Artists like Andy Warhol, Salvador Dali and James Whistler were all eccentrics who brought artistic vision and creative genius to the world. Writers like William Blake, Truman Capote, Edith Sitwell, Edgar Allan Poe, Oscar Wilde and Tom Wolfe all had their eccentric quirks in addition to their literary skills. Most any list of scholars, aristocrats, scientists, religious leaders, politicians, entertainers, athletes and business leaders reveals a wondrous collection of the ordinary and the eccentric. The social philosopher John Stuart Mill wrote in his work On Liberty that the existence of eccentricity within a society is not only possible , it is essential. Rousseau declared the existence of such people in the world as a great benefit to society. A society without the eccentric is a stagnant society.
Many of history's most brilliant minds have displayed many unusual behaviors and habits. To some the existence of eccentricities is a mark of genius. A gift from God. Unfortunately not all eccentrics are a gift to the world. In my first parish I remember visiting a very eccentric woman who lived in a house on Chicago's Southside. I had always thought her a bit peculiar but it wasn't until I visited her house and found the walls, floor and ceiling covered in aluminum foil and newspapers, junk mail and magazines stacked throughout the house in piles so high they reached the ceiling and creating corridors in each room. Eccentric? Or just crazy mad? The line between the inspired eccentric and the insane is often very fine. The eccentric is not someone who can be easily imitated. But they can inspire. They can challenge, motivate, provoke. The Bible is filled with eccentrics. And one of the most well known and remembered is in our lesson for today. John the Baptist. The Baptist wrote the book on eccentricity in his day. He did not wear purple or plaid. His clothing was camel hair with a leather belt around his waist. His diet was without concern for kosher or carbohydrates. We are told he ate locust and honey. And his message to the world was devoid of political correctness or religious propriety. John the Baptist was the eccentric centerpiece of Palestine. And the talk of the entire region.
Our lesson tells us that the people of Jerusalem and all Judea were going out to him and all the region along the Jordan. He was more than must-see entertainment. He was creating a following. Even the religious faithful. The Pharisees and Sadducees were heading into the wilderness to check out the preaching eccentric. John the Baptist had disciples. But they were not pop culture groupies hooked on his lifestyle. There is no record of a fashion shift from robes to camel hair coats. Nor is there any record of a honey and locust diet fad. The attraction was to something more central to people's lives then fashion fads or even some type of new washing rituals centered on baptism. We are told the multitude flocked to see and hear him. Why? That is one of the marks of the eccentric. They invite us to step outside our ordinary and familiar. To explore. If only vicariously. A different way of seeing the world. Of being in the world. Experiencing life. John the Baptist offered no special post-Thanksgiving Day sales deal. He did not discount the Ten Commandments to a handy half dozen rules to live by We are told his message was edgy. Declaring a word of warning. He spoke of the axe being laid to the root of the trees that failed to bear good fruit. He spoke of fire burning that which is sifted out of the good and cast off, and he predicted the coming of one who would be more powerful than him. There is no mistaking the language of warning. A language that might instill fear. And certainly the recent election has demonstrated the great power of fear to motivate.
There was plenty of fear in the world at the time of the Baptist. Fear enough for every social and economic group. Fear of the Roman soldiers who occupied the country. Fear of the insurgent Judean zealots who hated the Romans and all who helped them. Fear of the economic uncertainties that left many struggling to find food and shelter. Fear of religious extremists who sought to impose their intolerance of teachings or behavior that fell outside their defined categories of truth and correctness. There were more than enough things to be anxious about. Yet the reasons for turning to the Baptist shared a common center. A desire to replace the uncertainties of the present with a clear direction, purpose and meaning. Many probably wanted simply be reassured that they were doing all right. Or with a few revisions in their lives everything would be good again. But the Baptist does not call for preserving and protecting what is, from that which is to come. The Baptist turns in a new direction. He calls for repentance. In the Greek his words mean to take a u-turn. To turn in the other direction. Turn away from the current course. If we think about it. This is a curious message for the Advent season. We are entering a time of tested traditions and familiar rituals and symbols. We all know what to expect. Or we seek to fit into expectations preserving established patterns and traditions.
Yesterday a number of families gathered for the annual tree-cutting event in Wisconsin. And late this afternoon the teens will gather to decorate the church when there will be at least one person who will ask, "How did we do it last year?" Tuesday the Men will gather to set up the Christmas tree. Next Sunday we will gather between services for the annual Christmas program. All these traditional activities over the space of a week. We know where we are headed. It's Advent. And then we hear the Baptist's cry to repent. Turn around. Have you ever driven the wrong way down a one-way street? Anyone who has driven in Chicago for enough years will sooner or later have that experience. It happens most often when you are looking for a certain address or location and you are circling around the blocks. Paying more attention to the addresses then the streets and suddenly in the warren of one ways that make up many of Chicago's neighborhoods you glance around and realize that the cars parked on both sides of the street are all facing you and all the street signs are facing the other direction. If you have enough of your wits about you. You immediately stop and watch the on-coming traffic slow and then go around you. You, of course, avoid eye contact with any of the drivers passing you. Pretending that you are in total control and know exactly what you are doing. But inside you are thanking God that you noticed your predicament before you had a head on collision.
The Advent season is the time of year that we often get so busy focusing on certain things that we fail to realize that we may at times be heading in the wrong direction. Of course it is a lot easier when the majority of people seem to be willing to join us in our rush down the one ways. The Baptist challenged the religious faithful of his day. He cautioned them not to feel any privileged place with God or their faith because they were part of the established tradition. The religious majority. The eccentric knows too well that the established order. The way things have always been. Is not where the creative spirit moves? And not necessarily what or where God would have us to be. The prophets of old were driven by God's creative Spirit to see the world in new ways. To call the existing orders into question. Time and again God stepped into history to change the course of humanity. So the Baptist warned that being children of Abraham. Good faithful Jews. Was more an invitation to change than an affirmation of a stable future. This is Advent. We are in the season of the whimsical and unexpected. The eccentric's favorite season. Surprise. Don't settle for the familiar. The Old Testament prophet Isaiah saw the coming vision of the one the Baptist now pointed to. One who did not judge by what his eyes could see or decide by what his ears heard. To see beyond sight. That is the realm of fantasy and dream. The child knows it well.
We yearn for the vision that takes us beyond the realities of conflict, terrors and disasters. The Baptist says repent of the old ways. Turn away. Turn around. Use the resources of God's grace. The judgment of righteousness. Turn around and see what your eyes have failed to see. Listen to the sounds that may have been drowned out of your world. Jesus would not walk by the beggar that everyone else no longer noticed. Jesus heard the cry of grief that the roar of life had almost drowned out Jesus gave time to the laughter of children and blessed them. This is the time of year when many still rush out to see the curiously dressed man who attracts the crowds. No camel hair and locust any more. Now it is a red suit and candy canes. But the eccentric still fascinates the people. One of my grandfathers retired from working 48 years at a meat packing plant to spend his Advents dressed in red and riding a fire truck to the local shopping mall. There he would sit each day as the crowds lined up for pictures. But his favorite days were when he visited the nursing homes and hospital. Especially the hospital children's floors. He told me he always reminded those he visited whose birthday Christmas celebrated. And then he would laugh. It was the laugh of a curious old man who dressed in red that said he understood the promise of one who comes not in judgment but in grace. One who comes to lead us in a new direction? Today is the second Sunday in Advent Something wonderful is about to happen once again. We can almost hear the mad laugh of the Baptist as he splashes in the Jordan River. The voice of one crying in the wilderness: "Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight." May your advent be filled with one ways leading the right way. And feel free to dress in any color plaid you want.
Amen