Mark 1:1-8
This is the day the church gets to say “Happy New Year!” a month before everyone else. The first Sunday in Advent is the beginning of a new year in the church cycle. That month’s difference between one new year and the other is a time of preparation, getting ready for something important to happen. That’s not a bad way to start a year.
John the Baptist is a good choice for helping us prepare for important things to come because that’s the role he plays in the story of Jesus – getting people ready for big changes in the way they see the world. In his day people were plenty tired of the way things were and more than ready for something new. It was unlikely that the “new” would be getting rid of Rome, because everyone who tried that ended up conquered, enslaved, or dead. But when John (who dressed weird and ate weirder) began preaching about God doing a new thing, people came to see him.
We learned some things about John in our study this summer that might be good to remember here. John was known as “the bather.” This was a culture that loved a good bath and built public baths everywhere. Then they built aqueducts to bring water to the baths. It was a sign of refinement that people could gather in beautiful structures and take hot or cold baths together. John, however, had nothing to do with the beautiful Roman baths. He preferred the Jordan River, claimed by the Jewish people as their own. By bathing in the river, he was thumbing his nose at Rome and challenging the goodness of their accomplishments and their authority.
Bathing was a public sign of new beginnings. The Jews bathed to purify themselves. Romans bathed to celebrate milestones in their lives and invited everyone to join them at the party. People bathed to show they had turned a corner or begun something new. They washed off the old and put on a new beginning. It might be something like a graduation celebration today. Or a celebration of getting clean and sober. Or of ending cancer treatment. Or renewing marriage vows. A public bathing announced something was going to be different with a person going forward. John invites everyone who’s tired of Roman occupation and violence to come bathe with him and start something new. It’s no wonder he was eventually arrested and executed.
Like Jesus who followed him, John drew crowds. People came to see the crazy man who was preaching. They also came because he gave them hope that there was something better than the way the world was working for them. Both John and Jesus told people they could live by values other than the ones Rome put forward. They could be different than the world around them. When enough people live differently, the world changes.
Eventually bathing with John became baptism. A lot of water became a little water. A declaration of difference became the status quo. A challenge to the way things are became the way things are. Baptism has become the safe and expected thing that happens to babies whose families want the best for them. It’s lost its edge. It’s no longer countercultural. Too bad.
Every moment in time has its assumptions about how the world works, how people behave, how things happen to be. John represents for his moment in time a rejection of assumptions. He says things can be different; things will be different. Watch out! Something is about to happen!
I was trying to think of people who might be the “John the Bather” in our moment in history. There certainly have been some orators who called out for change, although it’s hard to name one right now. If we could, what would we like them to say? What challenge would we like to hear?
In a world fighting wars in 33 places, could we declare ourselves on the side of peace? Could we suggest that all people have a right to a nation, a voice and a future?
The leaders of the world are meeting about climate change right now. Could we be in favor of valuing Earth and her resources? Of clean water and air? Of renewable energy?
What would we like to be better in our world? Health care? Education? Support for parents? Food security? Care for those who are aging? Affordable housing? Community gardens? End to homelessness? End to racism? End to gender discrimination and homophobia?
In my heart Christmas is about hope. It’s about believing God is fully present in this world empowering us to make it all that is good for every creature. Advent is about getting ready for big audacious hopefulness. It’s about throwing off despair and washing away whatever holds us back. Take a bath; put on new clothes; be ready. The world can change and we can be a part of making it happen.