Holy and Godly Lives

The Advent season is a time of waiting and preparation. The Gospel of Mark begins by quoting the Prophet Isaiah: "See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way; the voice of one crying out in the wilderness: `Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight,'" The question for those of us living in the 21^st century is how are we preparing the way of the Lord?

As soon as Mark has told us to prepare the way of the Lord, it is interesting that he has nothing to say in his Gospel about Jesus’ birth.  He mentions John the baptizer saying that he baptizes with water but the one who is coming will “baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”  He then gives a brief description of Jesus’ baptism in the Jordan river noting that the Spirit descended upon him and a voice came from heaven saying, “You are my Son the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.”  Next, Mark seems to rush through the forty days of the temptation in the wilderness, and then, finally, we hear the first words from Jesus, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.” These are words of Jesus as an adult, not the words of an infant baby born in Bethlehem.

What does it mean to say the time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God has come near?  In our epistle reading from the Second Letter of Peter we are told, “The Lord is not slow about his promise, as some think of slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish, but all to come to repentance.”  What are we to do?  Peter tells us “what sort of persons ought you to be in leading lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God.”

“Leading lives of holiness and godliness.”  Writing in the current issue of The Christian Century Matthew Schlimm, Professor at the University of Dubuque Theological Seminary, suggests several ideas about holiness:

“First, when something is holy, it belongs to God.”  Churches and temples are holy because they are God’s houses.  “Sacrifices were holy because they were God’s food, meals shared between God and the people making the offering.  People were holy when they acted like they belonged to God.”

“Second, when something is holy, it’s complete.  It has integrity…. It belongs to God.”  We are holy “when we’re alert and full of life, not the glassy-eyed moments when we feel compelled to check our smartphones yet again.”

“Third, when something’s holy, it’s beautiful.”  “The temple [in ancient Israel] spoke loud and clear:  God is here.  God is holy.  God is beautiful.  God is greater than we ever could be.  God is worthy of our worship.”

“Fourth, when something’s holy, it’s pure…. Biblical purity includes daily matters like cleanliness and food.”  For biblical Israelites cleanliness and meals were sacraments. “The New Testament picks up on these ideas, associating purity with innocence.”

“Finally, when something’s holy, it’s set apart. People in the Bible set themselves apart by resisting the temptation to follow other gods…. We are called to work against the rampant forces of greed, lust, gluttony, and violence in our day.  Why?  Because as 2 Peter puts it, “we wait for new heavens and a new earth, where righteousness is at home.”

When something is holy it belongs to God; it is complete; it is beautiful; it is pure; and it is set apart.  The Lord is patient, wanting all to come to repentance.  Earlier in our service we read Psalm 85.  In it we heard the Psalmist say, “I will listen to what the Lord God is saying, for he is speaking peace to his faithful people and to those who turn their hearts to him.”  Throughout human history God speaks peace to a troubled world.  His desire is that all nations and all people live in peace, a peace that respects the dignity of every person.

God’s peace is about repentance, a turning away from the accepted norms of dissension, and a turning toward a new day of righteousness and mutual respect.  The message of Christmas is the celebration of the birth of new life, God’s incarnate life in the midst of our human condition.  Our Advent is the way we prepare for Christ’s birth. Jesus proclaimed the good news of God saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.”  Listen to God “speaking peace to his faithful people and to those who turn their hearts to him.”

We are called during this Advent season to live holy and godly lives.  As we sang at the beginning of our service, “Holy God, Holy and Mighty, Holy Immortal One, Have mercy upon us.”  While we wait for the birth of Christ let us turn our hearts to God, listen to God speaking peace to his people, and strive to be found at peace.  Amen.