Rev. Christine Dudley

Let us begin with words of Advent prayer and promise by Jan Berry:

God of birth, we watch in fear for your coming;
scared of the pain and risk,
the struggle of new life emerging
and our capacity to bear it.
God of waiting, WAIT WITH US.

God of the future, we watch and hope for your coming;
anticipating an unknown future,
uncertain of the unnamed reality,
not sure of the form it will take.
God of waiting, WAIT WITH US.

God of celebration, we watch in joy for your coming;
expectant with promises of freedom,
eager for new possibilities,
delighting in the gift of birth.
God of waiting, WAIT WITH US.
(pgs. 156-157, Candles and Conifers, Wild Goose Publications)

In the first three chapters of the Gospel of Luke there is a phenomenal interweaving of the stories of John and Jesus. The major themes which are covered in these first few chapters are: The Birth of John the Baptizer Foretold; The Birth of Jesus Foretold; Jesus' mother, Mary, Visits John's mother, Elizabeth; Mary's Song of Praise; The Birth of John the Baptizer; John's father, Zechariah's Song; The Birth of Jesus (and his early years); John's proclamation and ministry, as an adult, in the wilderness; and The Baptism of Jesus (by John).

This going back and forth between the stories of John and Jesus is a very intentional way for Luke to show that they have parallel missions. John and Jesus are both fulfilling ancient prophecies and are called by God to be prophets who will show the way of God's commonwealth.

This morning our readings focus on John, moving from his birth to his adult ministry in the wilderness. At his birth we hear voices filled with awe asking, "'What then will this child become?' For, indeed, the hand of God was with him." (Luke 1:66) Luke lets us know clearly that this child has been chosen to fulfill God's purpose for him. John's father clarifies this mission a little when he says, "And, you child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, to give knowledge of salvation to his people by the forgiveness of their sins." (Luke 1:76-77) We also hear that "the word of God came to John, son of Zechariah, in the wilderness" (Luke 3:2) where he is acknowledged as the fulfillment of Isaiah's prophecy as the "voice of one crying out in the wilderness: 'Prepare the way of the Lord...' " (Luke 3:4)

In hearing this preamble, I hope you realize that prophets do not appear suddenly out of thin air, as if by magic. Prophets emerge from the context of their time, inspired by God and informed by the challenges of their time and place. They are shaped and moulded by their experiences, by their faith tradition, and by mentors and guides. It is the phenomenon of "the prophetic voice", "the voice crying in the wilderness" which is the focus of my reflection today.

In our modern era, we often associate John's ministry as being merely the warm-up act for the main show (which is Jesus' ministry). This thinking tends to negate the importance of John's prophetic ministry. In the time and culture in which John lived, all mystical things of import were believed to come from the wilderness. It was believed that it was in the trials and tribulations of the wilderness experience that God was most profoundly felt and epiphanies experienced.

John attracted a large following of disciples who were keen to learn from his teachings and be baptized in the river Jordan by him. He did not mince words and could be harsh in his manner of speaking. Once John addressed a crowd of people, that came to him to be baptized, as "You brood of vipers!". He certainly knew how to get people's attention! And, once he got their attention his message was compelling and proactive. He called people to repent and bear good fruits; fruits that would contribute to the realization of God's commonwealth. He called for personal and corporate self-examination and a commitment to radical transformation personally and collectively. John challenged his listeners to repent and prepare. "True repentance ("metanoia" in the Greek) means literally, to change one's mind, to turn around, reorient oneself." (p.47, Feasting on the Word, Year C, Volume 1) John doesn't just criticize people's behaviour. John also gives specific suggestions for changes in behaviour that are consistent with preparing the way for God's commonwealth of peace and justice. When the crowds ask him, "What then shall we do?" (Luke 3:10), his reply to them is, "Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none; and whoever has food must do likewise." (Luke 3:11) When tax collectors asked him what they should do he said, "Collect no more than the amount prescribed for you." (Luke 3:13) And, in answer to soldiers' queries he said, "Do not extort money from anyone by threats or false accusation, and be satisfied with your wages." (Luke 3:14) (These responses sound a lot like things that Jesus would later say to those who followed him.) John was, in a very real way, preparing the way of the Lord with words that confront and challenge people's way of living but also with words of hope and promise about a way of transformation; a way of fullness of life for all people.

While I've been studying and reflecting on these scripture passages this past week, I've also been thinking about the many prophetic voices which have emerged in this past century. There are many to choose from but with the 15th Annual United Nations Climate Change Conference, happening now in Copenhagen, I've chosen to highlight the prophetic voice of the former Vice-President of the United States, Al Gore. Most of you will have heard of the movie, "An Inconvenient Truth: A Global Warning" which chronicles Gore's tireless efforts to broadcast dire warnings about the effects of climate change on our environment. Like John the Baptizer, Al Gore speaks passionately, and urgently, about the need for dramatic and transformative change. Like John, Al Gore also gives very concrete suggestions of ways to make a difference; to effect transformation for the present and the future.

I hope you have all seen the movie, "An Inconvenient Truth." It was produced in 2005 and is available on DVD. The DVD has updates from 2006 and Gore has just released a new book entitled, Our Choice: A Plan to Solve the Climate Crisis, which gives more up to date information. If you haven't seen the movie, I urge you to watch it. It explains a very complex situation in ways that are easy to understand and it offers solutions which are hopeful and easily implemented.

I watched "An Inconvenient Truth", again this week, with a particular interest in discovering the motivating factors behind Al Gore's "prophetic voice". Prophets are not always popular and their message is not always readily accepted. At the beginning of "An Inconvenient Truth", Al Gore says, "I've been trying to tell this story for a long time and I feel that I've failed to get the message across." At the time of filming the movie, Gore had given his high-tech talk and slide-show at least 1,000 times. He says it is "extremely frustrating to communicate over and over as clearly as I can and still we [USA] are the greatest contributor of global warming." Gore has given his presentation all over the world but has focused the majority of his time and attention on getting his message across to American audiences. His frustration was acute on the point that America was one of only two countries (Australia being the other) which did not sign the Kyoto Accord. (The Copenhagen talks happening now hope to come to an agreement which will replace the Kyoto Accord when it expires in 2012.)

Enmeshed in the movie are glimpses of what motivates Al Gore and what has shaped his prophetic mission. Near the beginning of the movie, Gore talks about his college professor, Roger Revelle, who was the first person to propose measuring carbon dioxide in the earth's atmosphere. In 1958, Revelle, using stringent scientific methods began to to measure CO₂ in the atmosphere. After years of collection of data he began to draw connections between the larger changes in our world and the changes in the atmosphere. As a college professor he shared his findings, and his conclusions regarding the projected future impact on the environment, with his students. Al Gore was one of those students who had a lot of respect for his teacher and through the years kept up with current studies of CO₂ levels. In his presentations, Gore notes that in 650 million years the CO₂ level had never gone over 300 parts per million. Recent studies indicate that the current CO₂ level in the atmosphere is 390 parts per million. Scientists believe that 350 ppm would be an acceptable CO₂ level to aim for in the goal for CO₂ reduction. This afternoon, we are joining churches and communities around the world in ringing our bell 350 times to acknowledge the need to reduce CO₂ levels to 350 ppm.

When Al Gore became a politician it is no surprise that environmental advocacy was an important part of his agenda. In 1989 his six year old son was hit by a car and it was touch and go whether he would survive. In a month of keeping vigil in the hospital with his son, Gore's world was turned upside down and he re-evaluated his way of being in the world. He says this experience changed everything for him and made him ask himself, "How should I spend my time on this earth?" He clearly saw that just as the life of his son was nearly lost to him that the life of our planet is hanging in the balance and may be lost for future generations.

Al Gore, no longer a politician, devotes his life to raising public consciousness about Climate Change and it's environmental impact. At the end of "An Inconvenient Truth", he, reflects on his work and the professor who so clearly influenced the course of his life. Gore says,"There is nothing that unusual about what I am doing with this. What is unusual is that I had the privilege to be shown it as a young man. It's almost as if a window was opened through which the future was very clearly visible. ÔSee that, he says, see that? That is the future in which you are going to live your life."

In this Advent season, we are challenged by our faith tradition, and our current context, to reflect on our lives and discern God's yearnings for us as we live into the future. May we be strengthened and encouraged by the prophetic voices in our midst. And, may we be bold in the work of the transformation of our lives and our world.

With God's help I pray it will be so.