Advent 3B 2005

Isaiah 61:1-4,8-11

Luke 1:47-55

1 Thessalonians 5:16-24

John 1:6-8,19-28

What do you see when you close your eyes? If I were to ask you to do that right now, (but I’d rather you stay awake!) what would you see? Mountains of gifts to wrap? A credit card bill bigger than your next paycheck? Piles of final exams to give and then grade? Snow to shovel and ice to salt? To do list a mile long?

Lately when I wake up in the night visions of sermons and bulletins dance in my head and building issues dance in my head!

All too often we only see the next task, the next job, the next paycheck. This time of year we add to the pile the next Christmas task, cards to mail and presents to buy.

And before you know it, our vision narrows in and our focus point is right in front of our faces.

Add to that the culture we live in. One of technology and information. Too much information. Data surrounds us. Computers feed into that. Numbers and charts and graphs and statistics. Gotta’ love ‘em. We want to know the facts. We have more and more specialists and fewer and fewer generalists.

Here we are at the edge of a college of business and engineering. A place training people to handle facts and numbers and the best science that is available.

It’s everywhere. Facts. Data. Technology. Lists of things to do and then cross off the list. Cut and dried.

And here God goes again. Breaking into our world in unscientific ways. Instead of sending a market researcher, God sends a crazy man called John. Before that God sent the prophets. And we are gearing up for God calling and sending a young girl.

Doesn’t God know that surveys need to be done? Market shares considered? All possible options should be weighed?

Or perhaps God knows more about what people need than researchers and advertisers do. Perhaps God knows more about hearts and souls than statistics and cholesterol counts.

Perhaps God knows that deep within even the most technical of people lies a need for poetry. For beauty. For the unexpected and unexplainable. For the mysterious.

For the imagination. The imaging of a new world.

Isaiah calls us to it. To closing our eyes and dreaming big. To envision a new world. One where ruined cities and repaired. Where garlands replace ashes. Where the soft robes of righteousness surround us. In the middle of winter Isaiah wants us to see the earth “bring forth its shoots…as a garden causes what is sown in it to spring up.”

This is beautiful stuff. Good news to the oppressed, healing to the brokenhearted, liberty to captives, release to prisoners, comfort for all who mourn. Can you see it?

And then we have the Magnificat. Mary’s song of joy when she finds out that she, unknown young, young woman, girl really, is pregnant with God’s son. And instead of weighing the facts and fearing the dishonor, knowing that Joseph could kick her out and her family be shamed, what does Mary do? Breaks into song. Not just any song, but a song worthy of the best prophets.

When Mary closes her eyes she doesn’t see the obstacles in her way, but she sees a glorious new world where the lowly are lifted up and the hungry filled with good things. Where God is using her an ordinary girl, for good things, yeah, great things.

When Mary closes her eyes she breaks into song. Seeing a new world.

Then we have John the Baptist. He is seeing something. It is still in the distance so he is not yet clear on the details. But it is out there. And he sees it coming. And has to prepare the way, gather the people, share his vision, as misty as it is. It’s out there, It’s glimmering in the distance, stay with me and find out what it is!

And then there is us. Centuries later. Still looking, still watching, still waiting. But still daring to dream dreams and see visions. To be in on God’s holy imagining.

I think this is the reason I really like that Christmas song: “Do you hear what I hear?” I’m sure you know, you can thank me later for getting it stuck in that part of your head where it will replay the rest of the day! Ah, wish I could sing!

Said the night wind to the little lamb,
"Do you see what I see?
Way up in the sky, little lamb,
Do you see what I see?
A star, a star, dancing in the night
With a tail as big as a kite,
With a tail as big as a kite."

Said the little lamb to the shepherd boy,
"Do you hear what I hear?
Ringing through the night, shepherd boy,
Do you hear what I hear?
A song, a song high above the trees
With a voice as big as the sea,
With a voice as big as the sea."

Said the shepherd boy to the mighty king,
"Do you know what I know?
In your palace warm, mighty king,
Do you know what I know?
A Child, a Child shivers in the cold--
Let us bring him silver and gold,
Let us bring him silver and gold."

Said the king to the people everywhere,
"Listen to what I say!
Pray for peace, people, everywhere,
Listen to what I say!
The Child, the Child sleeping in the night
He will bring us goodness and light,
He will bring us goodness and light."

This is what we do, as a church, we see different things than the world out there. We hear different things, we know something…pretty foggy sometimes, like John the Baptist. And then we say something different.

We say: “Imagine this: there is peace, love, forgiveness, acceptance, new chances, new life.”

And then we live out of that seeing and hearing and knowing. So that when we close our eyes we see amazing things. Like the kingdom of God full of friends and families and strangers, from all walks of life, with all sorts of abilities and disabilities, all kinds of family lives, and hopes and dreams.

When I close my eyes I see a community like the one gathered at a wedding I once presided at. Where the Harleys parked on the church yard next to the Volvo. The bride had to skirt past a wheelchair and a seeing eye dog on her way up the aisle. The groomsmen were partners, the matron of honor was 8 months pregnant, and at least three other countries were represented in the pews. It was beautiful. It was the kingdom of God.

When the Transformation Team was in Chicago at training a few years ago we spent some time in a hotel room sharing what we thought this congregation would like in a few years. Laura, I haven’t checked for tattoos lately, but we have lots of new people reading the lessons. And we have a variety of ages and sexes and lifestyles added to the mix. And we are doing more justice work and growing in spirit and energy and ideas….

Do you see what I see? A hope filled future where God uses us to make changes in the church and in the community. A vibrant worshiping community full of all sorts of folks, gathered to praise God. To ask questions and share doubts. Gathering at the table to be fed by a God of endless possibilities and unlimited imaginings.

Wow. We are part of the cloud of witnesses that see things differently. Like Isaiah and Mary and John. We envision a world of hope. We see a world of justice, we hear words of encouragement,. we know love, and we speak peace.

And we do our best to live this out, together.

Close your eyes and dream with your heart.

And may the God of life enlarge our dreaming and our vision and our hearing and our very lives.