As we enter into the 3rd week of Advent we remember the words of Isaiah that closed last week's reading ... A solitary voice is calling: “Go into the wilderness; prepare the
road for the Eternal One’s journey. In the desert, repair and straighten
every mile of our True God’s highway. Every low place will be lifted
and every high mountain, every hill will be humbled; The crooked road
will be straightened out and rough places ironed out smooth; Then the
radiant glory of the Eternal One will be revealed. All flesh together
will take it in.”
The Voice Bible: Step Into the Story of Scripture
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| Shared by Shakko (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0) or GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html)], via Wikimedia Commons ... Location: Kiev Museum | http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/John_the_Baptist, Byzantine Encaustic Icon John the Baptist, c IV |
John the Baptist and the Ritual of Baptism from a production of PBS called From Jesus to Christ
"Our knowledge of the figure of John the Baptist is very limited. We have only those references to him in the Christian gospels, where he stands alongside of Jesus. We also have references to him in the Jewish historian, Josephus, who was writing toward the end of the first century. So John the Baptist is clearly a very important figure of the time. He was a renowned kind of eccentric, it appears, from the way that Josephus describes him. But he seems to have this quality of a kind of prophetic figure ... one who was calling for change. So he is usually thought of as being off in the desert wearing unusual clothes ... a kind of ascetic, almost. But what he is really is a critic of society, of worldliness, who seems to be calling for a change in religious life. But I think we have to think of John the Baptist primarily as one who was calling for a return to an intensely Jewish piety ... to follow the way of the Lord ... to make oneself pure ... to be right with God. John the Baptist, of course, is known for having practiced baptism. But then, so did lots of other people ... The idea of baptizing, or washing as a sign of purity seems to come, actually, out of the Temple practice itself."
Take
a deep breath and prepare your own heart to accompany ordinary people seeking God as they journey into the
wilderness to encounter the strange prophet-man called John, The Baptist. We listen to their questions and ponder how their questions are our questions too.
Why not create a breath prayer
to breathe the prayers of your soul in the wilderness ... Use this one
or create your own (6-8 syllables is an optimal prayer for breathing)
...
Breathe in … Holy One (pause) Breath out … Clear my Mind! (pause)
When you feel centered on God and ready to move into the text, pray
Clear my mind so I can receive your word into my heart, O Holy One of God. Amen.
Lectio (Read) the Passage.
Take a deep breath and read the passage slowly, taking in the dialogue as it unfolds in The Voice Bible. If there is a word or
phrase that captures your attention, pause on that word or phrase for a
few moments before continuing. Stay with your word or phrase as long at
it feels right to do so before moving on in your prayerful journey into the Word.
Luke 3:7-18 (The Voice Bible: Stepping into the Story of Scripture)
In fulfillment of those words, crowds streamed out from the villages and towns to be baptized by John at the Jordan. John the Baptist: You bunch of venomous snakes! Who told you that you could escape God’s coming wrath? Don’t just talk of turning to God; you’d better bear the authentic fruit of a changed life. Don’t take pride in your religious heritage, saying, “We have Abraham for our father!” Listen— God could turn these rocks into children of Abraham! God wants you to bear fruit! If you don’t produce good fruit, then you’ll be chopped down like a fruitless tree and made into firewood. God’s ax is taking aim and ready to swing!
People: What shall we do to perform works from changed lives?
John the Baptist: The person who has two shirts must share with the person who has none. And the person with food must share with the one in need. Some tax collectors were among those in the crowd seeking baptism.
Tax Collectors: Teacher, what kind of fruit is God looking for from us?
John the Baptist: Stop overcharging people. Only collect what you must turn over to the Romans.
Soldiers: What about us? What should we do to show true change?
John the Baptist: Don’t extort money from people by throwing around your power or making false accusations, and be content with your pay. John’s bold message seized public attention, and many began wondering if John might himself be the Anointed One promised by God.
John the Baptist: I baptize you with water, but One is coming— One far more powerful than I, One whose sandals I am not worthy to untie— who will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. He is coming like a farmer at harvest time, tools in hand to separate the wheat from the chaff. He will burn the chaff with unquenchable fire, and He will gather the genuine wheat into His barn. He preached with many other provocative figures of speech and so conveyed God’s message to the people— the time had come to rethink everything.
Meditatio (meditate) on the passage as you read.
Read the passage a 2nd time stopping when your your attention is drawn to the same thought or a new one ... Take time to reflect
on how this word or phrase is touching you in this present moment ... How are these questions of the people and the answers that John gives interpreting your life right now? How might God be calling you to attend to your life?
Oratio (pray) through the passage as you read.
Read the passage a 3rd time stopping once again when your your attention is drawn to the same thought or a new one ... How are
you being drawn to prayer in answer to this passage and to "rethink everything" in your life?
How do you respond to the One who is coming?
Contemplation (contemplation = awareness of God) Rest in
the Presence of God ...
Spend 10 minutes in the silence or as long as
you are able ... playing soft unknown instrumental music can help you to
hold the space ... before moving back into the world. How have you been
transformed by God through praying the scriptures ... allow your word
or phrase to emerge when needed to keep you grounded and connected to
God.
If music is a pathway to God for you, you might want to listen to this folk-song type rendition of On Jordan's Bank the Baptist's Cry, an advent song on Youtube called. It is simply done and I think John the Baptist would approve!
Take this link for more information on this striking Icon of the enigmatic prophet: Byzantine Icon of John the Baptist. If you would like to pray with the Icon found above, take this Link for MOSAIC'S "How to pray with an Icon."
As you journey down your Advent path, may you rethink everything, breathe in the changes of life, and see the One who is coming! Deep Peace ...
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