Crying Out in the Wilderness

This is the testimony given by John when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, ‘Who are you?’ He confessed and did not deny it, but confessed, ‘I am not the Messiah.’ And they asked him, ‘What then? Are you Elijah?’ He said, ‘I am not.’ ‘Are you the prophet?’ He answered, ‘No.’ Then they said to him, ‘Who are you? Let us have an answer for those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?’ He said, ‘I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, “Make straight the way of the Lord” ’, as the prophet Isaiah said. Now they had been sent from the Pharisees. They asked him, ‘Why then are you baptizing if you are neither the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the prophet?’ John answered them, ‘I baptize with water. Among you stands one whom you do not know, the one who is coming after me; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandal.’ This took place in Bethany across the Jordan where John was baptizing. John 1:19-28

I am convinced that we are in a time of crying, a time of voices raised for the life of the world. Some of us will cry out in prayer, others in war cries and yet others with loving reminders that we are not alone. It is not time for silent observing anymore. Nor a time to walk away. Each of us needs to carry a little piece of John the Baptist, willing to proclaim the presence of God, here among us, in the turmoil and the pain. Our Creator draws near, and we are those called to carry the message again, into the wildernesses we face. The wilderness of greed and corruption, of isolation and abuse, the dark places where humanity has been squandered. John came for his time. May we be God's loving witness and presence for our time.

Divine Creator, source of every spark of life

we are your heralds and your children here

give us strong voices to carry your witness.

Mothers die protecting their neighborhoods

thugs roam the streets like ancient soldiers

life seems so unbalanced and dangerous today.

Lord, put your clarion voices within us all

make us heralds of your loving presence here

and help us change the world as we sing for you. Amen.