December 6 Advent II
Have you ever seen your home from outer space? Once this was only possible for the few who actually ventured into space, equipped with powerful telescopes and exact coordinates. It required the highest level of military and aerospace technology. Now, any of us can do it, right from the comfort of our living rooms. All you have to do is open up Google Earth on the computer, and type in your address.
As the program starts, the earth appears on the screen as that swirling blue and green ball of a planet, floating against a vast black backdrop dotted with stars. When you enter your address in the search field, the globe begins to turn and fill the screen. You see North America gradually come into view, then Arkansas as you slowly zoom in. The screen takes you through layers of atmosphere as you get closer, as if you’re going down through the clouds. Gradually details come into focus. You begin to make out Central Arkansas, then Little Rock. The image continues to get sharper as you get down to your neighborhood and particular streets. As the program zeros in on your actual address, the top of your home comes into view, crystal clear. You can even get down to street level, and see the trees and parked cars around your home. Using satellite imagery, Google Earth will take you all the way from outer space to your very own driveway.
We don’t often think of where we live in terms of where we are in the universe. Our points of reference tend to be a bit more local, less cosmic. Tools like Google Earth can stretch our perspectives, and open up our minds. A friend of mine recently embraced this idea when he created a description of himself on Facebook. In the category called “About Me,” this is what he wrote:
Milky Way Galaxy/Third planet/Northern hemisphere/North America/United States/The People’s Republic of Texas/Austin/Lee Avenue/brown house/guy in the blue jeans, waving.
His description is a sort of Google Earth approach, going from outer space and gradually zooming in on street level, to a particular man, waving.
If Google Earth had been available when the Gospel of Luke was written, I’m convinced that the writer would have used it to introduce John the Baptist, going from the cosmic level down to the guy waving in the desert. What we read today is a first-century approximation of that tactic, minus the satellites.
“In the fifteenth year of the reign of Emperor Tiberius, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was ruler of Galilee, and his brother Philip ruler of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias ruler of Abilene, during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness.” These lines go from seven large-scale historical figures, Roman rulers and high priests – the universe, if you will – down to John the Baptist, an unknown man standing in the wilderness echoing the words of the prophet Isaiah. Repent, and prepare the way of the Lord.
From the perspective of the big political picture of the time, John’s voice was a small and distant one, just a blip on the screen of history. And yet, it was his message that helped the world to prepare for the coming of the messiah. A crucial part of the unfolding Christian story was located in that unknown man waving in the desert. John inspired people. He gave them hope. Roman rule was oppressive and unfair, and John responded with an unshakable faith in the advent of a new leader. John preached that there is another way to live, a way more righteous, more just, and more free than anything anyone had ever known. John promised that that way was just around the corner, in Jesus. John’s was a small, distant voice in the grand scheme of things, perhaps, but a vital voice, nonetheless.
And so it is with us. It may seem that we are just a blip on the screen of the big Christian story. But God, operating on a cosmic level, zeros in on each one of us, just as God did with John in the wilderness, and includes us in the bigger story. We each have purpose in this life. We each have the opportunity to touch the lives of those around us and make a difference in the name of God. We care for our children, our family, and our friends. We show love. We strive to do the work of Christ. We speak up when something seems unjust. As Christians, we follow in the footsteps of John, and cry out in this secular wilderness proclaiming faith when it seems to many that there is none to be had.
God’s cosmic story unfolds in each one of us, the people in blue jeans waving on the street. We stand in a long line of regular folks – John the Baptist, Mary and Joseph, the disciples, all of us seemingly very far removed from the historically powerful and noteworthy. But all of us the very people to see the salvation of God and show it forth in our lives.
The other day I typed in 509 Scott Street in Google Earth. The image of the whole planet gradually gave way to Little Rock, and eventually I saw the roof of Christ Church and several of your cars in the parking lot. Imagine if the technology could go a bit further, zooming in past the roof and capturing the image of each of us in the pew. This seems like a fitting image for Advent, a time when we focus perhaps more on the street level than on the big, cosmic level of the Christmas story. We spend time heeding John’s message of repentance and preparation. We look into our own lives and pay attention to the places that need change and growth. We zoom in on the details. But Advent is also a time to remember that each one of us sitting here today is linked to that larger Christian story with a vital role to play. In Advent, we prepare our hearts so that we can take our place in that story, witnessing the salvation of God in the big picture, and in our very own lives. Amen.