Third Sunday of Advent December 10, 2006
Scripture	Luke 3:1-6 3 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, 2 during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness. 3 He went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, 4 as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah, “The voice of one crying out in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. 5 Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways made smooth; 6 and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.’ ”
Devotional	The Gospel reading for the Second Sunday of Advent is one of those you fear you will be called on to read aloud in church school. Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias are rarely used around our household. The spell check does not recognize them either. Having little interest in who was the ruler of Abilene, I usually skim through the reading. The habit of skimming over difficult names is also true of difficult passages. We think that political and religious leaders are meant to possess or at least mediate divine powers. The issue of power and authority are in the headlines everyday as well as abuse of this power. Scandal has been present in the secular and religious recently, just as in John’s day. The reading is saying if you wish to understand the reign of God, look in the unexpected places. Go to the margin. Go to the desert. John the Baptist is placed in the role with all the important players of the day, Roman rulers, Jewish leaders, and Temple authorities. The word of the Lord bypassed all of these but came to the son of a priest in the wilderness. Why do we need John the Baptist? John is needed for the preparation for the coming of Christ within each of us. John enables us to go beyond our closed minds, beyond sin and recognize Jesus’ presence within us. To recognize the reign of God within ourselves. The word from the margins has power to level the hills and to fill the valleys. Watch out for this word. This word of the Lord could be dangerous.