A Word in the Wilderness

Luke 3:1-6
December 5, 2021
Advent 2
William G. Carter

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. He went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, 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. 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; and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.’”


When we gather each week to open God’s Book,
Let’s confess that sometimes we scarcely don’t look
Beneath or beyond the white page to the Source
Of all that is Good as we run our course.
Perhaps rhythm helps to engage heart and mind,
And give us fresh ears to discover and find
That God can still speak a Good Word from above.
It originates in mercy, and goodness, and love.
So bear with me, please, for it has been some time
Since I offered a sermon entirely in rhyme.
Today, I’m inspired by Spirit and text
Even if you’re wondering what could possibly be next.
Well, I will tell you if you’re willing to linger
Today here’s a Man with a sharp Pointy Finger.
His name is John and his fierce voice is strong.
Now bear with me please, and I shan’t go too long.

Tiberias was Caesar, the Roman despot.
He thought he was God, but certainly was not.
Pilate was governing at his Judean post.
An incompetent fool, yet quite prone to boast.
King Herod ruled over all Galilee
When he wasn’t debauching and collecting fleas.
Philip, Lysanias – oh, no one remembers
who they were, what they did, that’s in history’s embers.
When the Lord chose to speak, he didn’t speak to them.
They weren’t listening any way. So not to condemn,
But to preclude them from pride, God spoke out to John,
That outsider prophet with camel skins on.
He was the Man with the Pointy Finger.

Take note: God spoke not to the palaces of power,
And neither to priests for it wasn’t the hour.
No word went to Annas, or Caiphas, either,
Preoccupied with order in the ancient cathedral.
They obsessed over candlesticks, vestments, and gowns.
They might as well sit on high thrones wearing crowns.
So smugly in charge of their inherited religion,
They muted the Voice that created the pigeon.
When they opened God’s scrolls, they read with a drone,
As if the Almighty were sleeping and prone.
So God didn’t speak to the priests in the Temple.
The Message was aimed for the meek and the simple:
“Come home,” spoke the Lord, “turn around and come home!”
“Wake up and repent ‘til you sparkle like chrome,”
Said the Man with the Pointy Finger.

Where was he pointing? He pointed ahead:
For Someone is coming who raises the dead.
He will gather the harvest of all that is good
And burn chaff with fire like blazing deadwood.
“Don’t presume you have privilege to escape the Great Purge!”
John said, “Repent now! That is what I must urge.
Let mountains be lowered and valleys raised up,
And straighten that highway for God to walk up
And claim prime allegiance from you and your soul.
Or else you will perish and be cast in a hole.”
His message burned hearts and exposed what is phony.
God’s Word came with fire but without acrimony.
His intent was to cleanse. To set right. To restore.
To prepare us for One who knocks at the door.
“The Christ will come soon to set all things right,
To teach us to fear God without any fright.
He is coming with power, and fire, and might.”
So spoke the Man with the Pointy Finger.

They came from the cities. They came from the hills.
They traveled to the desert ‘cause they had the chills.
They went to the river with hope in the heart,
They stepped in the water so life could restart.
They hoped for Messiah whose righteousness could
Create them anew in the lives where they stood.
The accounts also tell us that leaders took notice
Caesar ignored – but Herod was curious.
And up from the river, the Pharisees listened,
Their hearts slightly warmed, their eyes almost glistened.
“Who dares to speak truth on behalf of our God?”
Their conventional religion found that a bit odd.
But John spoke the Word with passion and fire.
Even tax collectors, soldiers, and others were inspired.
“God is near,” he proclaimed in his most simple speech,
“Wake up and get ready! Scrub your souls with hot bleach!”
There was truth in the fire of John’s living Word.
To ignore it would be foolish and truly absurd!
He spoke with deep energy and everyone heard
the Man with the Pointy Finger.

Where else is he pointing? At me and at you.
Disturbing the peace by speaking what’s true:
“Don’t presume to believe that you’re tight with God,
If you go through the motions, you’re merely a fraud.”
Oh, I think of the times when I’ve just played the game,
As I diluted God’s Holiness and made it look tame.
John points down below the soul’s hardened crust
Illuminating the shadows and calling forth trust
That God sees us as we are, without any illusion
How sin damages life and creates contusions.
His voice cuts through all filters at night and at day,
He blows back our hair as he speaks up to say,
“You’re greedy like Scrooge! You’re mean like the Grinch!
You stumble through life with no more than an inch.
Of repentance and turning from darkness to light.
You avoid all exposure. Your soul is affright.”
When I hear him speak thus, I know he is right.
For sin can destroy the great grace of Shalom
“So I call you to turn back, to repent and come home,”
Says the Man with the Pointy Finger.

He names our homesickness, our primary thirst
For love and inclusion where we can be nursed
Back to wholeness of life with venerable grace
To untangle what’s twisted and discover the Face
Of neighbor and God whom we’re called to love.
This is Primary Commandment from heaven above.
John calls us to obedience as we live here on earth,
While pointing beyond us to Christ whose soon birth
Offers us life eternal in justice and mirth.
And confirms the deep dignity of our true worth.
God has no grandkids, just children who trust
That they are beloved, so they shall not rust
From baptisms grown lazy and negligent of
The works of compassion, and justice, and love.
In each generation, God’s family is formed
As each of us steps up with hearts that are warmed.
We all start from scratch with no assets to claim.
It is God who adopts us and gives us a name.
“You are my child,” God says when we’re wet,
“So come home and stay close. Don’t wander or fret.”
God has kept speaking to reprieve us from threat
After the Man with the Pointy Finger.

This is a remarkable Gospel to hear,
And all flesh shall see it. The truth shall be clear.
All illusions dispersed. All crooked made straight.
True mercy shall replace our tendency to hate.
John calls us to wake up and prepare the Way
For Christ to live with us. He goes on to say
That honesty prepares to live with the Lord.
Let’s give up on greed. Put away the sword.
And stand with our heads high, scrubbed by his grace.
The hour is nigh. We will soon see God’s Face.
So says the Man with the Pointy Finger.


(c) William G. Carter.  All rights reserved.