In those days John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness of Judea, proclaiming, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” This is the one of whom the prophet Isaiah spoke when he said,
“The voice of one crying out in the wilderness:‘Prepare the way of the Lord;
make his paths straight.’ ” (Matthew 3:1-3)
Do you remember the total eclipse visible in much of the United States back in the spring of 2024? Do you remember where you were? Do you remember interrupting your usual routines and schedules to go outside and look up at the sky? Do you remember wondering before it all happened whether it would be worth all the fuss, all the changing of plans, going outside, and staring upward?
And do you remember when it finally happened, and the sky turned dark in the mid-afternoon, and you could see the shining corona around the darkened sun? Do you remember the eerie responses of birds, the odd stillness and awe of those few minutes? Do you remember thinking to yourself, "Now I get it--now I know why everyone was making such a big deal about making the effort to see this"?
I'll confess that my own reaction followed along something like those lines: from hesitancy about whether all the hullaballoo was going to be worth it, to rearranging the day's usual plans and blocking off time for an eclipse-watching event at the church yard, to utter amazement when it finally happened. The realization that something I had never experienced before was about to happen, and that it would not happen again in this place for the rest of my lifetime, made this an event I was glad I didn't miss. It would have been an awful shame if I would have kept to my usual schedule and stayed inside at work during the eclipse, and it was absolutely worth it to rearrange my plans and turn my attention up to the sky for those few minutes.
I know it might not seem similar, but I hear the John the Baptizer's opening message in the gospels, which many of us heard this past Sunday in worship, in a similar spirit. So often we cast John as a furious firebrand scaring people into good behavior (and to be sure, he does have a way of coming on pretty strong), but maybe we are misunderstanding him. When John announces that "the kingdom of heaven has come near" or "the reign of God is at hand," it's with the same hopeful urgency of all those folks who told us to clear our calendars on the afternoon of eclipse day, because something really good was available to us--and they didn't want us to miss out. When everyone from the local news to your friends on Facebook to the school superintendents who cancelled school so kids wouldn't miss out all told us, "You don't want to miss this event--look up at the sky, and don't keep your attention on a screen indoors for these minutes!" they weren't trying to scare us or threaten us. They wanted us to get to share in something wonderful--something that we had all been waiting to see happen for a very long time. John speaks the same way. The coming of God's Reign was a hope of God's people for centuries. The arrival of God's Chosen one--the "Anointed" or "Messiah"--was a moment they had looked forward to for generations. And after seeing so many empires and conquerors sweep through their land going back as far as anyone could remember (from the Assyrians to the Babylonians to the Medes and the Persians to the Greeks and now the Romans!), the notion that God was going to come near in a new way, and that God's Reign would unfold right under the noses of Caesar and his underlings was thrilling! This was something you didn't want to miss.
So when John says, "Repent, for the Reign of God has come near!" it's less like a threat and more like an invitation. It has the feel of saying, "The thing we've all been waiting for is finally here--just turn your focus away from the usual routines and look in the direction I'm pointing toward! I promise it will be worth it." If you can remember how awestruck and fulfilled you felt when you got to look at the shadowed sun, and if you can remember feeling like, "This was worth the change in my plans for the day!" then you can understand why John takes his message so seriously. The coming of God's Reign is obviously a bigger deal than a few minutes of dazzling sights in the sky, and John wants to make sure the people around him are not so preoccupied with their usual busy-ness and same old routines that they don't even look up to see the One they've been waiting for. John isn't trying to frighten us when he shouts, "Repent!" He's trying to ensure we don't keep our focus pointed in the wrong direction. The word has the feel of "Change your orientation! Redirect your attention! Look up from the things that had captured your focus and see the thing that you've really been waiting for!"
Of course, it's one thing to hear someone tell you, "This will be worth it," and it's entirely another to experience the thing-that-is-worth-it for yourself. Words fail me, even now, to capture the awe of the total eclipse--and that was just a few minutes of my life. The arrival of Jesus really does change everything. Jesus' coming shows us the beating heart of God in this unarmed itinerant rabbi who welcomed outcasts, healed the sick, lifted up the lowly, cast out evil, challenged the assumptions of the religious experts, and washed feet. Jesus' presence was compelling, his teaching was eye-opening, and his love was life-changing. When people were in the presence of Jesus, whether he was feeding the multitudes, speaking up for the overlooked, or just striking up a conversation with a stranger, people felt they were in the very presence. When they saw the way Jesus put others before himself, and when they saw how he lifted up those who were bowed down, they knew they were getting a glimpse of what it looks like where God's will is done. They were experiencing, in other words, the Reign of God--the kingdom of heaven.
And that's what we are a part of, as well. We are a part of the new community that continues to be transformed by Jesus' presence. We are a part of that new family of faith where God's Reign becomes visible, even if just in moments and glimmers. If we are so consumed with what the world tells us is important--money, power, status, "winning," getting recognition, or getting the next piece of technology to make our lives better--we will miss out on what is right in front of us. John doesn't want us to miss out. John keeps shouting to get our attention and pointing at the sky.
He's speaking to us today, too: "Hey everybody! Look up from your screens and schedules and see the reign of God right in our midst! I promise it will be worth it."
Will we look up from whatever else we have been focused on to see the presence of Christ and the kingdom of God today?
Lord Jesus, help us to listen to the voices you have sent to get our attention so that we will be turned to you today.
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