As children we often had stories which began, “One upon a time…” In the first century if the children of Israel thought about the prophets of old such as Isaiah, Jeremiah, or Ezekiel, they might have begun by saying, “Once upon a time.” Elijah, Amos, Micah, and the three great prophets were part of a long ago history; in those days there were no prophets until one day……
The Gospel of St. Mark skips over Jesus’ birth stories found in St. Matthew and St. Luke, jumping right in with the activities of a guy named John, John the Baptist, doing prophet-like things out by the edge of the Jordan river. It seems that converts to Judaism often were immersed in the Jordan River as a part of their entrance into their new faith. The Jordan held a special place in believer’s hearts because it was the Jordan which their ancestors crossed to begin their new life in the Promised Land. Suddenly, here comes John the Baptism preaching repentance and offering folks an opportunity to reclaim a seriousness about their faith by immersion in the Jordan and symbolizing the washing away of past sins and the beginning of a new life as they waited for the coming of the one whose sandal John was unworthy to untie.
It is no surprise that we read about John the Baptist early in Advent. These days in the run up to Christmas are our opportunity to reflect on our need of a savior, as well as providing us with the time to measure and evaluate the seriousness of our faith. At a deeper level, just as John surprised people by assuming the mantle of the prophets as well as challenging the entrenched leadership of his day, perhaps we need to realize afresh that there are prophets abroad in our world today. They may not preach at the edge of the Jordan, but they often inhabit the edges of our society, many times not attired in religious garb or speaking with stained glass words, but are prophets nonetheless. In the not too distant past Simon and Garfunkle in their song Sound of Silence, noted that, “the words of the prophets are written on the subways walls and tenement halls.” They were not far off the mark.
As we move through these advent days, may we keep our senses alert to the presence of prophets in our midst today as we prepare for the coming of our savior who will dwell in our midst, whose wisdom, power, and love are from on high.
