LECTIONARY ADVENT 2: John (Matthew 3:1-12)

From before the moment you kicked and turned somersaults inside your mother's guts,
Your soul's sojourn was set,
Born to be the bearer of news the world would never forget,

From the desert you arrived camel hair covering your sides,
Tied around your waist with a belt of leather made,
And these characteristics, along with your penchant for honey and locust,
Are, at first glance, the headline grabbers.

But what really stood you out from the crowds who followed you,
To Jordan's shores and into the waters themselves,
What really stood you apart from the crowds were the words spoken,

From your lips into eternity you alone bore into the present the prophets past,
You alone called the people from wayward ways to the task,
No simple street preacher, you lived the words you spoke,

Stuck your neck out, ready to be beheaded,
For the sake of the king who would come,
The one you felt when inside your mothers tum, deep inside, your heart pounded,

But all that is history, and yet you,
You among the few still capture hearts and imaginations,
You still stew sensations inside so many,

Like a modern day prophet shouting down apartheid,
Calling down capitalism's more vociferous sins,
Tearing down walls that people's lives are built within,

You were the attention taker,
The sole role-model,
For so many,
And today you tear through lectionaries and liturgies,

Your call to turn back,
Echoing down through the vast tunnel of time,
From where it all began to where it will all end,

And we're grateful for your word,
That we've so easily ignored,
And we're thankful for your faithfulness,
And your challenge sharp as any sword,

Turn back, for the kingdom is coming,
And it's time to turn towards the Lord.