Making Straight the Paths
Matthew 3:1-12

As we headed north out of Austin early on the Friday after Thanksgiving, there was a lot of traffic zipping by on both sides of I35 even before 6 a.m.  Then I remembered — it was Black Friday.  Lots of people were rushing to get to the malls for the “Early Bird” specials.  Stores were opening at 6 a.m.; some had even opened at 4 a.m.  It was still dark.  I couldn't tell if all those people in all those cars were sipping on their thermal mugs of steaming coffee with a wonderful sense of anticipation, or gulping down their coffee with an anxious tightness in their chests and the pumping of adrenaline through their hearts as they began the annual mad rush toward Christmas.

Then the march of the shoppers and the endless parade of speeding cars were abruptly interrupted — at least in my mind.  Picture those huge signs that are placed above the interstates — often at exits.  In big bright blinking white letters they proclaim things like: “Caution, icy roads ahead”, or “Road Construction ahead: proceed with caution”, or “Detour Ahead: reduce speed.”  The same message is repeated over and over at every sign across the highway.  On that early morning the signs all over Texas read:
 
ELDERLY MISSING
BLUE MERCEDES
CALL POLICE

That message disappeared and another flashed up.  We were going very fast just so we wouldn't be rear-ended; the words flashed by too quickly.  I never could read the second part of the message. Everyone on that highway was locked in a frantic parade.  And the sign continued to flash at regular intervals:
ELDERLY MISSING
BLUE MERCEDES
CALL POLICE

The highway was apparently smooth and appeared to be so straight.  I was almost lulled to sleep as time slipped by and the miles to Eureka Springs became less than the miles back to Austin.  And yet I couldn't dismiss from my mind:
ELDERLY MISSING
BLUE MERCEDES
CALL POLICE

I thought of all those people almost flying on that smooth, straight highway rushing to the malls and one missing elderly person following all those others — perhaps going he knew not where. We will leave them now but not for long…

“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.’”

It isn't very comfortable or convenient to have John the Baptizer come marching into our Advent reverie.  In addition to a beard that's probably sticky with honey and tangled with locusts, he uses anxiety-causing words and phrases like: “Repent” and “Prepare” and “Make his paths straight.”  Have you ever seen a likeness of John the Baptist on a Christmas card?  Or as part of a nativity set — even the baby John? 

But perhaps if we can get beyond our image of the messenger, we can imagine new possibilities.  Perhaps if we can refrain from thinking of repentance as punishment, we can receive the message in another way.  Perhaps if we can think of making paths straight in a way that opens us up to new paths—not just the same old highway, we can receive the message even from a messenger who scares us.  Perhaps, if we can think of repentance and preparation and straightening out our hearts as voluntary acts, we can free ourselves to begin life as new men and women..

Those changes don’t happen in the twinkling of an eye nor in one Advent season nor not always in a long lifetime.  We don’t repeat our baptismal vows only once .  In fact, we will have the opportunity to that again next Sunday. It’s not like getting our permanent teeth.  It doesn’t happen once and then it’s all taken care of. We need to return again and again.  But the hope and the good news is that our Lord never gives up on us.  I believe he rejoices at every single effort we make to live into our baptismal promises; to straighten our paths and take different paths that are not always comfortable and predictable.

I want to tell you a bit more about what happened in Texas:
MISSING ELDERLY
BLUE MERCEDES
CALL POLICE

I have been searching the Internet ever since Thanksgiving, trying to find out how this story ended.  Isn’t it interesting how something hits the front page and then it’s gone and forgotten — even something as important as a human life?  Finally, finally, I found a brief news article. Here’s what it said: 
Missing DeSoto Man Found; ‘Silver Alert’ Canceled

Jack Perkins was last seen Thursday (Thanksgiving Day) at Methodist Charlton Medical Center in south Dallas.  The 88-year-old was at the hospital visiting his wife.

According to officials, Perkins was apparently having a difficult time locating his vehicle when a security guard assisted him.  Around 5 p.m. the guard helped him find his car and sent him on his way, but Perkins never made it home to DeSoto.

Police say Perkins was located Friday morning.  DeSoto Police say he is fine and has returned home.
It leaves a lot unsaid, doesn’t it! I can’t help but wonder, “Where was Jack Perkins from 5 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day until Friday morning?  What did he do all night?  Who reported him missing? How was he found?  Who found him?

Perhaps it’s good that the details were left out of the tiny news clip, because then I can choose the way I want it all to have happened…

Jack was grateful to the security guard who helped him find his car.  He seemed to understand how stressful it was to have Irene in the hospital. Jack couldn't manage without her; he wouldn't think about that now.  He just wanted to get home before dark…

He awoke sometime later — not sure what time it was or where he was.  He was parked on a dark unfamiliar street but could see the flashing headlights of cars not far off. He started the car and drove slowly toward the lights.

It was 5:45 a.m.  Why hadn’t she gotten up fifteen minutes earlier?  She was going to miss the biggest bargains —The "must-have toys” and the “gifts that will wow them!”  She already had a headache and the coffee churned in her stomach.  She noticed the sign but it really didn’t sink in. “Elderly missing, blue Mercedes, call police.”  Skillfully weaving in and out of traffic, she did her best to recapture a few minutes.  A blue Mercedes in the right lane was going impossibly slow… A BLUE MERCEDES. She tried to ignore it, pretend she didn’t see it; she just wanted to head straight for the mall, but she couldn't do it.  She grabbed her cell phone; it was dead; she had forgotten to plug it in last night.  Maybe somebody else would call.  In spite of herself, she stuck close to him.  It wasn’t the quick path straight to the mall that she had intended to take.  Cars whizzed by, impatiently passing her.

He drove past the next exit and the next.  Finally, he got off at the third exit and so did she.  He pulled in to the Golden Arches and parked — so did she.  He went inside — so did she.  He got his sausage biscuit and coffee and sat down — so did she, at his table for two... She never made it to the mall.

Sometimes when we choose the slower road, the path with bumps, the trail seldom taken, something in our heart shifts and we begin to prepare the way of the Lord.  Sometimes we take one little step to make his path a little straighter into our hearts.

As we continue our Advent journey, may we take the road less traveled.  May we open our hearts to prepare him room. 

Amen.

The Rev. Betsy Porter
2nd Sunday in Advent
9 December 2007

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