Isaiah 40:1-11 and Mark 1:1-8

Let us Pray - Creator and maker of us all - bless the words of my lips and the meditations of our hearts - grow thou in us and show us your ways and inspire us to live by your truth. Amen

Hagar the Horrible is one of my favourite cartoon strips.

One of my favourite Hagar strips is the one in which Hagar is addressed by a Monk.

In the first frame, the monk, Bible tucked under his arm, an expression of peace on his face, says to Hagar, "Remember, it is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness."

In the next frame, we see the monk disappearing over the horizon, and we see Hagar, looking out at us - saying - "But I enjoy cursing the darkness"

How many of us enjoy cursing the darkness?

How many of us would rather complain about what is wrong than to add to what is right? To feel sad or upset, or angry, about what is going on around rather than to change it? To cast stones and criticize what is happening, rather than to gather up the stones and build from them a new and better thing?

You think it is a silly question maybe? That no sane person would want to feel upset or angry?

Well, all I can say is perhaps we are not as sane as we might be.

Advent and Christmas is a strange times of year for many of us. A time in which, as we prepare for the coming of the Son of God, we often feel down, disappointed, and anxious. A time in which instead of feeling joy, we feel despair. A time in which instead of rejoicing, we fret and worry and drive others insane.

You know, as I anticipate the coming of the Lord, as I look forward to Christmas Eve, to the candles, to the hymns, to receiving in my hands the bread and the wine, I am amazed by the number of grinches that exist around me, the number of people who grump and complain about how Christmas is corrupt, how our songs have been stolen, our gifts cheapened, our hopes made trivial, and our dreams destroyed.

I am amazed by how I hear around me the voices of doom, by how people tell me that nothing is as it was, and that Christmas has become nothing but a merchant's delight, and that what is supposed to be a time of faith and hope has become nothing but a time of a greed and despair.

Where is our faith?
Where is our conviction?
Where is our sense that indeed God has come to us in Jesus and that he had overcome the power of darkness?

Do we enjoy cursing the darkness?
Do we enjoy it more than we enjoy lighting a candle?

This is the season of good news, the season of preparing ourselves for the coming of the Lord, the season of celebration, of rejoicing, of praising God for what he has done, and what he is doing, and what he will yet do.

But can you tell? Can people look at us and say "Yes, something special is happening! Something good is going on?"...

Every year at Christmas I want to cry with John the Baptist and with Isaiah the prophet. I want to cry with them:

Get with it. Get an attitude! See what is really happening! Prepare ye the way for God! Look for his coming in power! Make his paths straight! Know that the time of vindication and of peace is at hand! Rejoice and be glad - for while there is darkness in the world - there is also light, and the light is stronger than the darkness, the darkness cannot overcome it."

I want to cry - Prepare ye the way of the Lord. Comfort,, O comfort my people. The Lord comes with might, his arm rules for him, his reward is with him, and his recompense before him. He will feed his flock like a shepherd, he will gather the lambs in his arms and carry them in his bosom..."

There is so much good around us. There is so much power and righteousness at hand.

What does the Monk say to Hagar??? It is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness...

My friends,. a candle has been provided to us. A light has been granted unto the world, and it 's power is unquenchable.

So what are we doing???
Are we letting the enemy win???
Are we cursing the darkness rather than lighting a candle???
Are we dithering, rather than preparing the way of the Lord??

Think of the good news! Get an attitude! Prepare the way of the Lord. Celebrate the good news instead of cursing the bad news....

Do you really want good news? Then look for what is good, look for God - and you will see that not only is he is coming, you will see that he is here.

Who can account for the mothers who feed their children before they feed themselves? Who can explain the men who spend their spare time in lodges and societies dedicated to helping others? Who can account for the little ones who hug and play with their neighbours?

What keeps the food banks going? What explains the tenderness of a young married couple? What makes sense of the feelings that come to us when we see a baby take her first steps?

Advent is about preparing for the coming of the Lord - but you know - that getting ready is not, for us, a getting ready for a future coming, it is an opening to the God who is already with us, an opening to the Prince of Peace - who came to us as a babe in Bethlehem, and who, after his resurrection, is Lord in heaven above.

Are we prepared?
Are we open?

Fred Craddock, a well known preacher and scholar, tells the story about a young pastor who visited an old lady who was very sick in a hospital.

He entered the room and saw person lying on the bed, gasping for breath. H decided to have a short visit, not to tire her. He asked, "Would you like me to pray for you?"

She nodded yes.

"What would you like me to pray?" asked the young preacher?

"I want you to pray that I will be made well, that God will give me health.", the old lady said.

The young preacher gulped. But he prayed, praying something like, "God, if it be thy will, restore this sister to health. However, let us accept thy will, so that whether she receives her health or not, she will know that you are still close to her."

When the prayer ended, the old lady's eyes flashed open. She sat up. She startled the preacher by throwing her legs over the side of the bed. She stood up. She stretched out her arms. She turned around to the astonished young preacher and said, "I feel better. I feel a great deal better. In fact, I feel like I have been healed.!"

With that she walked out of the room, headed down the hall toward the nurse's station, shouting, "I am healed!"

The young preacher staggered out, went down the stairs, out the door of the hospital and into the parking lot. As he stood at his car, before opening the door, the young preacher looked up. "Don't you ever do that to me again!" he said.

There are a lot of people who believe in God, and who yet miss the good news.

For them God is always coming, but never here. God is always promising, but never delivering. God is always near, but never quite in touch....

But it ain't so!

God lives. God is here. And God is coming here.

You can see it in the face of a new born baby. You can see it in the gaze of young lovers. You can see it in the look of old married couples. You can see it within your own hearts, when you take time to look.


God will accomplish his purpose. The kingdom will come. The question for us is - will we get an attitude? Will we be a part of the fulfilment of God's purpose? Will we light a candle? Or will we curse the darkness?

May his name be praised day by day. Amen!