Crying Out in the Desert

Written by Kelly Dunlop on the Second Sunday of Advent

Today’s Gospel would be torturous to proclaim at mass. Itiraea? Trachonitis? Lysanias? Yet I recognize that including these names is important because it situates the unfolding story in a geo-political context, the particular moment and location in history within which Jesus was born. God chose to come into the world in a backwater town, in poverty, in a battle-state. This context would shape Jesus’s reality and sense of self as well as how others would receive his message.

As Advent comes around each year, filled with familiar stories and rituals, my place changes. While I may physically reside in the same house or town and work for the same organization, personal, campus and world events influence how I enter into each Advent. As I write today, news of the San Bernadino shooting is being broadcast on every major news outlet. On the heels of the Paris attacks, questions are being raised regarding the couple’s religious affiliation and whether this was an act of terrorism. Fear is heightened and assumptions are being made. Some cry out for stricter gun control. Others see the need for open carry. Within myself I experience a real tension between grieving with those gunned down and those being discriminated against because of the fanatical actions of a few and feeling desensitized and paralyzed, seemingly without any answers.

It is in a particular time and place that John the Baptist cries out in the desert,  prepare the way of the Lord. The gospel writer intentionally names the space within which he makes this proclamation- a place without plants or wildlife, covered primarily with rock and stone and not heavily populated. And yet, people seek out this wilderness man to hear what he is preaching. Some likely out of curiosity. Others because they wanted to size up their competition. Many who believed John was a prophet and even questioned if he was the Messiah sought him out.

The desert realities of our current world order bombard me in multiple mediums. If the only story told is that according to the news and social media, hearts appear to be hardening and signs of abundant life seem fleeting. This challenges me to be an active seeker this Advent in the desert places of my life and to create space for the Lord to surprise me. Today, I will turn off the news coverage and spend some time in prayer listening for the promise that comes in the desert that “valleys will be filled in” and “rough ways made smooth.”

Suggestion for Prayer:
The space and place within which we pray matters. Where are you now? (body, mood, historically, geographically, spiritually? )
Whatever your desert reality might be today, seek the Lord in that place and pay attention to what beckons you.

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Kelly Dunlop
Kelly was delighted to join the campus ministry staff at St. Mary’s in 2011. Before coming to St. Mary’s, Kelly was the associate director for social justice at the Newman Parish at her alumnus the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill where she studied psychology (’02) and social work (’05). While her heart still bleeds Carolina Blue, she and her family (husband Paul and children Conor and Erin) have truly come to find a home in Ann Arbor.
Email: kdunlop@smspnewman.org