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.’ ”
Now John wore clothing of camel’s hair with a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. Then Jerusalem and all Judea and all the region around the Jordan were going out to him, and they were baptized by him in the River Jordan, confessing their sins.
But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for his baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Therefore, bear fruit worthy of repentance, and do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our ancestor,’ for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham. Even now the ax is lying at the root of the trees; therefore every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.
“I baptize you with water for repentance, but the one who is coming after me is more powerful than I, and I am not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.
Matthew 3:1-11 (NRSVUE)
Magandang Hapon! We’re now on our fourth installment of our Advent series “Crying out to God.” Last week we talked about the Magnificat, which was Mary’s song and cry of joy to God, when the angel Gabriel announced to her that she will be conceiving a child. We discussed the hope that Elizabeth and Mary received from God, and like them, we as a Church are also given a hope that we have the responsibility of parenting, the same way that Elizabeth and Mary raised John and Jesus.
Just a fun fact before we proceed, ang patron saint ng city kung nasan tayo ngayon ay si St. John the Baptist, that’s why as a true-blooded San Juaneno, we celebrate our fiesta which is wattah wattah every June 24. Kaya markahan niyo ang date na yan, at wag na wag kayong dadaan sa San Juan between 6 AM to 12NN on that date kung ayaw nyong mabasa.
We will fast-forward a bit with our passage today, which is about John the Baptist preparing the way for the ministry of Jesus.
Ito na ang moment that the hope of Elizabeth was fulfilled, and as we’ve discussed John the Baptist also was dedicated by Elizabeth back to God. I only wonder kung ano ang reaction nya, when her son would go against the establishment where Elizabeth and Zechariah belongs, the priesthood, the dominant religious institution during their time.
In our reading today which is a passage from the Gospel of Matthew, John the Baptist is described as someone whose clothes were made of camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist. Hindi po yan Gucci belt or a designer piece, yes it’s authentic leather, but during their time, his wardrobe is giving poverty. John the Baptist lived a simple life.
The Gospels also imply that John the Baptist started his ministry in the wilderness. As I prepare this sermon, this got me asking, ano daw? He was preaching repentance in the wilderness? Eh wala namang tao dun? But just two verses after, nasagot din naman, because people come to him from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region of the Jordan. That’s just me na madaling mag over react. But, may isa pa kong theory diyan which we will be discussing later.
There’s only two words that I want all of us to remember in this preaching, wilderness and repentance or metanoia. What is metanoia? This is basically the original Greek word used for the English translation “repent!” as we all know the New Testament was originally written in Koine Greek which is the most commonly used language in the Mediterranean during their time. Metanoia is basically a change of heart, a change from the inside, that leads to outward transformation.
Two words that are worth reflecting on as we spend the remaining days of our 2024 in vacation, well, for some who took their leaves.
Wilderness, what do you imagine when you hear that word? Para bang gubat or ma-pine trees tulad nung sa Baguio? Maybe for most of us it’s an enjoyable place where we go to para magbakasyon or mag-hike.
Wilderness is basically being in the wild or a desert where only a few people dare to inhabit. The heat can be scorching and in my experience going sa gilid ng Holy Land, the desert can be so freezing cold sa gabi at pitch black, with only a bit of light from the stars. (Yes, sa gilid lang kami which is The Kindgom of Jordan, and still part parin naman ng mundo ng New Testament. And I just researched and found out na natanaw pala namin ang Judean wilderness there, where John the Baptist preached, sa pagkakaalala ko it was basically all sand. Hindi rin kami natuloy mag baptism sa Jordan river na may parang rope sa gitna which serves as their border with the state of Israel, kasil ung kulay nung tubig is giving leptospirosis, and sorry lord, wala kaming faith nun to believe na hindi kami tatablan ng leptospirosis o ma malaria) That’s wilderness for you! Hindi siya masaya, its boring, and it can be even dangerous.
The word translated as wilderness occurred in the Bible around 300 times. A lot of our heroes of faith had spent their time there at some point in their lives. Abraham, Moses, Elijah, and even Jesus spent some moments wandering in that desolated and even dangerous place, showing us that in the comforts of our domestic and civilized lives, we are still meant to be in the wild from time to time, where we are freed from our human tendency to cling to certainty and security. And in the lives of some of our heroes of faith, spending time in the wilderness was also necessary. Hindi pwede ang shortcuts or expressways when it comes with our journey sa pananampalataya.
Wilderness isn’t only geographic, it’s a place in our journey with God, it’s also a state of heart. Wilderness is where we are all stripped off of our superficialities, like John the Baptist in his very simple lifestyle,, this is where we are left alone to ourselves with nothing but God and us. This is where we see our core. I’m not saying that material possessions or any other pursuit is bad. But sometimes those can be a distraction in living a life that is true to who we are because wilderness is where our defenses are down making it easier for us to be more honest with ourselves and with God.
So here’s my theory, maybe John the Baptist preached to himself first kaya sa wilderness niya sinimulan ang ministry nya? That he also repented there, the place where metanoia or the transformation of John’s heart started. We’ll never know, it wasn’t explicitly written there.
As a queer Church, all of us here are fighting for our place in this society who also needs metanoia in the way they view people like us.
But just like John the Baptist, as we prepare and start our ministry this coming 2025, let us not forget that we also need metanoia. For some here who aren’t in the wilderness right now, John the Baptist’s life is also a model for us, that from time to time we should make an effort to return and intentionally spend time in the wilderness, where metanoia or repentance happens best. Yes God loves us and we have reclaimed our worth and value before God as queer people, and that our queerness is part of God’s creation and divine image. But that doesn’t mean to say there is nothing to repent from or no transformation for us – we are still part of the human family that needs repentance and transformation. Transformation from greed, selfishness, and apathy. Repentance and transformation ng mga acclang madadamot, makasarili, matataray, at walang pakialam sa lipunan.
We should cry out to God in the wilderness where no people is listening.. That before being a Christian witness in the world, like John and Jesus, we should first remove lahat ng ingay ng mundong ito so that we can listen to the inner voice within and do a self check.
Like them, before engaging in their ministries, we should allow ourselves to be comfortable with silence. Our spiritual lives or inner lives (for those who are non-religious) needs tending to, or else we would be swayed with the unrelenting noise that this capitalist society is screaming at us in loudspeakers, which to be honest, many of us (yes, I’m raising my hands) have been already drawn to, especially in this season of peak consumerism, Christmas, a very far-cry from that image of Christ laid down in a lowly, un-hygienic, mabaho at un-Instagrammable na manger.
And from the wilderness and our silence, we will see the things that need metanoia. We would see what needs to change as an individual and as a collective. Mga bagay na hindi nakakaganda.
Mga bangayang maiiwasan naman dapat if we just know how to shut the fuck up. Wasting our energies and time by not choosing our battles wisely or not choosing where and when to give our limited fucks, mga putakan sa social media that could have spent in serving our queer siblings in whatever small ways that we can. Lahat nalang inaaway, even our allies. The feeling of being morally superior na totoo naman minsan, char, but what’s bad is that nabubulag na tayo sa ating moral or intellectual superiority that we become the same people that we vowed not to be, it’s just that we’re on the opposite side of the spectrum.
Yes! We appreciate that we are passionate about other people, the marginalized, and the oppressed. But, like Jesus and John, it is important that we know first who we are before we can be that voice that speaks in the wilderness, so that we can utilize our zeal and anger in service to our cause. Hindi pwedeng tira ng tira at sugod ng sugod.
Let’s go back to the wilderness mga bakla, let’s return to the silence of the desert. Ask ourselves, who am I? What do I stand for? And what drives me to fight for what I stand? What does the voice in the wilderness is telling me? Who is that girl I see staring straight back at me, ganern!
And for some of us who serve, why do I serve here?
For those who have been serving, leading, and volunteering for a long time now at na-experience na ang maraming wilderness moments or even crucifixions…
Okay ka pa ba? Are you still motivated to the core and heart of why you serve in the first place?
Baka kasi natatabunan ka na rin ng maraming bitterness and resentment for all the years of service you have given?
Start from the heart. Is it coming from a place of love?
Yes, we affirm that all of us can serve here kahit iba iba ang paniniwala natin at iba iba rin ang ating dahilan. But, nahukay na ba talaga natin ang ating puso to reach that depth where we can say it’s because of love?
Because our service can leave us exhausted and minsan drained, it’s important that we know our core, at malalim ang ating hugot so that we won’t have any resentments and we will be always left energized as we serve.
Because sometimes, your heart that is cultivated and transformed in the wilderness is the best protest and witness in our world. We need to cryout from the wilderness of transformation because only people transformed repeatedly in the wilderness can proclaim God’s transformative power. People will feel it eh. And maybe that’s the reason why hindi si John the Baptist ang pumupunta sa mga tao to preach repentance, it’s the people who are drawn to him even taking the inconvenience of going to the Judean wilderness to listen to his message.
Maybe that’s the reason why some of our straight siblings are also drawn to MCC, also taking the inconvenience of knowing na hindi sila makakarelate sa mga drag race fans dito including me na isang straight, straight na bading. Could it be that they are also hearing God’s prophetic call in this wilderness we call MCC?
People will be drawn out when our heart is right, right with ourselves and with God. People might not understand or even listen sa ating mga iyak, iyak ng protesta. Iyak para mabigyan ng pantay na karapatan, karapatang napaka basic tulad ng mabisita natin sa ICU ang ating same-sex partner, or maging kasama tayo ng ating mga partner in their dying days sa ospital.
Hindi man nila maintindihan yun, kapag ang puso natin ay iisa sa Diyos, what they will see is our lives. That in their prejudice, they will be confused as to how our lives as queer people and same-sex couples are characterized by love. Dahil when it comes sa ating pamumuhay, wala silang palag jan, they can throw Bible verses after verses to invalidate our lived experiences, but they can’t deny when they witness it first hand in our lives. Na pwede palang maging nasa isang loving and committed relationship ang dalawang accla, that they too can raise children and create a loving and safe environment that will allow them to grow as themselves in the wholeness of their potentials. That queer people can be committed and loving followers of Christ too. That our SOGIE is a gift from God.
And when our lives start being marked with a heart transformed by love in the wilderness, Like John the Baptist who rebuked the religious powers of his time, we too can do the same with conviction, strength, and love, knowing that our lives are marked with the prophetic anointing of the Holy Spirit producing fruits of lasting metanoia. So let’s retreat and go back to the wilderness, as we prepare the way for the coming of Jesus, who will baptize us with the Holy Spirit and Fire as we face whatever 2025 will throw at us. God bless us all! Thank you!
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