Brief synopsis of the readings: Speaking for God in our first reading from Isaiah, God assures us that the time of darkness has come to an end. A voice will call out from the desert to prepare a way for the Lord. The path will be straight and level. God will be like a shepherd caring for his flock. Our Gospel begins Mark’s Gospel and quotes this passage from Isiah. John the Baptist is named as the one who calls us to repentance and forgiveness. He baptized those who went out to him; once baptized they confessed their sins. John wore camel’s hair garments, ate locusts and wild honey and told his audience that one mightier than him will come. Finally John said that while he baptizes in water, this person will baptize in the Holy Spirit.

In 1991 I saw the movie Grand Canyon; I loved it but fear I’m the only one who saw it. The movie centers on wealth disparity and has several parallel sub plots. In one sub plot a woman finds a baby abandoned in an alley. After giving him to child services she and her husband debate whether or not to adopt the baby. A filthy homeless man is often seen muttering nonsense to himself as he walks but in one scene he wanders by the woman and out of nowhere says “Keep the baby.”

So was this man a schizophrenic who heard voices or a prophet? Can he be ignored because of how he looked (and no doubt smelled)? In his ongoing word salad was the phrase “keep the baby,” just three random words strung together or was he delivering a deliberate message?

When I think about this man I can’t help but think about John the Baptist. Mark’s description of his clothing and diet tells us that it was unusual and there is reason to believe that he may have been a member of an ascetic group called the Essenes. They were Jews who observed strict adherence to dietary and other laws. They were seen as many things but never the smartest; they were certainly not Pharisees and many Jews saw them as a little crazy. Given that it’s hard to imagine anyone following him.

And yet some did. I think if I were Jesus and he was proclaiming my coming I’d suggest he cut his hair, dress better and have a good breakfast. Then again, that’s yet another reason God didn’t choose me to save the world. Because John fit exactly with what Isaiah foretold: a voice in the wilderness. Not someone who enjoyed wealth or status, not someone who was voted Time’s Person of the Year and certainly not People’s Sexiest Man Alive.

So let’s put this in context: it’s Advent, a time where we are all called to listen to the voice in the wilderness. But which voice? Our lives are much busier and more complicated than ancient Israel and we have access to voices they never dreamed of. They likely spent their entire lives encountering a few hundred people and many of us have more “friends” than that on one social media account.

And many of those vying for our attention are just plain crazy. They want us to believe that our salvation depends on ignoring science, not allowing anyone to read certain books, or condemning our gay or transgender children. They believe our souls hang in the balance of how we vote and who we welcome (or more to the point, don’t welcome).

But are these the voices that cry out in the wilderness? Or are they the voices that cry out for our vote or our wallets? Do they reflect the unconditional love that God promises or do they threaten us with the promise of God’s wrath? Finally do they see Jesus as our savior or do they see Jesus as the enforcer of their needs?

Say what you will about John the Baptist, he was a man who knew who he was and who he wasn’t. I’m fairly certain some of his followers tried to build him up by telling him he was the Messiah. But we know he didn’t listen to them (no matter how tempting) because he knew that if he listened to them he would fail. He wasn’t the Messiah no matter what anyone said, and more to the point he may have made it difficult or even impossible for Jesus to take on his role as Messiah.

Finally, there is another aspect of this awaiting the coming of the Messiah that bears exploring. There’s always been a sense that the Messiah is among us, in our midst. Of course this comes with the warning that we don’t want to be rude or selfish to the Messiah, but how do we know who he or she is? Frankly, we can’t know.

But there is something we can do. If we treat everyone like the Messiah we can’t lose. As Christians we believe Jesus is the Messiah but we can also believe that there are messiahs among us all the time. There is a parable that speaks of a Monastery that has fallen on hard times and the monks have become old and bitter. In desperation the abbot sought the wisdom of the local rabbi who told him that the messiah was in their midst. When the monks learned this they began to treat each other like a messiah, all of them, only to be on the safe side. This led to a renewal of the Monastery that slowly attracted new visitors and eventually new monks. Nothing changed aside from how they saw each other.

If we do the same we’ll be wrong most of the time but there is no down side to that. That relative who spends holiday gatherings drinking and expressing generosity with his opinions? We can’t be sure he isn’t the Messiah and he may be acting out of some unseen pain. The neighbor who refuses to return the baseball or soccer ball that goes into his yard? Maybe this messiah still grieves for a son who died before his time. Ebeneezer Scrooge? He was abandoned by his father at boarding school, his sister died in childbirth, and his fiance broke off their engagement. His greed and “humbug” was the result of unresolved grief and pain.

Treating folk like this may not give us the conversion experience we hope for but it will give them an experience of love. It means we listen to the homeless man who tells us to keep the baby. By the way, the couple in Grand Canyon do exactly that.