Bethabara: the Place of Crossing

John was in the wilderness, calling for repentance, for the kingdom of heaven was near. So his voice was the voice of God, preparing for the Coming One. For the very existence of wilderness is due to the ruin in the Garden in the beginning, because of the sin of man. Because man became turned in on himself, interested in self-gratification. This is the root of sin: self-gratification. So John, the first prophet to be heard in some four hundred years, calls for repentance, for a return of the people who had gone astray, calls  them back to their Creator. And so he calls you back, from the evil and darkness of this age, to his newness and rebirth of creation; he calls you back, by Baptism; he calls you to cross over from sin to righteousness, from debt to mercy, from darkness to light, and from death to life. He calls you back to your God. This is the true meaning of Advent's preparation, and is the heart of Christmas: the coming of Christ to rescue his fallen people. So John was baptizing at Bethabara, the place where Israel had crossed into the Promised Land, the place of crossing. And this was also the place where Elijah had ascended in a chariot to heaven. This is the crossing,  then, and this the newness: a crossing to eternal bliss and Paradise. Cross over, all you who have been baptized: cross over. Sermon for Advent IV.