Sunday, December 10, 2023
/Advent 2
Isaiah 40:1-11, Mark 1:1-8
The Rev. Cn. Joann Saylors
Some of you may have come across a headline on the internet this week: “Grinch terrorizes Texas schoolchildren with ‘Santa is fake’ sign.”[i] A self-described street preacher was accosted by parents of Sleepy Hollow Elementary in Amarillo after what he calls his “Grinch preach” during morning drop-off. He was dressed as the Grinch and holding a sign that said, “Santa is fake, Jesus is real.” He also had a camera with which he filmed the encounter and uploaded it to YouTube.
The parents, understandably, were frightened and annoyed, and yelled back and went for the camera. Although the police were called, no one was arrested. But the story seems to have gone viral.
I have many thoughts. First, let me address the sign. There is great irony in someone dressed as a fictional character deciding what is fake and what is real. There is a real St. Nicholas, whom we now know as Santa Claus. Although I am on board with the “Jesus is real” part. But it’s hard to imagine taking religious instruction from the Grinch.
Next, this is exactly the kind of action people fear when we talk about evangelism. Evangelism is based in ongoing relationship and begins with love. Shouting at people and scaring them has not been effective in forming new Jesus followers. Neither have the Grinch’s other strategies: 80 minute videos of one-man protests, creepily filming children waiting in line to see Santa, or Quran burnings. You might, however, see the hand of God if such a burning event is foiled by a shirtless skateboarder stealing the holy book at the last minute. It is easy to dismiss the man’s efforts or become cynical. Of course real Christians would never work like that jerk. And a former atheist who had an epiphany after watching the movie Signs, suddenly believing everything in his life had been foretold by God, as this man’s story goes? Well, that’s ridiculous. The writer of the article clearly thinks so, as it ends with “Whether he believes aliens are real or not remains to be seen.” In the author’s mind, both the possibility of an epiphany from God or the presence of sentient life beyond earth are beneath consideration. Click on to the next article.
If I haven’t made it clear, I vehemently disagree with this man’s theology, his prejudices, and his tactics for protesting and expressing his faith. Not ok. But I have been driven to think about him a little more.
Is there a possibility he had a vision from God? It’s certainly not without precedent. In the book of Numbers God says to Moses, Aaron, and Miriam, “Hear my words: When there are prophets among you, I the Lord make myself known to them in visions; I speak to them in dreams.”[ii] Abraham, Moses, Isaiah all had visions of God. Paul had a vision so strong it knocked him off his horse. St. Catherine of Siena experienced many ecstatic visions, including one of a “’mystical marriage’ to Christ, the wedding party including the Virgin Mary, St. John the Evangelist, St. Paul, St. Dominic, and King David, who played his harp. Christ presented her a ring that was invisible to others, but which she could see for the rest of her life.”[iii] Julian of Norwich had deathbed visions of Jesus, after which she was restored to health. Her book Revelations of Divine Love, a classic, describes them. At age 13 St. Joan of Arc had a vision of St. Michael, surrounded by angels, after which she wept because she wanted to go with them. Teresa of Avila, St. Francis of Assisi, St. Augustine. Many have reported visions of Mary, and the Basilica of the Virgin of Guadalupe, built where Juan Diego and his uncle had one, is the third most-visited religious site in the world. So while I may not agree with what he’s done with it, I’m not willing to say the Grinch didn’t have an experience of God.
And a scary, oddly dressed person standing outside yelling at people in hopes they will change? Also not unique. John the Baptist’s camel-hair form of dress, one commenter notes, was “several centuries out of fashion, just the kind of clothing worn by the prophet Elijah.”[iv] And while in Matthew’s Gospel John enhances his sermons by calling religious leaders a “brood of vipers” and mentioning both wrath and fire as the outcome for those who are not “good fruit,”[v] his message in Mark is scary enough. The preparation for the coming of the Messiah, the promised one, involves repentance and confession. Hard words then and now, difficult to reconcile with the “good news” Mark promises. Because repentance and confession involve taking a serious look at ourselves and our actions. In the same way John is looking to the future while wearing clothing that points to the past, his message calls us to prepare for the One who is to come while interrogating our own pasts, personal and collective.
This is not something most of us are eager to do, is it? Let the one who is without sin cast the first stone. We all have things we regret saying or doing, or even thinking, but it’s so much easier to ignore that or rationalize it away. I confess to you – as I was reading the story of the “Grinch preach” the first time, I was cynical and dismissive. As I said, it’s easy. What caused me to think twice about my attitude was that last line, “Whether he believes aliens are real or not remains to be seen,” so close to using the word “epiphany.” I guess I’m formed to respond to churchy words like “epiphany” as a better person than I was being in the moment. But it gave me pause, and I reflected, and I was able to name my thoughts and feelings.
And the whole experience made me wonder. It bears repeating: I vehemently disagree with this man’s theology, his prejudices, and his tactics for protesting and expressing his faith. But I’m curious. How would we respond to John the Baptist? Would we use the excuse of his appearance and techniques to dismiss his message? Especially those of us who might be considered religious leaders? Or would we feel challenged to repent and confess? Would we do it?
What would it be like to feel like we were fully living into what God called us to do? Not in a way that excludes humility and reflection, but in a way that made us brave and confident. What would it take to be so driven to share good news Jesus, of hope and peace and joy? To tell our stories? To invite others in?
I know that I need to spend more time praying about this, and I want to push myself to be better at loving those I’d rather judge, or dismiss, or parody. I don’t know what else I might find when I look back, repent, and confess. Or what you might. But I hope that we will heed the call to prepare for the coming of the Promised One. And I hope we will share this journey together. AMEN.
[i] Brittanie Shey, “Grinch terrorizes Texas schoolchildren with ‘Santa is fake’ sign, https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/grinch-terrorizes-texas-schoolchildren-with-santa-is-fake-sign/ar-AA1l31A7, accessed December 6, 2023.
[ii] Num 12:6, NRSV.
[iii] https://catholicexchange.com/the-ecstatic-visions-of-st-catherine-of-siena/, accessed December 7, 2023.
[iv] Martin B. Copenhaver, “Second Sunday of Advent: Mark 1:8,” in Feasting on the Word Year B, Volume 1, ed. David L. Bartlett and Barbara Brown Taylor (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2008), 47.
[v] Mat 3:7,10, NRSV.