|
Advent III—11 December 2011
Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11 Canticle 15 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24 John 1:6-8, 19-28
“There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light.”
So here we are on this third Sunday of Advent. Traditionally, this Sunday is called “rose” Sunday – a day when we add flowers to the Advent greens, and when we can glimpse the light of Christmas. But before we can celebrate the birth of the Savior, before we can sing Christmas carols, hear about the shepherds and angels, and celebrate the coming of the Christ, we once again have to deal with … John. Good old John. Last week, we heard Mark’s take on this strange prophet. Mark describes John for us – wearing camel’s hair cloaks, eating locusts and wild honey, calling folks to repent – to get ready because the Kingdom of God is here. This week, here comes old locust-breath again. This time we get to hear about him as told at the beginning of the Gospel of John. Seems to me that we’re not going to get to deal with Christmas, until we find a way to deal with John.
We know about John’s fashion challenges. We know more than we want to know about his diet. However, perhaps our least favorite part of John, is his preaching. He would not ever be called as Rector of an Episcopal Church, or if he was, he wouldn’t last long. No, his fiery style of preaching belongs to the television evangelists, or the street-corner doom-and-gloom guys. You know, the ones who are always telling us how awful we are, warning us that God’s wrath is waiting for us if we don’t change our ways. We know all about John. We just heard his story last week. We really don’t need to hear about him again.
“There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light.”
The thing is, in the Fourth Gospel, the one we heard to day, there is no talk of bug-eating, hairshirt-wearing, foaming at the mouth, John. The Fourth Gospel reminds us that John knows who he is – and who he is not. John’s job is to proclaim to all that will hear him that the light of God has come into the world. He is called to be the “voice in the wilderness” proclaiming hope. John stands in the wilderness of first century Israel. The people have lost heart, lost faith, lost all hope. They are under the rule of a viciously oppressive government. The religious authorities, rather than offering aid and comfort, have set up a system that helps to grow the treasury, but does little to feed people physically, emotionally or spiritually. John’s voice cries out in that wilderness, proclaiming that God has come. The people flock to him – for baptism and for reassurance. They come, because from his passionate conviction, they find hope in the midst of their own barren lives. Through his words and actions, by his testimony, folks are ready to recognize Jesus when they meet him. When questioned by the religious authorities, John told them he was not the Messiah. His purpose was to be the voice crying out in the wilderness. To point to Jesus. To proclaim the coming of the Lord.
John stood in the wilderness of first century Israel. We stand in the wilderness of twenty-first century America. And John’s story, is also our story. John’s work was to proclaim Jesus Christ – to proclaim that God’s Kingdom was here and now. Our work is to do the same. We, like John, are called to cry out in the wilderness of this world, to testify to the light.
How can we do this work? How can we find fresh ways to tell the story of God’s work in us? How can we proclaim Jesus Christ in a world where the word “Christian” has been co-opted by politicians angling for votes? How can we preach a Savior who came to bring peace when newscasters are whipping folks into a frenzy over whether a “tree-lighting ceremony” should have been called a “Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony?” How can we proclaim a loving God to those who have offered a well-meant “happy holidays” to a person who has then snarled at them for not saying “Merry Christmas” instead?
Like John, we need to be very clear about who we are – and who we are not. We are not the Messiah – we are not the Voice of God. Like John, we are called to be witnesses to the light of Christ in the world and in our lives. Our words, our actions, our very lives must point to the reality that Christianity is not a slogan, a selling point, or a rallying cry.
and worry more about putting “Christ” back into Christianity.
Being Christian should make a difference in how we think and act. What we do really matters to those we meet each day. Each day is a new opportunity to be Christ-like. By our words and actions, our lives must to point to Jesus Christ, and to the God who sent him to earth to live among us. We are called to live our Christianity every day – to wear it like John’s cloak of camel hair. We can name ourselves as Christians, but our words are meaningless unless they reflect our actions. In a world filled with loud and empty words, our actions can point to Jesus more clearly than even the greatest of sermons.
We point to Jesus when we recognize the God-given gifts of others, and help them to recognize those gifts as well.
We point to Jesus when we are agents of God’s love for others, by giving to those who are in need.
We point to Jesus by offering a kind word rather than a harsh one,
We point to Jesus by praying for the person who is rude rather than retaliating in kind.
We point to Jesus when we gather in worship at this church, and when we invite others to join us in that worship.
People need to know that we are Christians – to know that Christianity has a different face than the one portrayed by many in the media. And then, as Christians, we must live with such joy and such hope that others will want to know what we know, and that others will want to have what we have.
“There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him.”
There is a person, sent from God, whose name is [Ron, Virginia, Jean, Nancy, Steve …]”
Here we are – each one of us. Sent by Jesus. Called by his name to testify to the Light. Testify! So that through us, all might believe in Him.
Joan M. Testin+ @ Emmanuel Church, Chestertown MD
|