3rd Sunday of Advent
December 17, 2017
John 1:6-8, 19-28
“John the Voice” is not a title we’re used to hearing.
Anyone know who I mean? He’s usually called John the Baptist. Except, not in
the Gospel of John. (Different John, by the way. It was just as common a name
2,000 years ago as it is today.) The Gospel of John is different in many ways
from the other three gospels, including its description of John the Baptist.
Matthew, Mark, and Luke all talk about John the Baptist, as the baptizer, the
one who baptizes people in the Jordan River. John’s not Baptist, as in the
denomination; he’s John the Baptist because he baptizes people for repentance
for the forgiveness of their sins. He tells people to turn back to God because
the kingdom of God is near. And Luke goes one step farther and tells us about
John’s family, his mom Elizabeth, who is cousins with Mary, the mother of
Jesus, and his dad, Zechariah who’s a priest. They’re an elderly childless
couple when God sends an angel to tell Zechariah that they’re going to have a
baby who they’re going to name John. It’s a bit like Abraham and Sarah back in
the Old Testament, and Sarah’s response is to laugh when she’s told she’s going
to have a baby in her old age. Zechariah is also dubious and because he doesn’t
believe the angel, he is struck mute until the baby is born. The neighbors ask
what they’re going to name the child, and Zechariah writes, “His name is John,”
and then he is able to speak again. Zechariah’s first words are, “Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come to his
people and redeemed them.”[1] This is the history of John the Baptist. And then we also know from
Matthew, Mark, and Luke that John is this wild man who wears clothes made out
of camel’s hair with a leather belt and eats locusts and wild honey. Yet none
of that is in the Gospel of John; it’s in the first three Gospels, which are
also called the synoptic Gospels, because of their similarities, but not in
John’s Gospel.
John’s Gospel is different. Instead of telling us all
those details about John the Baptist, John’s Gospel says, “There was a man sent
from God whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify concerning that
light, so that through him all might believe. He himself was not the light; he
came only as a witness to the light.”[2] That’s what John the Gospel writer
wants you to know about John the Baptist. He is sent from God. He came as a
witness to the light, so that others might believe. He is not the light but was sent from God to testify to
the light, which is Jesus. John’s main vocation, his main job, his calling from
God is to be a witness. Likewise, our
work is to point to Jesus. I am not the focus, you are not the focus, there
is no other leader we are to point to. And this is because we cannot save
ourselves. We are not salvation ourselves. There is no person who can save us
besides Jesus Christ and our job is to point others to Jesus, that they may
also come to believe. Our church is not the focus. The sanctuary decorations,
no matter how beautiful, are not the focus. Only Jesus can save.
There
once was a conversation between two theology professors – true story. One of
them was feeling overwhelmed by all that he had to do, end of the semester
finals and grading, and everything else. He shared this with his colleague, who
replied, “Jesus has already come.” And he said, “Yeah, I know Jesus has already
come. I still have a lot to do.” And the colleague said, “No, Jesus has already
come.” The first professor said, “Yeah…? Jesus has come. What’s your point?”
The colleague said, “Jesus, the Savior, has come. And you are not him.” You are not the savior. I am not the savior,
of anything, so I hope you haven’t had illusions of me “saving the church.”
Only Jesus saves. That is not our job. That is not our responsibility. That is
not our burden. Our job is to point to Jesus.
There
was a German Renaissance painter named Matthias Grünewald. He painted the
crucifixion of Jesus more than anything else and in one of the paintings, he
put John the Baptist in it.[3]
Now this is chronologically incorrect, because John died before Jesus, but
artists take liberties. In this painting, with Jesus on the cross in the
middle, and his mom weeping on one side, on the other side is John the Baptist,
and he’s painted with a finger pointing to Jesus.
This is John’s sole purpose.
To point to Jesus. To bear witness to the light, which is not him. John is
very clear that he was not Jesus, he is not the Savior, he is not the
long-awaited Messiah who was coming to save God’s people. And we are not the
Messiah, either. And neither is anyone else. Only Jesus.
However,
the Jewish leaders and priests try to pinpoint John on to just who he is
exactly. And John says, I am not the Messiah, I am not Elijah, I am not a
prophet. And the leaders say, “So, who are you? Give us an answer to take back
to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?” Now, the Gospel of John
is big on “I am” statements. This is the Gospel where Jesus says, “I am the
good shepherd. I am the gate. I am the resurrection. I am the way, the truth
and the life.” Lots of “I am” statements. And John gives one, too. John says, “I
am the voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way for the
Lord.’” John the Voice. This is what John says about himself. I am the voice of
one calling out in the wilderness. The reference is to Isaiah 40:3, “A voice of
one calling: ‘In the wilderness prepare the way for the Lord; make straight in
the desert a highway for our God.’” That’s who John claims for himself. The
voice of one calling in the wilderness, get ready for God. God’s coming. God’s
on the move. Prepare the way for God.
Let’s
take this in two parts. First, what does
it mean to be the voice that cries out? In particular, a voice that calls
out from the wilderness? Well, it’s usually countercultural. It usually goes
against the status quo. It usually calls for change, which is what John said.
The Bible phrase is that he preached a baptism of repentance for the
forgiveness of sins. To put that in other words, he called for people to turn
back to God, to stop doing what was wrong, to ask forgiveness for what they had
done that they shouldn’t have done, to redirect their focus off themselves and
put their focus back on God. That’s what John invited people to do. He said,
the kingdom of God is near. The light is coming. Jesus is coming. Get ready. God is bending low. And John does it
from the wilderness, from the desert, perhaps because then the voice stands out
more than when it’s just one voice among many in the crowd. A voice calling out
from the wilderness draws attention. It may or may not get credibility as this
single, wild voice, yet it stands out and is heard. Maybe not listened to,
although we’re told John baptizes many, but it’s at least heard.
Second,
the message of getting ready and preparing. There is a temptation to focus on our
waiting for Christ instead of our waiting for Christ.[4] Do you see the difference? One puts the
focus on us. It’s our waiting and our preparations and our crazy Decembers. The
other way puts the focus on Jesus. Jesus
is who we’re waiting for and getting ready for. Jesus is the reason for the season. Christmas is not your birthday. If what you’re doing
this month isn’t helping you get ready for Jesus, then I suggest you stop doing
it. If baking cookies doesn’t help you get ready for Jesus, don’t bake them. If
elaborate decorations, however beautiful, don’t help you prepare, don’t put
them up. This season of Advent isn’t about you. It isn’t about your loved ones.
It isn’t about “the presents! The ribbons! The wrappings! The tags! And the
tinsel! The trimmings! The trappings!”[5]
That’s what the Grinch thinks Christmas is all about. And the Grinch learns that “Maybe Christmas, doesn’t come from a store. Maybe
Christmas… perhaps… means a little bit more!”[6]
Now, the Grinch is, of course, from Dr. Seuss and Dr. Seuss doesn’t include
Jesus. But that’s the more that we as Christians know that Christmas means. It’s
about a baby. And your focus this Advent season shouldn’t be inward. This is not
the time for introspection, because it’s not about you. Instead of inward, your
focus should be forward.[7]
Jesus is coming. Keep your focus on him. Remember, you’re getting ready for him, not for family and guests and
Christmas dinner and parties and whatever else is on your list. Remember, none
of that stuff will save you. And some of that stuff isn’t helpful in getting
ready for Jesus, so say no. Do what’s healthy and life-giving. Get rid of the
traditions that are life-draining. Life will not end because you don’t have all
the decorations up you used to put up or you don’t go to your company Christmas
party or, heaven forbid, for me, listen to John Denver and the Muppets
Christmas album. That’s a tradition that’s life-giving, by the way. My husband
even bought me the digital version. But if it’s draining, if it doesn’t keep
your focus forward on Jesus, stop. John the Voice called for people to turn
back to God. If what you’re doing isn’t turning your attention to God, then it
may be time to stop doing it.
And
you know why? Why this all matters? Because today’s wilderness keeps growing.
Billy Joel released a song in 1989 called “We Didn’t Start the Fire.” Each
verse describes a decade, starting with the 1950s, through the 1980s. Well, you
could write a whole verse on the fires that have happened just this past month,
and are still growing[8]:
the fires of rage in the Middle East as peace there is threatened; the literal
wildfires raging through communities in California; sexual harassment
allegations sweeping through our country like a wildfire as women become
emboldened to speak out, because their
voices are finally being heard; a tax bill poised to burn through the poor and
middle classes and usher in another Great Depression (because all the same
signs from 1929 are there); the flames of war between North Korea and the
United States slowly rising; the barrage of muzzle fire as gun violence tears
apart family after family across our country; the fire of investigation
steadily banishing the darkness hiding the truth about Russia’s involvement in
our elections; net neutrality’s flame being extinguished. It feels like so much of the world is
burning.
It
feels like the wilderness is growing. It feels all the more like we need John
the Voice’s message crying out from the wilderness, “Make straight the way of
the Lord. Clear the way for the Lord’s coming! Get the road ready for the
Lord!”[9]
We need a voice crying out, get ready for Jesus. He’s coming. It’s not about
us, thank God. And no person can save us, but Jesus. But Jesus. Life in the
wilderness, but Jesus. Thanks be to God.
[1]
Luke 1:68
[2]
John 1:6-8
[3] https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4f/Mathis_Gothart_Gr%C3%BCnewald_022.jpg
(I couldn’t find a title for the painting.)
[4] Feasting on the Word, Year B, Volume 1,
p. 68
[5]
From “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” by Dr. Seuss
[6]
Ibid.
[7] Feasting on the Word, Year B, Volume 1,
p. 68
[8]
Thanks to Jaye White for compiling the list.
[9]
John 1:23, NRSV, ESV, NLT
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