A little boy was helping his mom put out the nativity scene in their home. He named each character as he took them out of the box. "Here are the wise men," he said, "and here are the sheep and here is the donkey." Then he pulled out the figurine of baby Jesus, which was permanently molded into the manger, "and here's Jesus in his car seat." (story file, 15.2.1)
In a Sunday School class, the teacher and kids were talking about the names of some of the characters in the Christmas story. The teacher asked the kids what was the name of the mother of Jesus. A little girl answered that her name was Mary. Then, the teacher asked, who was Mary's husband. The hands went up, and she called on one little boy, who told the teacher that the man's name was Virg. Puzzled, the teacher asked the boy to explain. He said, "Everybody knows that their names were Virg and Mary." (ibid.)
Our early understandings of the Christmas story, and the meaning of the gospel are often incomplete. Just glimmers and reflections of what the full meaning is for our lives. But for all of us there are experiences, stories, and most of all people, who have given us glimpses of who Jesus is; people who have planted seeds in our lives, that later on have germinated and grown into faith and commitment.
In the little church where I grew up, I had several people who gave me my first impressions of what it meant to be a Christian disciple. A couple of them were Sunday school teachers, who not only told me the story, but also challenged me to make a decision to follow Jesus. I remember one of them saying repeatedly, "You can't sit on the fence." Her influence helped me to make a commitment to Christ that was decisive. When I was in college, it was a pastor and his wife, who showed me a vision of who God is by simply loving me for who I was, and in that way prepared me to be open to God's call.
Can you think back to some people or events or something you read that first began to open your mind to the idea the Jesus Christ was someone unique, someone worth getting to know? The idea that being a Christian was something more than just going to church or being good? That it had to do with a relationship with God; and with following Jesus?
Thank God for those people; those experiences. These people and events are true God-sends, because God uses them to get our attention and to lead us to Christ. In effect, they become our own personal "John the Baptists." They prepare the way for Jesus, like John did.
The Gospel writer, whose name is also John, introduces John the Baptist with these simple but powerful words: There was a man sent from God whose name was John. Sent from God. One of the most fascinating things about God, is that when God wants to send a message, God typically uses a person to deliver it. Special delivery. Now, you might think that it would be easier for God to just zap people. You know, sort of e-mail a message to everybody's brain. God could do that. But God chooses a person who has to choose accept the mission and stick his or her neck out: Noah, Abraham, David, Moses, Deborah, Mary. . . you, me.
A person on a mission typically stands out from the crowd. And that was certainly true of John the Baptist. You couldn't help but notice him. In fact, you could ignore John the Baptist about as well as you could ignore an ostrich in your living room. For one thing, as we learned last week, he dressed funny. Camel's hair clothing went out with the Old Testament prophets. And his diet was a lot less appealing than Ed's Atkins diet by a long way. Locusts and wild honey were food for the poorest of the poor. Simple food for a man who had more important things to do than shop and cook. Then, of course, you have to take into account his miraculous birth. From the womb, John was destined for his task. Like Abraham and Sarah in the Old Testament, John's parents--Zechariah and Elizabeth--were aged. Elizabeth_like Sarah-- had never been able to have children, though she had wanted to. After he and his wife had long since given up, Zechariah received a word from God that they would have a son who would prepare the way for the Lord. Nine months later, John was born (which was, by the way just six months before Jesus was born). He was full of the Holy Spirit before he was even born.
As noticeable as John was for his strange looks and his diet, it was his words that burned in the hearts of those who met him. The Gospel writer calls him a witness to the light. John calls himself a voice crying in the wilderness.
There was power in his preaching because he spoke the truth.
In the Peanuts comic strip, Lucy wrote an essay about how she felt about coming back to school after her summer vacation. "Vacations are nice, but it's good to get back to school. There is nothing more satisfying or challenging than education, and I look forward to a year of expanding knowledge." The teacher loved Lucy's essay. Lucy leaned over to Charlie Brown and said, "After a while, you learn what sells." (Fresh illustrations, 212) These days, it's mighty tempting for a preacher to give people what they want to hear. But John spoke the truth no matter what the cost. And ultimately it cost him his life. John also had the courage and the moral substance to match his style. And the truth hit its mark and made people sit up and take notice. Many began to wonder: Is he the one?
The times in which John emerged were times of great anticipation. The people of Israel had been waiting for a Messiah to come from God. There was the feeling in the air that something good was about to take place. It may have been something like what has been happening in this pre-election year. Who will emerge to lead this country? Someone more interesting than Gore? More moral than Clinton? More believable than Donald Trump? More experienced than George Bush the younger? Given the atmosphere in our country, what do you suppose would happen if someone new suddenly emerged on the public scene, someone dressed in 1860's clothing, someone who looked for all the world like Abraham Lincoln. Someone whose lifestyle matched his words and his promises. Would that person get our hopes up?
Imagine what speculation was raised in people's minds when John emerged, dressed like an Old Testament prophet, preaching hellfire and damnation and baptizing everyone he could get his hands on. This was not an every day occurrence. The voice of prophecy had been silent for hundreds of years. The people who normally got baptized at that time in history were Gentiles who wanted to convert to Judaism_not the Jews. They were already God's people. What John was doing would be like some guest preacher coming in and saying that all our elders need to repent and be baptized. Something's going on here.
By his looks, his demeanor, his lifestyle, and his words, John began to get people's hopes up. Is he the one?
But John was clear both about his identity and his mission. And when they came to interview John for 60 Minutes, he said, you think I'm something? I'm not good enough to take the garbage out for the one coming after me. He's the one you need to see.
Someone once said that the most difficult position to play in an orchestra is second fiddle. But as far as John was concerned, playing backup was exactly his style.
He was not the light_he was just a reflection, and his job was to point people to the light of the world, who was on his way. He was like a giant billboard along the Parkway saying gas and food next exit. Pay attention, if you want power for living and food for your soul. It's coming right up. Don't miss the exit.
John knew who he was, and he was content with his fifteen minutes of fame_there was no jealousy in him for the mission that belonged to another. John's role as a forerunner makes it hard for many of us to identify with him. John makes us uncomfortable because he has no aspirations to become number one, even though he has all the opportunities to do so (David McKenna). To a person with less integrity, there could have been great temptation to try to steal some of the thunder from Jesus. To make himself more important, and Jesus less important. John refused to be Peter-principled. The messiah is already among you, he said, but it's not me. It's not me.
Modern-day John the Baptists share much in common with their model. They may not wear camel's hair or eat bugs with honey. But they will tend to have some of John's character traits: integrity, a sense of mission, a lifestyle that matches their message. And like John, they are very important people, but they are not God. It can be tempting to put them on a bigger pedestal than they deserve. We need to be careful not to do that, but instead let them lead us to Christ.
Because of Ed's work as an interim pastor in Belmar, I thought you might be interested to know that interim pastors have adopted John the Baptist as their model. The task of an interim pastor is the task of preparation. They help a congregation deal with grieving over the departure of a previous pastor, and help them get ready for another permanent pastor. The interim pastor is always clear that his or her mission is short-term and focused. They come into their ministry saying good bye, and pointing forward to the pastor who is to come.
But in a very profound sense, John the Baptist is the model for all preachers. For we do not preach in order to draw people to ourselves. But to point them to Christ. And as soon as we begin to build a kingdom that is based on us, our message begins to be skewed in the wrong direction.
The same is true for us as a church. We want to grow, and to develop as a congregation. But our message is not about Morning Star. It's about Jesus. And our goal is to offer people an opportunity to meet Jesus Christ and grow spiritually. Like the moon reflecting the light of the sun onto a dark night, our lives reflect the light of Christ in a world of need. If our message stops with Morning Star, and does not take people to Jesus, we will have a church full of spiritually malnourished people. We are not the light. But we have seen the light, and we can point people in the right direction.
Like John the Baptist, we who have seen the light, are reflections of that light. And if we will remain content to play second fiddle to the glory of Christ, our entire life and ministry will point to him. We may even find that we are leading people to Christ, when we're not even trying. One day as a woman was crossing a street at London Station, an old man stopped her. He said to her, "Excuse me, ma'am, but I want to thank you." She looked up and exclaimed, "Thank me?" He said, "Yes'm, I used to be a ticket collector, and whenever you went by you always gave me a cheerful smile and a good morning. I knew that smile must come from inside somewhere. Then one morning I saw a little Bible in your hand. So I bought one, too, and I found Jesus." (Illustrations Unlimited, 491)