"Becoming A John at Christmas"
A sermon preached during The Second Week of Advent at our Lessons, Carols, Communion and Candlelight service on Thursday, December 13 at Edgemont Chrsitian Church (Disciples of Christ), by the Rev. Christopher E. Yopp. The sermon is based on Matthew 3:1-12.
I think it is interesting to see the different interpretations and perspectives offered by the gospel writers, especially when it comes to Christ’s birth. Each gospel offers a unique and different perspective, one that is both beneficial and essential in understanding who Jesus was, especially for their original readers. Take for instance, the Gospel of Matthew. Here we see that it has more of a Jewish emphasis and depicts Jesus as "The fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets," which would have been key for Matthew’s Jewish readers and audience. In fact, Matthew’s gospel contains more Old Testament prophecies than any of the other 3 gospels, and Matthew also presents Jesus as a kind of new Moses.
The Gospel of Luke presents Jesus as "The Savior of the World." And reminds us that the message of the gospel is for everyone. This becomes clear when we see that Matthew presents Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, whereas Luke refers to it as his Sermon on the Plain. For Matthew and the Jewish readers, the mountain was essential – it was on the mountain that God revealed God’s self to Moses and gave the Law. But for Luke, it is a plain - a plain is assessable and open for everyone – both Jew and Gentile, rich and poor, male and female. This is further emphasized through Luke’s concentration on those stories of Jesus interacting with outsiders, with the poor and especially with women.
The Gospel of John, which is perhaps one of my favorites, portrays Jesus as "The Eternal One from Heaven." In fact, John underscores Jesus’ eternal existence and divine nature in the very opening words of his gospel in his interpretation of the Christmas story, by taking us, not to Bethlehem, but to the very beginning of time. "In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God…"
And then, finally, the Gospel of Mark portrays Jesus as "The Suffering Son of God." In particular, Mark attempts to show that, although Jesus should have been received with honor as God’s Son, he was destined to die as humiliating death to pay for the sins of the world. And so, we see that Mark doesn’t even focus on the story of Christ’s birth. In fact, the very opening words of Mark read; "The beginnings of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God." There is not mentioning of shepherds in the field, or angels in the sky, or a baby in a manager. Rather, there is just the stark reality of it all: "the beginnings of the gospel…", the fullness of time has come – God speaks and the word God speaks is, as John reminds us is Logos – the greatest revelation of God’s self – the Living Word of God – Jesus Christ. The Gospel of Mark was the first of the 4 canonized gospels to be written. Written somewhere between 64 to 68 A.D., and served as a source for the Gospels of Matther and Luke.
This evening I want us to focus on one of the essential characters or voices of the Christmas story – that of John the Baptist. Someone has offered this rather interesting and somewhat amusing description of John the Baptist, it reads; "John was a popular man, but lacked tact and dressed like a hippie. Considering John’s died, he would not have been well-received or liked at church potlucks, but is an essential voice and character of the Christmas story, the gospel of Jesus Christ and the Kingdom of God!"
Keep in mind, as the New Testament era unfolded, hundreds of years had passed since a well-defined prophet has come on the scene. But now, with the opening of the gospel, we see that two decisive characters appear, and, not to mention, within the same generation: John the Baptist and Jesus of Nazareth. John came as a shocking wake-up call to a people grown weary and complacent. His audacious lifestyle surely placed him on the fringe of society. But perhaps, his message was even more bizarre. To a people who believed that they were God’s elect – God’s chosen people, who had all the questions answered in the law, who for hundreds of years had found comfort in their unique understanding of God and relationship with God – to these people, John declared with emphasis their need for repentance. And, interestingly enough, to Mark that is where the gospel begins! Without repentance there is no gospel – there is no good news! Without repentance there is no hope or peace, joy or love!
Repentance is key – it is essential! Without repentance those paths will never be straight or mountains made low, or valleys raised up. Without repentance you and I will never know or experience the peace of God. That was John’s message! Repentance prepares our hearts and our lives and our world to receive the coming of Christ!
A German philosopher, who was a man infamous for his agnostic views and beliefs, once said to a group of Christians; "I’ll believe in your redeemer, when you act as if you have been redeemed." What a powerful statement! Through the season of Advent, we are given the opportunity to prepare for a new beginning - a new beginning not only for the church, but also for us.
I am fascinated with names. Names tell us so much about a person's character or nature. Perhaps this is true more in biblical times or in other cultures, than our own. The name John comes from the Hebrew root word, Yôhānān, which means "God is gracious." Sometime back I did an internet search on the name "John," using the search engine Google and the search revealed 846 million references. At Answers.com, John was defined as a toilet or even a man who is a prostitute’s customer. John has been the name of presidents, kings, prophets, gospel writers, and popes. Perhaps you have a relative or friend named John. John is such a common and popular name that we refer to unidentified males as John Does. However, the John, our Gospel Lesson focuses on was a Jewish man – a cousin of Jesus’. The son of the an elderly priest, Zachariah and his barren wife, Elizabeth. By his birthright he was given the right to perform the duties of a priest in the Jewish temple, including all of the honor and prestige associated with such a role and title. He was a man in the wilderness telling the people, including religious leaders and kings, that they have sinned and must repent. He was a Jewish man who baptized the masses to remind them of the importance of spiritual purity and cleanliness and a change of heart. He was a Jewish man who captured the imaginations and hopes of a generation. He had followers and disciples, fans and critics. He was a Jewish man who refused to be named what he was not. John was a man who pointed away from himself, away from his actions, away from his teachings, away from his prophesies, away from who he was and instead, pointed to Jesus, his cousin and proclaimed; "He is higher than me because he was before me." John declared; "I am not the Messiah! He is!"
Let me ask you this evening, who are you pointing to? Who does your life point to? Indeed, John was a great asset and tool for the ministry of Christ. In fact, some scholars estimate that John might have baptized as many as 300,000 converts. But even when John’s fame peaked, and the rumors spread that John was the Christ – the Messiah, we see that he does not stop for a moment to bask in the reflection of a false impression, but instead, he immediately and directly answers; "I am not the Christ." And he goes on to repeat the words of the prophet Isaiah who identifies his special role in the kingdom of God. He says; "I am the one, Isaiah was referring to, crying in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord." That was John’s role and position, and certainly that is our role and position as the Church today!
We would do well to be reminded that the Christian faith is not about self. But rather, it is about the power to proclaim and point. It is an invitation to become a Herald of Christ! Christmas needs more Johns! Christianity needs more Johns! The world needs more Johns! Those who are willing to point to the way of Christ – a way of justice and compassion, mercy and love. A way that makes straight the crooked areas; a way that lowers the mountains and raises the valleys. A way that includes, welcomes and sees everyone as a child of God!
As Paul Tillich reminds us, "Christians should be like John the Baptist in the famous Grunewald painting." There, the whole being of John the Baptist is in his finger with which he points to Jesus and the cross. Therefore, let us learn from John’s example to be those whose very words, actions, and lives point to Jesus. Let us renew our commitment to be Johns through this season of Advent that we may prepare the world for Christ and his kingdom, Amen.
The Gospel of Luke presents Jesus as "The Savior of the World." And reminds us that the message of the gospel is for everyone. This becomes clear when we see that Matthew presents Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, whereas Luke refers to it as his Sermon on the Plain. For Matthew and the Jewish readers, the mountain was essential – it was on the mountain that God revealed God’s self to Moses and gave the Law. But for Luke, it is a plain - a plain is assessable and open for everyone – both Jew and Gentile, rich and poor, male and female. This is further emphasized through Luke’s concentration on those stories of Jesus interacting with outsiders, with the poor and especially with women.
The Gospel of John, which is perhaps one of my favorites, portrays Jesus as "The Eternal One from Heaven." In fact, John underscores Jesus’ eternal existence and divine nature in the very opening words of his gospel in his interpretation of the Christmas story, by taking us, not to Bethlehem, but to the very beginning of time. "In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God…"
And then, finally, the Gospel of Mark portrays Jesus as "The Suffering Son of God." In particular, Mark attempts to show that, although Jesus should have been received with honor as God’s Son, he was destined to die as humiliating death to pay for the sins of the world. And so, we see that Mark doesn’t even focus on the story of Christ’s birth. In fact, the very opening words of Mark read; "The beginnings of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God." There is not mentioning of shepherds in the field, or angels in the sky, or a baby in a manager. Rather, there is just the stark reality of it all: "the beginnings of the gospel…", the fullness of time has come – God speaks and the word God speaks is, as John reminds us is Logos – the greatest revelation of God’s self – the Living Word of God – Jesus Christ. The Gospel of Mark was the first of the 4 canonized gospels to be written. Written somewhere between 64 to 68 A.D., and served as a source for the Gospels of Matther and Luke.
This evening I want us to focus on one of the essential characters or voices of the Christmas story – that of John the Baptist. Someone has offered this rather interesting and somewhat amusing description of John the Baptist, it reads; "John was a popular man, but lacked tact and dressed like a hippie. Considering John’s died, he would not have been well-received or liked at church potlucks, but is an essential voice and character of the Christmas story, the gospel of Jesus Christ and the Kingdom of God!"
Keep in mind, as the New Testament era unfolded, hundreds of years had passed since a well-defined prophet has come on the scene. But now, with the opening of the gospel, we see that two decisive characters appear, and, not to mention, within the same generation: John the Baptist and Jesus of Nazareth. John came as a shocking wake-up call to a people grown weary and complacent. His audacious lifestyle surely placed him on the fringe of society. But perhaps, his message was even more bizarre. To a people who believed that they were God’s elect – God’s chosen people, who had all the questions answered in the law, who for hundreds of years had found comfort in their unique understanding of God and relationship with God – to these people, John declared with emphasis their need for repentance. And, interestingly enough, to Mark that is where the gospel begins! Without repentance there is no gospel – there is no good news! Without repentance there is no hope or peace, joy or love!
Repentance is key – it is essential! Without repentance those paths will never be straight or mountains made low, or valleys raised up. Without repentance you and I will never know or experience the peace of God. That was John’s message! Repentance prepares our hearts and our lives and our world to receive the coming of Christ!
A German philosopher, who was a man infamous for his agnostic views and beliefs, once said to a group of Christians; "I’ll believe in your redeemer, when you act as if you have been redeemed." What a powerful statement! Through the season of Advent, we are given the opportunity to prepare for a new beginning - a new beginning not only for the church, but also for us.
I am fascinated with names. Names tell us so much about a person's character or nature. Perhaps this is true more in biblical times or in other cultures, than our own. The name John comes from the Hebrew root word, Yôhānān, which means "God is gracious." Sometime back I did an internet search on the name "John," using the search engine Google and the search revealed 846 million references. At Answers.com, John was defined as a toilet or even a man who is a prostitute’s customer. John has been the name of presidents, kings, prophets, gospel writers, and popes. Perhaps you have a relative or friend named John. John is such a common and popular name that we refer to unidentified males as John Does. However, the John, our Gospel Lesson focuses on was a Jewish man – a cousin of Jesus’. The son of the an elderly priest, Zachariah and his barren wife, Elizabeth. By his birthright he was given the right to perform the duties of a priest in the Jewish temple, including all of the honor and prestige associated with such a role and title. He was a man in the wilderness telling the people, including religious leaders and kings, that they have sinned and must repent. He was a Jewish man who baptized the masses to remind them of the importance of spiritual purity and cleanliness and a change of heart. He was a Jewish man who captured the imaginations and hopes of a generation. He had followers and disciples, fans and critics. He was a Jewish man who refused to be named what he was not. John was a man who pointed away from himself, away from his actions, away from his teachings, away from his prophesies, away from who he was and instead, pointed to Jesus, his cousin and proclaimed; "He is higher than me because he was before me." John declared; "I am not the Messiah! He is!"
Let me ask you this evening, who are you pointing to? Who does your life point to? Indeed, John was a great asset and tool for the ministry of Christ. In fact, some scholars estimate that John might have baptized as many as 300,000 converts. But even when John’s fame peaked, and the rumors spread that John was the Christ – the Messiah, we see that he does not stop for a moment to bask in the reflection of a false impression, but instead, he immediately and directly answers; "I am not the Christ." And he goes on to repeat the words of the prophet Isaiah who identifies his special role in the kingdom of God. He says; "I am the one, Isaiah was referring to, crying in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord." That was John’s role and position, and certainly that is our role and position as the Church today!
We would do well to be reminded that the Christian faith is not about self. But rather, it is about the power to proclaim and point. It is an invitation to become a Herald of Christ! Christmas needs more Johns! Christianity needs more Johns! The world needs more Johns! Those who are willing to point to the way of Christ – a way of justice and compassion, mercy and love. A way that makes straight the crooked areas; a way that lowers the mountains and raises the valleys. A way that includes, welcomes and sees everyone as a child of God!
As Paul Tillich reminds us, "Christians should be like John the Baptist in the famous Grunewald painting." There, the whole being of John the Baptist is in his finger with which he points to Jesus and the cross. Therefore, let us learn from John’s example to be those whose very words, actions, and lives point to Jesus. Let us renew our commitment to be Johns through this season of Advent that we may prepare the world for Christ and his kingdom, Amen.
posted by Pastor Christopher @ 4:34 PM
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