1 Christmas, Year B

“GOD’S PEOPLE: HIS CREATION, AND HIS RE-CREATION”
A sermon by The Rev. Gene Tucker given at Trinity Church, Mt. Vernon, IL; Sunday, December 28, 2008
Isaiah 61: 10 – 62: 3; Psalm 147: 13 – 21; Galatians 3: 23 – 25, 4: 4 – 7; John 1: 1 – 18


“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God!”

Cosmic words, aren’t they? “In the beginning,” we hear this morning….

In other words, “as far back as the human mind can imagine, and then, even further than that.”

This morning, we hear John’s words, as he attempts to describe the coming of Jesus Christ in his own limited vocabulary: “In the beginning was the Word….”

John – as we’ve noted in the past few days – isn’t the least bit interested in the birth stories of Jesus, as are Matthew and Luke. No, like Mark, he omits all those details entirely. But, in similar fashion to Mark, he launches right into the beginning of the earthly ministry of our Lord Jesus Christ.

But unlike Mark, John does something else: He appends a Prologue[1]to his gospel account before beginning the account of John the Baptist’s witness. In these first 18 verses, he outlines some (but not all) of the themes he will pick up on as his gospel account unfolds. Among these themes that we hear are the following:

• The divine nature of Jesus Christ (high Christology),
  
  
• Jesus Christ as the creator (and bearer) of all things, especially life and light,
  
  
• John the Baptist’s witness to Jesus Christ’s identity,
  
  
• The gift of eternal life for all who believe and accept Him.

So now, as we turn to the text itself, let’s pick up on some of these themes: [2]

The divine nature of Jesus Christ: First, we begin with Jesus Christ’s identity: John uses the term “Word” to describe this being with was “in the beginning”, who was “with God”, and who “is God.” (Note the progression of language: “in the beginning” – “was with God” – who “is God”.) Essentially, John is emphasizing the divine identity [3] of the Word, who became flesh, who took the name of Jesus, the Christ. “Jesus” would refer to His humanity, while “Christ” refers to His everlasting, divine nature. So, the Word, the Christ, the Son (as John and the Nicene Creed both state it) existed from before all time, from everlasting, from “the beginning” (John’s words, but also found in the Nicene Creed). Then, in the fullness of time (as St. Paul states it in our reading from Galatians today, “But when the time had fully come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman,”) the Word became flesh, Jesus.[4]

Jesus Christ as the creator (and bearer) of all things: Next, we ought to consider the idea that Jesus Christ is the creator of all that is. John puts it this way, “All things were made by him, and without him was not anything made that was made.” John is saying, essentially, that Jesus Christ is the maker of all things (the Nicene Creed puts it this way, “By whom all things were made”).

But John goes on to outline exactly what it is that the Word created: It is life and light. Remarkably similar – this passage is - in some respects to the outline of creation in Genesis 1: 1 – 5, where we read that God said, “Let there be light.” [5]

Relying on our knowledge of the created order we live in and are a part of, we know that no life would be possible without the presence of light. So, John’s statement makes sense as we consider the nature of the world around us.

John the Baptist’s witness to Jesus Christ’s identity: But having begun by outlining the nature of the Word, Jesus Christ, then moving on to the creative powers of that Word, John now begins to narrow his focus more and more, pulling together the threads that will connect this eternal Word with the person of Jesus Christ. He does so by interjecting John the Baptist’s witness to this person, Jesus Christ.[6]

John (the gospel writer) wants us to know that this cosmic Word is one and the same with the person of Jesus Christ, to whom John the Baptist bore witness.

The gift of eternal life for all who receive and accept Him: Our fourth point is to affirm that the focus of all of this creative power, the purpose of the coming of the eternal Word to us as one of us, fully human and yet fully divine, is to create with us, a new relationship with God, one that will last throughout all eternity.

This last point is well worth repeating: The purpose of the coming of the Word is to create within us a new relationship with God, one that will last throughout all eternity.

Here are John’s own words, “But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” [7]

So God, acting through the Word, is the giver and creator of life, in this case, new life as children of God. God is the active agent, and we are the responders to God’s action… “As many as received him,” John says, become children of God.

St. Paul puts it this way: “But when the time had fully come, God sent forth his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba, Father.”

Paul describes the familiarity of this new relationship that we have with God the Father through the work of the Son, using the Aramaic word for “daddy”, “Abba.”

So, how about us?

What is the state of our “new creation” in God through Christ?

After all, God seeks after us, seeking our acceptance (John’s word, “received”) of Him through the work of Jesus Christ.

God seeks our receiving of Him not only in mind, in our thoughts and ideas, but also in our hearts, in the very core of our being.

God seeks to create a new heart and a new mind for us by His presence within us.

God seeks to renew the creation He has already begun with us, just as He upholds and renews the created order we see around us in the world He has created for our life and wellbeing.

Today’s text calls us to reflect, “Am I a new creation in God?” “Am I a child of God by having received Him?” “Am I in need of some spiritual ‘recreation’?”

AMEN.

____________________________________________________________

[1] That is what Bible scholars have come to call these first 18 verses of the Fourth Gospel.
[2] These first 18 verses are complex, and have prompted biblical scholars to pour out page after page of commentary about them. In the space of time available for a sermon, we can only hope to scratch the surface of their meaning and importance.
[3] The technical, theological term for the emphasis on the divine nature of Jesus Christ is high Christology. By contrast, low Christology would refer to an emphasis on Jesus Christ’s human nature.
[4] The Church would wrestle with this concept of the Divine Son taking on our humanity. Eventually, by the Fifth Century, at the Council of Chalcedon, (451 AD), the concept was stated in these terms: “the one and the same Christ, Son, Lord, Only-begotten, recognized in two natures, without confusion, without change, without division, without separation, the distinction of natures being in no way annulled by the union, but rather the characteristics of each nature being preserved and coming together to form one person and subsistence, not as parted or separated into two persons….” (See the Book of Common Prayer, 1979, p. 864, for the entire statement.)
[5] Biblical scholars have also long noted the similarities of the Genesis 1 text and the John 1 text, both of which begin with the words, “In the beginning”.
[6] Notice the overall shape of these first 18 verses: 1. Verses 1 – 5 have to do with the divine Word and the creative powers of that Word; verses 6 – 8 have to do with John the Baptist’s witness; Verses 9 – 14 have to do with the Word coming into the world, and the purpose for which He came; and finally, verse 15 reverts back to a reference to John the Baptist, while verses 16 – 18 come back again to the purposes of the Word’s coming, identifying Jesus Christ (verse 17) with that Word.
[7] Verses 12 - 13

Christmas Eve, Year B

“BLESSINGS AND CURSES” [1]
A sermon by The Rev. Gene Tucker given at Trinity Church, Mt. Vernon, IL; Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Isaiah 9: 2 – 4, 6 – 7; Psalm 96: 1 – 4, 11 – 12; Titus 2: 11 – 14; Luke 2: 1 – 20

“Class, it’s a pleasure to do theology!”

So said one of my theology professors at seminary….(In fact, every class began with this greeting.)

Taking a hint from my theology professor, let’s do some theology around the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Specifically, let’s look at how Jesus’ coming among us as one of us (the technical, theological term for this is “incarnation”, that is to say, Jesus’ coming in the flesh) relates to an ancient reality of human existence:

Blessings and Curses

Blessings and curses have to do with God, with God’s holiness and God’s mercy, and with our circumstance as fallen human beings, human beings who are capable of committing sin, human beings who, in the process of sinning, fail to measure up to God’s standards of holy living.

In the course of this sermon, in examining the concept of blessings and curses, we will keep four traits of God in view at all times:

• God is holy
• God is merciful
• God saves His people
• God uses human beings to do the saving

Now, we begin by looking at the curse under which the human race lives:

Curses come by virtue of our own wickedness….for we bring upon ourselves untold misery by our rebellious ways. Like Adam and Eve, who fell for the serpent’s temptation in the Garden of Eden,[2] and who separated themselves from God in the process, we human beings, being children of our original parents, Adam and Eve, also separate ourselves from God by our sinfulness, for we know that God is holy, that God cannot tolerate the sin and the rebelliousness that sin represents.

So, Adam and Eve separated themselves from the blessing of having a face-to-face relationship with God, as they walked with Him in the Garden of Eden .

Ever since, humankind has endured this separation.

Now we said at the outset of this sermon that God is not only a holy God, but He is also a merciful God.

In response to our original parents’ (Adam and Eve) rebellion, God could simply have “written them off”, casting them out of the Garden of Eden, only to die spiritually and physically because of their separation from God, who created them and who sustained them by providing for them everything necessary for their livelihood in the garden.

But God did not do that….Instead of divine judgment in the form of death, God provided a way for them to conceive and to bear children (though, as a result of their sinfulness, only with pain), so that death’s power was blunted (though only temporarily) through the succeeding generations who would be born to Adam and Eve’s children, and to their children’s children.

By virtue of the power to conceive future generations of men and women, the possibility of relating to God was preserved, even though the separation that became a reality with Adam and Eve’s expulsion from the garden remained in place.

Down through time, God’s holiness was evident again and again as wicked human beings were punished for their evil ways. Genesis recounts some of these events: The Great Flood (Genesis 6 – 8), and the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 18: 16 – 19: 29) are two examples.

And yet, God is merciful: for God preserves the human race through the agency of Noah and his sons, who built an ark in response to God’s command. Likewise, Abraham and members of his family were spared when the fire and brimstone rained down on the wicked cities of Sodom and Gomorrah.

For, you see, God is holy, but God is also merciful. God saves His people, and God uses human beings to do the saving.

(For further evidence of these traits, consider also Moses, who led the Chosen People out of bondage in Egypt, through the Red Sea waters, to the Promised Land, or the Old Testament prophets who called God’s people to repentance and holiness of life time and again, speaking of God’s holiness and God’s mercy.)

Now these threads that we have been considering, God’s holiness, God’s mercy, God’s saving of His people, and God’s using human beings to do the saving, all come together in Jesus Christ, and so it is to that part of our theological reflection that we now turn:

God’s holiness: “If you have seen me, you have seen the Father,” Jesus said to Thomas.[3] In Jesus Christ, we see the holiness of God the Father, made manifest in the perfect life of Jesus Christ, seen in His teachings and in His manner of life.

God’s mercy: God could easily have written the human race off, given our sinful, hard-headed ways. But Jesus’ birth demonstrates two things: 1. That God was willing to set aside all divine power and prerogatives to come among us as one of us (fully human), taking up our human life in the weakness and humility of the babe who was born in a cow’s stall in Bethelehem. Such a self-emptying[4] is most clearly seen in Jesus’ birth; and 2. That God cared enough to “send the very best”, himself!

God saves His people: We’ve already recounted some of the ways that God demonstrated His saving power over the people that He loved, people that He had chosen to be His own possession. Now, in the person and work of Jesus Christ, God’s saving power is clearly seen, as the babe who was born in Bethlehem grows into manhood, then suffers and dies for our sins on the cross. Since we, in our sinfulness, are unable to pay the price for our own sins, God had to take the initiative, and to provide the sinless means by which we could have a face-to-face, personal relationship with God restored to us. Succinctly put, Jesus Christ restores to us what was lost in the Garden of Eden with Adam and Eve’s sin, for now we are able to approach God the Father through Jesus Christ, the Son, our sins covered by Christ’s blood. (The theological term for this payment for our sins is called the atonement – literally, the “at-one-ment” by which we are made one with God through Jesus Christ.)

God uses human beings to do the saving: For God to save us, God had to enter the human situation, even as He had done before in dealing with Noah, in making a covenant with Abraham, and in dealing with Moses. Now, God enters the human circumstance by taking on our humanity completely. Jesus is born as a baby in Bethlehem, becoming one of us, in order to save us. In so doing, God now came to know personally all of our hurts, our pains, our sorrows and disappointments (that’s one of the essential messages of Good Friday and the cross). There’s nothing we experience in our daily lives that God doesn’t know firsthand through the life and experience of Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ comes to us in His birth at Bethlehem, and in so doing, stands between the blessing and the curse. He blocks the power of sin’s curse, pulling us up (if you will) out of the mire of the consequences of our own sinfulness. God’s mercy is seen in Jesus Christ’s birth, his coming among us, which we remember at this holy season of Christmas.

Jesus Christ not only blocks the power of sin’s curse, He also brings God’s blessing with Him, restoring a personal relationship with the Father, proving God’s love for us (see especially in the depth of love that the cross represents), and guaranteeing to all who believe the reality of eternal life in heaven with Him, Eden restored!

Sometimes, given the symbols of the season, it’s hard to see the great theological work that lies behind the Christ Child whom we see in our Nativity scenes. But before us, whenever we see the Baby Jesus in a crib in a Manger scene, ought we also to see the great and wonderful work of God, the God who shows us His holiness, the God who shows us His mercy, the God who saves His people, and who uses human beings to do the saving in the baby who lies before us tonight.

For Jesus Christ comes, bringing and proving God’s mercy and holiness. Jesus Christ comes, bringing God’s blessing, and delivering us from the power of sin’s curse.

Thanks be to God!

AMEN.
_________________________________________________________

[1] The essential concept for this sermon grew out of a discussion at our Wednesday morning Informal Discussion Group about three weeks ago.
[2] See Genesis 3: 1 – 15, read as one of the lessons in the service of Advent Lessons & Carols, for a detailed account of Adam and Eve’s sin in following the serpent’s suggestions. Genesis 3: 16 – 24 also goes on to chronicle the woes that became a part of the human race’s condition as a result of their transgression.
[3] John 14: 9
[4] The theological term for this self-emptying is kenosis.

4 Advent, Year B

“VESSELS: EMPTY AND FULL”
A sermon by: The Rev. Gene Tucker given at Trinity Church, Mt. Vernon, IL; Sunday, December 21, 2008
II Samuel 7: 4, 8 – 16; Psalm 132: 8 – 15; Romans 16: 25 – 27; Luke 1: 26 – 38

Ever think about how much of our lives have to do with being full or being empty?

For example, consider the following: we are either full to the brim after a Thanksgiving meal, or empty with hunger. We are filled with joy, or drained (emptied) with sorrow. We have a full gas tank in our cars, or are running on empty. (I could go on to cite many other examples.) A good deal of the business of daily living has to do with being full, being empty, or somewhere in between the two.

All of these things are connected by the thing that holds – or doesn’t hold – whatever it is we’re thinking of: a meal, our hearts, or gasoline (to tie these three items to the examples cited in the previous paragraph), that is, a vessel.

So, let’s turn our attention to today’s Gospel, the account of the annunciation of the angel Gabriel to the Blessed Virgin Mary, for Mary is the chosen vessel of the Lord, the one chosen by God to be the bearer[1] of His Son, Jesus Christ.

The first thing we might consider as we look at this very familiar account (which most of us could probably recite by heart, or could paraphrase very well) is Mary’s situation and the possible, very human, responses to Gabriel’s announcement….So, let’s begin there. We’ll cast all of these responses in terms of her fullness (her ability) or emptiness (her lack of will or lack of power) with regard to God’s invitation.

An empty vessel: In earthly terms, Mary has little to offer Gabriel, or God….she is young, but living in a society that valued age, she is female in a culture where men called the shots. She is poor in a culture where wealth and power meant a lot. Moreover, she is single: notice her reaction to Gabriel’s message….she says, “How shall this be, since I have no husband?” Mary is pretty empty, pretty powerless. She lacks the ability to respond to this announcement of God’s plans for her. Perhaps she might have considered her low condition (young, female and poor), and might have wondered how a son born to her could inherit King David’s throne. Though Luke doesn’t tell us, such thoughts aren’t beyond the realm of possibility for Mary to have pondered.

A vessel which is already full: But if Mary was poor and powerless in many respects, yet it’s probably safe to assume that she did have plans for her life. I think we’re on safe ground if we surmise that Mary’s fondest hope would have been that she would be a mother to children, perhaps lots of them. In the culture and in the time in which she lived, that was a woman’s career choice – most often the only career choice that was open to them. So, perhaps when Gabriel’s words struck her ear, she might well have thought about the sort of future she had planned on to this point in her life. Though Luke doesn’t tell us, maybe she might well have wondered how Gabriel’s message fit with the hopes and dreams she had for her life – for we all have those sorts of hopes and dreams for our own lives. Being human, perhaps Mary might have been tempted to silently respond, “Sorry, your plan doesn’t fit with my plan for my life. My heart and mind is already pretty full with those plans. I don’t have room for your plans for my life.” Again, Luke doesn’t tell us Mary’s reaction, other than to record her words, “How shall this be, since I have no husband?”

An empty and unworthy vessel: Though there’s no way to know for sure, perhaps Mary felt unworthy to take up her role in God’s plans as Gabriel lays them out to her. Maybe she might have reacted to this grand design of God by thinking to herself, “If this child which is to be born is to inherit King David’s throne, then God ought to get Himself another candidate, someone who’s connected to the rich and powerful of the nation. I am unworthy of such a calling because I am unable to deliver that sort of a background.” Again, Luke doesn’t tell us. We come to this consideration only out of our shared humanity with Mary, for that might well be how we would react in similar circumstances. Put in other words, this reaction essentially says, “My vessel has a hole in it, it is incapable of holding the gift you are offering me.”

But how does Mary react? She simply says, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.”

By her reaction, she is essentially holding out the vessel of her life. She is saying, “I am willing to be the vessel, the means, by which God’s plan unfolds.”

Notice that she doesn’t ask for all the nitty-gritty details of the plan. Nor does she offer doubt (though she does question the means by which the plan will unfold).

I think, as I reflect on this very familiar text, that the depth of faith that is evident in Mary’s reaction flattens out….for the text, whose story is so familiar to us, tends to read like a history book. But put ourselves in the same situation, and the drama comes to life! Mary’s response demonstrates great faith, for the events that would now unfold through her would bring risk, danger and loneliness: we can say these things because of the very traditional, honor-and-shame culture in which Mary lived 2,000 years ago….to be pregnant without being married carried with it the risk of shame, the loneliness of being shunned, or even the danger of being driven out of the community in Nazareth where she lived, or worse.

Yet Mary’s reaction shows her deep faith and willingness to follow God’s call and God’s plan for her life.

Mary’s response makes possible the coming of Our Lord Jesus Christ. Through Mary’s faith and faithfulness, God’s grace is poured out on all of us. Truly, Mary’s cup overflows (to quote Psalm 23: 5), and we are the beneficiaries, for the grace of God is made known in the coming of Jesus Christ, the Son of the Most High. The blessings transcend the events of the first century, for they extend into the 21st century, and to the end of time itself.

And so, we, in our time, in our culture, and in our lives, are also called to be vessels of God’s grace. We are called to be “God-bearers”, by being God’s chosen vessels, carriers of God’s grace. For we receive the blessings which overflow from Mary’s faithfulness, her Son, Jesus Christ. We are called, like Mary, to respond to God’s limitless grace.

How will we respond?

Being human, we could respond in some of the ways humans tend to respond, ways we considered earlier in this sermon. We could say to God:

• I’m an empty vessel: “I can’t follow your call and your purposes for my life, God, for I lack the means, the will, the power, and the resources to do so.” This response hold out an empty vessel to God.
  
  
• My agenda (vessel) is already full: “I’ve got plans for my life, God, and what you’re proposing doesn’t fit into those plans.” So, we put our hands over the vessel of our hearts and our minds, and close them both to God’s call.
  
  
• I’m an unworthy vessel: “You can’t mean me!” we say. “I am absolutely unworthy to do your will, God, for I am unable to do the things I think you are calling me to do. Get yourself another candidate, a better one,” we say.

But Mary’s example, Mary’s “yes!” to God, is our model. For we, like her, are called to offer the vessel God has made us to be, to offer it back to Him. We are called to simply hold the vessel of our lives and our abilities out there, and to allow God’s grace to fill them. For God’s grace goes beyond our mere human abilities, and God’s grace will accomplish that which He purposes (see Isaiah 55: 11), hopefully with our cooperation, but, if not, then without us, but through someone else.

But if we respond and offer ourselves to be vessels of God’s grace, then God’s grace is made known in Jesus Christ, God’s grace flows from God the Father through God the Son (made man by the cooperation of the Blessed Virgin Mary), to us, and then to others.

May our response stand in faithfulness with Mary, as we say, “Yes!” to God’s call, “We are the servants of the Lord. Be it to us according to your will, Lord.”

[1] The technical term for Mary’s role as God-bearer is "Theotokos."

3 Advent, Year B

“MINISTRY – A STUDY IN LESSER AND GREATER”
A sermon by The Rev. Gene Tucker, given at Trinity Church, Mt. Vernon, IL; Sunday, December 14, 2008
Isaiah 65: 17 – 25; For the Psalm: Canticle 15; I Thessalonians 5: 12 – 28; John 3: 23 – 30

“He must increase, but I must decrease.”

This verse was one of my mother’s favorites. She would quote it often, if I remember correctly.

This verse became sort of a creed for my mother, who was a saintly, godly woman.

She lived out the essence of this verse in the following ways:

• She wanted everything she did to point toward Jesus Christ.
  
  
• She wanted God to be glorified
  
  
• In the process, she wanted herself to fade into the background.

As we look at today’s text, we can see all of these three threads at work, as we encounter John the Baptist in his final appearance on John’s gospel account, testifying to Jesus Christ. From this point on in John’s account, John the Baptist will fade out of the picture (though it’s interesting to note in our passage today that John looks forward into the future, recounting that John the Baptist had not yet been put into prison[1]).

So, let’s begin by having a closer look at this passage. Then, we will be able to look at its implications for us, as we seek to decrease, in order that Christ may increase.

We begin with an overall look at the passage: The first thing that leaps out at us is that it seems to be composed of several loosely connected threads….For example, We note that both Jesus and John the Baptist are now baptizing, but they seem to be doing so in different places entirely.[2]

Second, it seems as though the context of today’s conversation between John the Baptist’s disciples and the unnamed Jew centers around the meaning of baptism, for John (the Gospel writer) tells us that this unnamed person has asked John the Baptist’s disciples about purifying. “Why are you baptizing (you and Jesus), and what does your baptism mean and do?,” might be a way to paraphrase the context of the question that is posed to John the Baptist’s disciples.

Third, it seems that the momentum has now shifted from John the Baptist to Jesus….We have to admit that here, we must rely on other witnesses to come to this conclusion. For that evidence, we turn to Mark 1: 5, where we read, “And there went out to him (John the Baptist) all the country of Judea, and all the people of Jerusalem.” Now, notice the similarity of the language that the gospel writer uses in John 3: 26, quoting the unnamed Jew, who says, “Rabbi, he who was with you beyond the Jordan, to whom you bore witness, here he is, baptizing, and all are going to him.” Perhaps, if we are correct in our assessment, there was a shift of momentum from John the Baptist to Jesus. This conclusion, that Jesus was increasing in popularity and in recognition (at the expense of John) would make sense, given John the Baptist’s comment (read in verse 30), “He must increase, but I must decrease.”

Now, looking at another aspect of the text, we notice that John the Baptist tells a very brief parable, about the “friend of the bridegroom”.[3] For an understanding of John the Baptist’s self-referencing remark, read here, we need an understanding of first century wedding customs in the Holy Land….Apparently, the “friend of the bridegroom” might refer to what we would call the “Best Man” today. In the culture of Palestine 2,000 years ago, the “friend of the bridegroom” would have been responsible for taking care of the arrangements for the wedding and for the attendant celebration (which might last for a whole week!).

So, in that sense, John the Baptist fulfills the same function, paving the way for Jesus Christ, and making the arrangements for the celebration that attends to His coming. Just as the “friend of the bridegroom” rejoices that the wedding takes place, and that his arrangements for the celebration of it are underway, so John the Baptist rejoices in the arrival of the Christ, and for the celebration of Christ’s presence, the one who “dwelt among us, full of grace and truth”.[4] Therefore, once the “friend of the bridegroom’s” work is done, he fades into the background as the spotlight falls on the groom and on the bride.

Now, we turn to the matter of “hearing the voice of the bridegroom”.[5] For an understanding of this part of John the Baptist’s little parable, let’s do a word association: Follow along with me:

Voice – speaking – word

OK, did you get that? The bridegroom’s voice speaks a word.

Now, go with me again, and search your minds for the meaning and importance of the word “word” in John’s gospel account….Recall that we read it in John 1: 1, which says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (Later on, on John 1: 17, Jesus Christ is equated – indirectly - with this “Word”.)

So, put into its context in John’s gospel account, we see that John the Baptist is most likely referring to Jesus Christ as the Word, the one whose arrival he has seen, and whose voice he has heard, the Christ[6] of God.

Now, let’s return to the original theme with which we began, “He must increase, but I must decrease.”

John the Baptist’s career is a study in highs and lows. Consider what we’ve already said about him…. “All Judea and all the people of Jerusalem went out to him” for baptism, we read in Mark 1: 5. Apparently, he was pretty well known, pretty popular (even if some only came to see a spectacle and to be entertained – certainly, that seems possible to assume). In modern terms, we might say that John the Baptist was “at the top of his game.” John the Baptist had had his “15 minutes of fame”.

But now, the Fourth Gospel seems to indicate that there’s a shift going on in John the Baptist’s reputation and work….for now we read (John 3: 26) that “all are going to him (Jesus)”.

You see, John the Baptist was engaged in ministry. Ministry is a word whose Latin root is the same word from which we get “minus”.

Ministry is an activity in which we get to empty ourselves for the glory of God and for the benefit of others. As part of the process of connecting God to people, and people to God, we are only a very small part of the connecting process.

In fact, the smaller and less visible a part of the process that we are, the better! We want people to see God, not us!

You see, my mother’s creed ought to be our own: “He must increase, but I must decrease.”

Before we close, let’s put all of this in quite practical terms: As we live out the life of faith in this place, this family of God we call Trinity Church, let’s consider these aspects of ministry, by which we decrease, in order to allow God to increase:

• Turf: Unfortunately, the Church’s life is often marked with “turf wars”. You know, it’s the attitude that says, “Well, this is a ministry that I’ve done for ____ years.” It’s the perspective that says, “This is my ministry!” Hmmmmm…..John the Baptist’s remark, ‘He must increase, but I must decrease,’ would lead us to say just the opposite. We’d have to say that John the Baptist’s response to the idea of something being “our ministry” is that it isn’t “our ministry” at all, but God’s. We need to be reminded of that concept: Any ministry that we undertake is simply on loan to us. It isn’t our private property, not at all.
  
  
• Highs: At times in our Christian life, we will be “at the top of our game”, enjoying our “15 minutes of fame”. We may bask in the adulation that comes from doing a job well done. (I admit, this is a serious temptation for many clergy, who, like the Pharisees of old, often like to be “greeted in the marketplaces”, and who like the “places of honor at banquets”.[7]) Many times, the belief that any given ministry is “our ministry” can lead to an expectation that we will gain recognition and honor for that taking up that ministry, as if the focus should be on us, not on God. The two are often allied, one leading to the other.
  
  
• Lows: Just as certainly as we will experience some high points in our Christian life, just as certainly we will also experience some low points. Sometimes, the focus will shift onto another person who takes up a ministry that is one we used to carry out. Sometimes, a similar ministry will spring up within the congregation, and such a development can be the cause for jealousy. We may feel unwanted, unappreciated, as a result. So, low points will come along, sooner or later, won’t they?

What might we take away from the passage before us today, and from John the Baptist’s attitude toward the growing ministry that is Jesus Christ’s? His attitude is a model for us, for John the Baptist recognized that the ministry of baptism given to him was just that, a ministry. John was called to lessen himself (remember the Latin root of the word “ministry”: minus), in order that the focus might be on God. When the focus is on God, then people and God are joined together. That is the entire reason for any ministry: that God may be glorified, and that people may come to know Him in the process.

We are going to let St. Paul have the last word. For St. Paul knew all about turf wars, about highs, and about lows in the process of carrying out the ministry that God entrusted to him. Writing in Philippians 4: 11b – 12, he says, “For I have learned, in whatever state I am, to be content. I know how to be abased (lows), and I know how to abound (highs); in any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and want.” For St. Paul, the reason for this wonderful flexibility was to win people to God. Here we have the reason, found in I Corinthians 9: 22b – 23a, where he writes, “I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. I do it all for the gospel.”

So may we follow the good examples of John the Baptist, and of St. Paul, the Apostle, allowing God to increase, even as we decrease.

AMEN.

_________________________________________________

[1] Verse 24
[2] Some scholars think that John the Baptist is now working near Samaria, though the exact location of “Aenon, near Salim”, is unknown, while Jesus seems to be baptizing in the Jordan River, somewhere near the Dead Sea area. Again, that is also not known from the text exactly.
[3] Verse 29
[4] John 1: 14
[5] Verse 29
[6] The title Christ means “anointed” (its equivalent, drawn from the Hebrew) is Messiah.
[7] Matthew 23: 6 - 7

2 Advent, Year B

“COME INTO THE DESERT OF ADVENT”
A sermon by The Rev. Gene R. TuckerGiven at Trinity Church, Mt. Vernon, IL; Sunday, December 7, 2008
Isaiah 40: 1 – 11; Psalm 85: 7 – 13; II Peter 3: 8 - 15a, 18; Mark 1: 1 – 8

“John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.”

Welcome to the desert that is Advent!

We are called, as Christians, every Advent season, to come into the desert, into the wilderness, to repent of our sins, to undergo a cleansing of our hearts and minds, that we may be ready for the Lord Jesus Christ’s baptism of the Holy Spirit.

So, welcome to the desert that is Advent.

You see, the desert, the wilderness, is the place where salvation is found. That was so for God’s Chosen People as Moses led them out of bondage in Egypt, into the desert, the wilderness, where their passing through the waters of the Red Sea marked the beginning of their journey to the land that God had given them.

The desert is the place where salvation is found, where God is encountered. That was so for the great prophet Elijah, who, clothed like John the Baptist in camel’s hair[1] and with a leather girdle around his waist, called the people of God into repentence from their idolatrous worship of the Canaanite god, Ba’al.

The desert is the place through which God’s Chosen People would pass on their way home from exile in Babylon, returning to the Promised Land. Isaiah’s voice (chapter 40) reminds us of this salvation event in the history of God’s people, “A voice cries, ‘In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God!’”

The desert is the place where the lonely voices of the prophets are heard. The setting is perfect, for one’s reliance on God’s providence to preserve and save life are no more urgently felt than in the desert.

It is in the desert that the hustle and bustle, the distractions of the crowded city are overcome.

And, so, John’s voice rings out in the desert, “Repent, seek forgiveness of your sins!”

It is John’s voice that points the way forward to the other baptism that Jesus Christ will offer as he says, “After me comes he who is mightier than I, the thong of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. I have baptized you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

Are you ready to leave the hustle and bustle of city life, and to go into the desert?

Once there, you will hear the urgent voice of an odd-looking man who eats locusts and wild honey, whose words land on our ears with a sting, “Repent!”

It’s not a very appealing sight, is it? John the Baptist, that is. He isn’t one to wear fine clothes and to dress in the soft velvet of city folk. No, his appearance and rough-hewn character are matched with a sandpapery roughness in his words and in his tone that rubs our senses raw.

John’s message is no less unattractive than his appearance, for he calls us to a “spiritual inventory”. The urgency in his voice is matched with a burning call from the Lord, to tell God’s people that they must repent.

“No, thanks,” we say….. “Your appearance is off-putting, John. Your words offend our ears.” The urgency of your voice which betrays the fire in your heart ignites the tinder of our hearts, and we stand ready with the blankets of our respectability to snuff out any flame that might be started, that flame which would prompt us to heed your words and to obey the call to repent.

“We’re quite comfortable in our formal relationship with God,” we say. “We’re ‘doing pretty well,’”, we think.

“Thanks all the same, John,” we respond.

But, you see, John’s baptism of repentance and Jesus’ baptism with the Holy Spirit are offered to us Christians today, both at once….It’s a two-for-one deal, baptism, for we descend into the waters of baptism with Jesus Christ, dying to our former life of sin, repenting of our sinful nature with which we are all born, and trusting God to bring us up out of the waters of baptism into a new life, a new relationship with God in which there’s hope for salvation and for the power of the Holy Spirit to be present with us evermore. That’s what happens in baptism.

One cannot have one without the other, baptism with the Holy Spirit without the repentance which opens the way for the Holy Spirit to take up residence in our hearts. Repentance, which is the turning away from our former life of sin, precedes the coming of the Holy Spirit.

Moreover, we can’t simply sit back and say, “Well, I was baptized ‘way back when….that’s over and done with. Got the certificate to prove it.”

No, we are called to renew our baptismal relationship with the Lord, taking stock of our lives, realizing we need cleansing from our sins on a regular basis. That’s part of what Advent is all about.

Our Baptismal Covenant reaffirms this fact. In the Book of Common Prayer, page 304, the candidates (or their sponsors) are asked this question, “Will you persevere in resisting evil, and whenever you fall into sin, repent and return to the Lord?”

Notice the word “whenever”.

We in the Church are very realistic! We know that we will “mess up” from time-to-time.

We know that’s a certainty. We will fall short of God’s standards of holiness. It’s going to happen!

So, this Advent season, John’s voice calls us into the desert, away from the distractions and the hustle and bustle of city life. John’s voice calls us to repent, that we may prepare a highway for the Lord in the wilderness of our hearts.

AMEN.
____________________________________________________
[1] See II Kings 1: 8