John the Baptistor, Simeon and John the Baptist and the sweet essence of vindication
This is, if you are a church goer, John the Baptist Sunday in the life of the church. Technically, it is the second Sunday that the lectionary (or the traditional readings for Sundays of the year) prescribes for John the Baptist. He's so important to Advent he gets two Sundays this year.
People unfamiliar with the Gospels or the story of Jesus, at least according to Luke, are sometimes surprised to learn that Luke's Christmas story does not begin with Mary, Joseph, Gabriel, and Jesus. Nope. It begins with Zechariah, Elizabeth, and John the Baptist.
The scale and scope, the shadow and influence of John cannot be understated. He is present in all four gospels, depicted as the progeny of Isaiah, Micah, Jeremiah, and the great prophets who are sent to prepare the people for the coming of the reign of God. Heady and hearty stuff. John is outsider and insider; he is prophet and proclaimer; he is baptizer and castigator; he is good news and maker of trouble.
Classically he is depicted as someone pointing the way -- the archetype for paintings of John in the ancient and medieval world is of a figure pointing -- pointing the way to Jesus, to God's reign. "Prepare" he tells them and us. People get ready (thanks Curtis Mayfield) there's a train coming, you better get on board!
While I can't write about all that John has meant to the church, I can ask an existential question: how many of us would never find truth, understanding, or meaning if someone didn't point us to it? Show us the way? Give us directions?
I met with a group of Pastor's two weeks ago to talk about Advent sermons and Christmas Eve sermons. These are old friends from college and various parts of North Carolina, each of them smarter and wiser than me. I was taking notes like a man possessed. One of them said, "You can't get to Jesus without John."
Yep.
How many of us would never have found truth, justice, meaning, learning -- any character or faith forming stuff -- without somebody to show us the way?
We can't get here from there without guides, mentors, teachers -- the saints that the Holy Spirit provides.
Feel lost this Christmas?
Let me ask what may be for some of you a tough question: If you do feel lost, who is it that you have trusted as your guides? Are they trustworthy? Are they pointing you to greater truth?
I hope you have good guides.
In Luke's Christmas story Mary would need a guide. Surely she had her cousin Elizabeth and her mother to give her advice on the birthing part. But I have never thought she truly understands what Jesus will mean for her, or the world until he is born. This is where Simeon comes in.
While John is just a baby Simeon gives his master's class to Mary, and he points her to the end of the story just as surely as she is standing there at the beginning of it.
Read Luke 2: 21 - 35, and focus in on 35 where Simeon, long promised by God that he would see the Messiah before he died, says to Mary: "This child is destined for the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too" (NIV).
While I think it likely that Mary understands the blessedness of the calling to be the mother of Christ, I don't think she grasps the depth, the difficulty, the trials that such a calling will entail. Simeon points her to it. Simeon guides her. No it is not pleasant. But it is necessary. One wonders how mistaken she would be if he were never there.
In the end Simeon is vindicated for his faith. He sees the Messiah.
John will be too. Even with his life on the line John is still pointing others to Jesus, guiding others to the truth (see Luke 7: 18 and following verses).
John's vindication comes when the tomb is empty and when righteousness is merited by God's graciousness, when Jesus commands the church to Baptize, and when repentance, renewal, and regeneration become the calling cards of the church.
The messengers and the believers in the story of Christmas receive their vindication. They are proved correct.
The story is not so pretty for those that doubt and shun and who think they can go it alone, ignoring the words of the wise.
"You can't get to Jesus without John."
I'd one up that and say that you can't get anywhere alone.
Do you side with those vindicated or do you pass the time with those who won't stand for anything long enough to be vindicated (or not)? Who are your guides? The guides through Advent and Christmas are Simeon, Mary, Joseph, Zechariah, Elizabeth, Gabriel, Anna, and John. That's pretty good company. That they are the church's guides, well, that gives me, for one, great comfort.
Random Thoughts
I just downloaded a copy of Mitch Albom's book, Have a Little Faith. Though I know Albom, I had never heard of the book (turns out it is a best seller). I saw him on Craig Ferguson the other night. What an interesting book. It has really touched me so far. I have a feeling it will be a topic for future blogs. A little taste of the book for today. Here Albom is writing about a request from his childhood rabbi, Albom writes:
"In the beginning, there was a question. It became a last request. 'Will you do my eulogy?' And, as is often the case with faith, I thought I was being asked for a favor, when in fact I was being given one."
Many of you ask, from time to time, for copies of my sermons. Text editions take time to produce and I am always weary that I have misquoted or misconstrued somebody whenever I publish one of them. You can find them on the sermons page of our church website, going back to 2004. I don't put them up every week, but I aim for 6 - 10 per year that I am happy with. In recent days I have posted the following:
Sometimes some of you want to know what I am reading. Here is a brief list of books I am carrying around in the book satchel (kind of like that European man purse, only burlap, from the Progressive insurance commercial -- it makes me feel more intellectual than I really am):
The Reason for God - by Tim Keller
Accompany Them With Singing - The Christian Funeral - by Tom Long
Preaching from Memory Into Hope - by Tom Long (this book is so good...)
The Joy of Ministry - by Tom Currie
The Pastor as Minor Poet - by Craig Barnes
Have a Little Faith - by Mitch Albom
Home - by Marilynne Robinson (her book Gilead should be required reading...)
What am I asking Santa for this Christmas? Leavings - by Wendell Berry
Lastly two prayer requests: in the above group, my friend Kathy (who is just about the smartest pastor I know) quoted an older article from the Wall Street Journal about pastors on Christmas or Christmas Eve and the anxiety that comes with the event. Her quote was from James Forbes, a man who was for nearly two decades among the best and most influential preachers in America. His quote: Christmas always made him nervous - "you don't want to screw it up," he said. My thoughts exactly. Say a prayer for me. The second prayer request: I have for many months now, been planning a book to write. My problem is a lack of time and the crush of obligations that prohibit the writing of a good book that has a chance of being published somewhere by somebody. I start to write it, begin to fear that I'll never finish, and stop. Lately the ideas for the chapters have been waking me up at night. That is usually a sign that I should begin writing. I could use your prayers, if you'll offer them.
Labels: Sneek Peek 2009