THE THIRD SUNDAY IN ADVENT December 14, 2008
John 1:6-8, 19-28 "WHO ARE YOU"
David Hamilton, pastor
We're told that John the Baptist cut quite a striking figure out there in the wilderness. Dressed in a camel's hair coat, splashing around in the Jordan River, eating bugs - it's no wonder that people began to take notice of him; and it's no wonder that people began to ask questions. "Who are you?" would certainly be a natural question to ask, followed quickly by a second: "What in heaven's name do you think you're doing?"
Way back in the seventh grade I had a history teacher - Mr. Crawford - who began every year's class by giving his students a short writing assignment. We were to answer two questions, two questions which, Mr. Crawford said, were the two most important questions a person would ever be asked: "Who am I? And why am I here?" Those are pretty profound questions for us to answer about ourselves, whether we're seventh graders or seventy year olds. What is it that defines each one of us as an individual? In what ways are we each a unique person? In what ways are we all connected to one another, to all who have come before us, and to all who will follow after us? Who am I? And what's the purpose of my life? What's the meaning of our existence? Is there a reason that we're here?
Essentially, those are the questions the priests and the Levites wanted John the Baptist to answer. “Who are you, John? Why are you here?” If it were you the priests and the Levites were questioning, how would you respond? John responded first of all by telling them what he was not. "I'm not the Messiah; I’m not here to save Israel and the world. I'm not Elijah; I’m not here to bring in God's Day of Judgment. And I'm not the prophet Moses promised would come; not here to rule and to guide the people as Moses once did. Who am I? I’m a voice, singing a song that someone else composed; I’m a messenger, delivering a letter that someone else has written." John's own understanding of himself, of who he was and why he existed, was that he was something like a bridge, serving to fill the gap between God and humanity; God's telephone line, humanity's hearing aid - some instrument like that that might enable the people at last to hear and to understand the message God was sending.
That's what John the Baptist's own understanding of himself was, how he viewed his own purpose in the world. And really, I'd have to say that that's not so very different from how the New Testament views the identity and the purpose of each and every Christian person - as a bridge, as a conduit, as a vehicle by which God's message and Jesus himself are presented to the world. Peter calls us "a royal priesthood," mediators standing (or perhaps kneeling) between God and the world. Paul calls us "ambassadors of Christ," people through whom God is making an appeal. Jesus - well, Jesus doesn't call his disciples anything. He just sends them out: "Go into the world..." Tell the good news, love one another with the very love of God. Who are we? Why are we here? We are, like John the Baptist, people through whom God wants to speak a message; we are, like John the Baptist, people through whom God wants to act for the sake of the world.
Now, John fulfilled his purpose in very specific ways. He preached and he baptized, and through those actions, he reflected and revealed the light of Christ, the light of God's love. Who are you, John? Nobody all that important; just a guy. Why are you here? I'm just doing what I can to make God’s presence a little easier to see.
But let's turn the question back on ourselves, as my history teacher, Mr. Crawford, would want us to do. Who are we, and why are we here? As individuals, we couldn't do much better than simply to understand ourselves in much the same way that John the Baptist understood himself: we are people sent into the world by God to reflect the light and the love of Christ, to shine it like a bright light into those dark corners where it might otherwise not be seen, to be living candles that remind those who see us that God indeed is here among us.
So, how are you going to do that in the days and in the weeks to come? In this holiday season, in this season of light, how will you reflect that light of Christ into this world's darkness? It’s a good question to ask: How will we shine with God's love? As we drive our cars on these busy city streets, how will we make the love of God known? As we think about our gift-giving, how will we make the love of God known? As we spend time with family, as we celebrate with friends, how will we make the love of God known? As we remember the needs of those who are sick, those who are hungry, those who are alone, how will we make the love of God known? As Christmas comes and the New Year dawns, in our homes and in our church, at work and at school, in our neighborhoods and in our nation, how will we make the love of God known?
To ask the question is to acknowledge the truth: that every place, every moment, every relationship, every encounter with another person, is another opportunity for us to shine with the light of Christ - brightening up that little part of the world in which we stand. Who are we, and why are we here? When we ask the question, we discover that God has a higher opinion of us than we sometimes have of ourselves; God asks us and trusts us to be Christ's own mirror image – to be “little Christs,” as Martin Luther liked to put it - to shine with the love of God in all our daily actions and choices.
And not only as individuals, but also as a community - as a congregation - we need to keep asking the same questions. Who are we, as Napa Valley Lutheran Church, and why are we here? We know the answer, of course, at least in a general way. We’re a community of faith called together by the Holy Spirit to shine the love of God in this city and throughout this Valley, and into all the world. But these aren’t questions that you can ask just once and be done with. Sure, the general answer stays the same from year to year. But we keep asking the question, because the specifics of it are likely to change over time. Make the love of God known – Yes. And how will we do that now? Maybe not in the same ways that we did it a generation ago, or a year ago, or a month ago.
Who are we now? And why are we here today? These are questions that come up especially this time of year as the Church Council and Ministry Teams and the whole congregation set goals and priorities for the coming year, recruit leaders and volunteers, create a budget that reflects those goals and priorities. What opportunities is God putting before us? What needs are there to be addressed? What resources is God giving us to use? I want to put in a good word here for stewardship and giving. A church budget is one way that we answer the question, “Who are we and why are we here?” in the same way that your own household budget reflects your own priorities in life. What are the things that we’ll find money for, no matter what? Or, on the other hand, what are the first things that get cut out of our spending when money gets tight? If you want to know what a person truly believes in, the saying goes, look in their checkbook.
From a congregational perspective, we ask, “What belongs in our budget that reflects who we are and why we’re here?” And from a membership perspective, we ask, “To what extent is each one of us willing to share those priorities, to support and maybe even to sacrifice in order to make those things happen?” Are we the kind of congregation, and are we the kind of people, who believe so deeply in the love of God and in the importance of sharing that love, that we will see that as our primary identity and calling? That we would do whatever it takes to see that love take shape and shine in us and among us and through us?
Who are we, Napa Valley Lutheran Church?
Who are you?
Why are we here?
So this striking figure of John the Baptist, and these questions of identity that are raised, invite us to think deeply again about our own place and our own call. I think my history teacher, Mr. Crawford, had it right - these are among the most important questions we could ever ask.
And, by the grace of God, we’re not left without an answer. We are God's people, brought to this very time and place, to shine - to shine with the light and the love of Christ. Amen.
