The Rev. Dr. Hilary B. Smith
Preparing the Way
Again
this week we hear about John the Baptist, who came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe. John
prepared the way for the Lord by sharing what he knew of the light coming into
the world – what he knew about God, what he knew about Jesus.
The
days leading up to Christmas are a time for us to prepare the way for the Lord.
These days of Advent are a fertile time to witness to the people of our day in
the same way that John the Baptist did in his day. Not by eating locusts, but
by sharing our passion for the faith we hold dear. As John the Baptist did, we
too can engage people in ways that invite them to share the abundant life we
know through our relationship with God.
Every
now and then, I’ll be speaking with someone about the church and why it might
be a good idea to give the community of faith a try, and the person will say:
“I think that Jesus was a great teacher, but I don’t believe he was God.” My friends,
and maybe yours, who say these things about Jesus are trying to show that they
can relate, on some level, to what is most important in our life. I find myself
thinking, that’s nice, yes, certainly a great teacher but so much more than
that.
One
of the books I’ve been reading this Advent is the Bible and the New York
Times by Fleming Rutledge. In the book she shows how the Good News
and the news of the world are connected or not so connected as the case may be.
She tells the story of an interview with the Dalai Lama done by the New York
Times in
As
Rutledge goes on to say that, “Christian faith is completely different from
that of other religions. Though it contains teaching, it is not built on
teaching. Though it speaks of Truth, it is not built on truths. Though it
describes spiritual experiences, it is not built on spiritual experiences.
Alone among the religions of the world, Christian faith is built on a person:
not on what he taught, but on who he was: Jesus himself—not
his teaching or his example or his deeds, but his person. Of course we
are not saying that his teaching and example and deeds are of no importance, but they are subordinate to
who he was (pp.39-40).”
When
people were first coming to realize who Jesus was, Jesus went to the Temple,
picked up the scroll, and read those verses from Isaiah that we hear today:
The spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me,
because the LORD has
anointed me;
he has sent me to bring good news to the
oppressed,
to bind up the
brokenhearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives,
and release to the
prisoners;
Through
those worlds, Jesus proclaimed that God’s salvation was now present in the
world through him. This is different than Jesus just teaching people how to
love – He was and is the Love – through Him we are united with God not because
we follow his teaching but because we
follow him – our good works are part of the fruits, but not an end in
themselves. When we bring good news to those who are oppressed because of
poverty, we meet Jesus there and are ourselves transformed.
John
the Baptist didn’t go out into the wilderness and invite people to change their
lives for a great teacher. The Gospel of John gives a sense of John the
Baptist’s state of mind. John was saying and doing things that were inspired by
his connection with God and his anticipation of the Messiah’s arrival. The
religious leaders were trying to make sense of him – asking if he was connected
to the religious figures of the past. But John was clear—his call was to
proclaim something new. He was there to witness to the light. Not just any
light – the Light.
Part
of the wonder Christmas brings is that sense that everything is new again,
there is hope in the air. That we too are witnesses to God’s light coming into
the world. The story of Jesus’ birth is not a page in history that we remember.
Our encounter with God who comes to be with us is a living reality. John the
Baptist was speaking of something new.
How
does your connection with God inspire you to say and do certain things? When we
celebrate Christmas, we will celebrate the coming of God into the world in a
way that united us with God and provides the way for all people to be in
relationship with God –a saving relationship, a relationship that will never
end.
There
are still many who are not sure about the nature of Jesus – who he was, what
his life meant and what it means. Inviting people to a Christmas service this
year is a great way of introducing people to the Savior we know. God works. God
works to connect with everyone all the time. Some people actually find God in
church!
I
say that jokingly, but given how rarely Episcopalians invite people to join
them at church, we might wonder if we believe that. I think the statistic is
that once every 30 years an Episcopalian invites someone to church. Not
everyone will have a life-changing experience but some will. And isn’t our
witness by inviting people something in itself? Yes, it is.
I
propose that we each invite at least five people who do not normally attend our
church to come this Christmas. I challenge you to invite five people to church
this Christmas. And I’m not really talking about the faithfully Methodist who
lives next door to you. I’m talking about the people who may never have been to
church – or have not been in a number of years—people who might not think that
we would welcome them.
Christmas
is a holiday celebrated by many people who claim that they are not religious.
Even
those folks may go to church at Christmas. More people will worship with us
this Christmas than at any other time. And that’s a great thing. I never complain about people who come only at
Christmas or Easter. It is a wonderful opportunity for God because people open
themselves, even if it is every so slightly, to the possibility that in Jesus
there is new life, new possibilities.
When
the opportunities present themselves, may we be inspired, in the same way as
John the Baptist, to prepare the way for the Lord. Amen.