Sermon for the 3rd Sunday of Advent: “Who are you?” preached at the Eucharist, Sherborne Abbey on Sunday, 17 December 2023 by the Reverend Robert Green (1 Thessalonians Ch 5: v 16 – 24; John Ch 1: v 1 – 4, 8 – end)
As we get close to Christmas, we usually encounter some reference to Charles Dickens “A Christmas Carol” whether it is the musical or the actual book, and this sermon is no exception! We are all familiar with the story of the redemption of the cruel miser Ebenezer Scrooge. In one powerful episode Scrooge is taken by the Ghost of Christmas Present to a party hosted by Scrooge’s cheerful nephew, Fred. Scrooge and the ghost look on unseen by Fred and his guests, who are playing a game called “Yes and No”. In the game people have to guess what Fred is thinking about, and Fred can only answer “Yes or “No”. Fred says he is thinking of an unwanted creature, but not a rat. The answer, revealed amidst much laughter, is Scrooge himself. It is a moment of revelation for Scrooge as he begins to see himself as others see him, and to understand that he needs to change.
I wonder if you noticed in the Gospel reading that John the Baptist seems to be doing something similar with the religious officials who have been sent to question him; “Who are you?” they ask, but they only get “no” for an answer. Not the Messiah. Not Elijah. Not the prophet.
But this is not a game and John’s questioners quickly lose patience. They need an answer to take back to the authorities in Jerusalem, and some understanding what John is up to. A strange preacher by the river Jordan may not seem very significant, but in the heated atmosphere of occupation of Judaea by the Romans, a small spark has the potential to cause a big explosion. But why is John baptizing at all? Israelites don’t need baptising, baptism is for proselytes and Gentile converts yet John is saying that even the chosen people had to be cleansed. The king is coming. And, for his coming you need to be cleansed as much as any Gentile. The implications are startling, but once again John does not give a direct answer to the authorities. Instead he points away from himself; “ I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandal”. This was the most menial task normally done by slaves. He is truly preparing the way for the Messiah. The authorities in Jerusalem know that the Romans will react to any suggestion of a Jewish liberator, and clamp down on carefully defended religious freedoms such as being able to worship at the temple in Jerusalem. No wonder they are nervous.
John is not the Messiah, nor is he the prophet. His answer is something that sounds more harmless, but is in reality just as radical and dangerous. He is the voice crying in the wilderness, “Make straight the way of the Lord”, but his questioners miss the significance of his answer. There is no moment of revelation for them, no understanding how they must change. For us, his answer, as we were reminded last week is from Isaiah Chap.40 with its glorious promises of God’s redemption of his people. “Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level and the rough places a plain. Then the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all people shall see it together.” The Lord will return in glory to the defeated and demoralised people of Israel. Amazingly John’s questioners have missed the astonishingly and dangerous truth he proclaims: God is coming to begin the final work of salvation.
What the questioners from the religious authorities went back to tell the leaders in Jerusalem we do not know, for clearly, they had not understood what John was talking about. Unlike Scrooge who through a series of events changed his life for ever, and created for him a miraculous Christmas Day. John is proclaiming a moment of truth, the moment for which God’s people have been waiting for centuries. John the Baptist the Forerunner has done what he came for; he has testified to the light. A new dawn is coming, a Christmas Day when everything is transformed.
Sometimes we wonder if the state of the world can get any worse as conflicts rage in Ukraine, Israel and Gaza, Sudan and Yemen to name but a few, and the world can seem a hostile place, full of anxiety and dread. It can be hard to hope, hard to imagine something better. It is then important to remember that all those centuries ago in Bethlehem in Judaea with the birth of Jesus, a light dawned that will never be extinguished, as our Gospel reminds us:” “the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.” Let us hold on to that truth that despite all the horror and misery, the light of Christ has dawned, and this Christmas may we open our hearts to receive that light once again amid all the darkness that surrounds us.
A Palestinian pastor and theologian has written this reflection on the situation in Israel and Gaza. “The God of this land does not fight the invading armies…but instead shares the same fate with his people…His house is destroyed…His son is crucified…But his mystery does not perish…and from the midst of the ashes he arises… and we find him walking with the refugees…And in the darkness of the night he causes fountains of hope to burst”.