As preached by Brother Luke
Holy Wisdom Chapel
In the name of the Father and of the
Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Was
John the Baptist out of his mind? Why would anyone do what he did? Would you?
He heads out into the wilderness, rails against the sickness of his society,
calls on people to turn away from their evil ways and seek the Lord. He
attracted crowds of people who took his message to heart. But he also attracted
a board of inquiry that wanted to know just who he thought he was and by what
authority he was baptizing. He was a latter day Jeremiah and he ended up
getting thrown into jail and beheaded. Job security wasn't his thing.
John
the Baptist was a prophet. But he wasn't a Wall Street type prophet, selling
inside information on how to make a financial killing in a fickle market in the
midst of an uncertain economy. John was talking about a change of life and
investing in a future that was out of this world. He was a voice in the
wilderness crying out for a change that his society needed desperately but was
loathe to pursue. Expediency was the watchword for the leadership of his day.
Play it safe. Stick to the rules. If you rock the boat we will all be lost!
Even
more, John was also going against the grain in his approach. He was not
promoting himself, he was pointing to someone else. Standing among you is
someone whose sandals I am not fit to untie. What looks like hubris turns out
to be the ultimate humility. And wouldn't it be refreshing for that approach to
be available to us today? For the one he was pointing to was Jesus Christ. The
one who enjoys God's favor. And like John the Baptist, was always pointing to
someone else, namely God.
Everything
we do in church points to the alternate route. The route that does not take us
deeper into the morass of society but raises us up to a vision that turns the
Holy Trinity from a construct into a pattern for new life, a life of awareness
of the other, mutuality, forgiveness, compassion, support, self emptying,
receptivity - all of those things that contradict the impulse in the world
today to build walls between us rather than bridges; to bomb to oblivion those
who look, act or believe differently than we do.
The
message that John the Baptist was proclaiming 2000 years ago is the same
message we need to hear today. Like then, it is still a voice crying out in the
wilderness. It is a lonely occupation, but it remains the one thing necessary.
John
was pointing to Christ and preparing the way for him to enter the world to
proclaim his message of salvation. And if we hear the message, how do we put it
into effect? By the way we live and treat each other and the world around us.
It's not a complicated agenda. The problem is that it goes against the human
instinct for self preservation and self promotion. You follow a path that leads
to crucifixion or decapitation, you're not likely to be a candidate for an
appearance on "America's Got Talent." It doesn't fit into the popular
culture of our day. But the good news is that some people are discovering that
today's culture is sadly lacking any depth that satisfies the deeper human
yearning for meaning in their lives that is not superficial.
So
each one of us in our own lives can do what Isaiah called for: to clear the way
for the Lord [Is 40:3] to enter. Where? Into each one of our hearts. Our
baptism is where it begins. Our lives is where it unfolds. Our challenge is to
not let the light that entered into us at our baptism flicker and fade, but
rather to take every opportunity to protect it and nurture it. To bring that
light to others. Each one of us can make a difference.
Christ is in our midst!
No comments:
New comments are not allowed.