St. John 1:6-8, 19-29
Divine Service
 

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ:

Last Sunday, our Gospel lesson consisted of the first eight verses of the Gospel of Mark, in which he began to tell us the good news of Jesus the Christ, not with stories of our Lord’s birth, but with the ministry of John the baptizer.  Mark emphasized that John was a pure prophet in the classic sense, even dressing like Elijah: in a tunic woven from camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist. He told us that John set up shop in the wilderness, living off the land by eating locust and wild honey, preaching a message of repentance, and baptizing those who came to hear him, as a means of helping them prepare their hearts for the coming of God’s Son.

This morning, our Gospel lesson is from the opening section of the John’s Gospel, and the verses selected again center on this John, who has been preaching and baptizing in the wilderness. But the author of this fourth Gospel gives us another angle to consider. The author of our text for this morning is not interested in how John dressed, or what he ate. He is not interested in how his personality and demeanor identified him with Israel’s past prophets. That seems to be evident by the answers that our author reports John giving to those who sought to know by what authority he conducted his ministry.

Rather, the author of our text for this morning is more interested in the role that John played as a witness, as a person who pointed to Jesus and proclaimed Jesus to be the Christ, the light of world, the very Son of God, than he was about John’s character. The author of the fourth Gospel is a theologian, who is not as interested in having us know all of the details and stories of persons surrounding the life of Jesus, as he is in having us understand the significance of what Jesus’ life means for us.

Sometimes, I wish that our lessons were longer – and not just so that I could talk longer.  Today’s lesson is a case for the longer lessons.  John’s Gospel start out telling us who the light is and then tells us that John was witness to the light.  I am sure that everyone is certain who John is talking about, but it would be nice to have it actually in the lesson.  We would normally get the first 18 verses of John in about 3 weeks, but this year that lesson is skipped as we celebrate New Years Day.  So, let’s look at a little more of the first chapter of John.

John begins his Gospel by telling us that “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (1:10) And “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.” (1:14) This is the Evangelist’s way of describing what took place in the birth of Jesus the Christ. The Word that was with God from the beginning of time has entered our human race in the person of Jesus.

Next, John’s Gospel tells us that this Word that was with God from the beginning took part in the creation of the universe. In John’s words, “Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.” (1:3)  But then John adds that even though the Word had had become flesh and entered our human race, we didn’t recognize him for who he truly is. In John’s words, “He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him.” (1:10)

Then John’s Gospel tells us that this Word become flesh, this Word who had participated in the creation of the universe, possessed the gift of life for all people, which would illumine the darkness of our sinful world. Again, in John’s words, “In him was life, and that life was the light of men.  The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.”

Now we come to our text for this morning. “There was a man sent from God, whose name was John, He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.”

This appears to be why the author of our fourth Gospel was not so interested in describing the way John the baptizer dressed, or what he ate for dinner, or even how his demeanor might have identified him as a prophet from Israel’s past.  The Word of God, who is God, who participated in the creation of the universe, through whom we receive the gift of life – has come among us.

The author of this Gospel wants us to realize, right from the start, that in Jesus the Christ, we behold the very incarnation of God. He wants us to realize that in Jesus, we do not just behold a human being who has been anointed – simply appointed – by  God to proclaim his word to the people, but that God Himself is present. He wants us to realize that in Jesus, and in Jesus alone, is the grace of God able to redeem us from sin and offer us new life.

As a result, John’s Gospel portrays John the Baptizer as a messenger anointed by God to bear witness to the fact that in Jesus we behold the very presence of God.  “This is the one I meant when I said, 'A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.'  I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that he might be revealed to Israel.’ John gave this testimony: "I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him” (1:30-32)… I have seen and I testify that this is the Son of God..” (1:32)

First, within the context that appears in chapter 1 of John’s Gospel, it reminds us that the person to whom John the Baptizer came to bear witness of  is truly the Son of God. As we move through this season of Advent, and prepare to celebrate anew the birth of Jesus, we need to remind ourselves that this is the most tremendous event that has ever taken place in the history of the human race.

John the Baptizer was certain of his place.  He confidently answered the questions of the religious leaders.  He could confidently say that he was not the Christ…he was not Isaiah…that he was not the prophet foretold my Moses.  Who was he?  In the “words of Isaiah the prophet, "I am the voice of one calling in the desert, 'Make straight the way for the Lord.’”  He knew his place.  He was the messenger to the Light, he was not the Light. 

As we put up and trim our Christmas trees, as we display our nativity scenes in our homes and churches, as we picture this infant born of Mary and lying in a manger, it is so easy to get caught up in the emotions of this world that we miss the significance of what we truly celebrate. As Christians, we have taken the picture of our Lord’s birth, as described in Luke’s Gospel, and made it a cherished symbol of the Christian faith.

We all love to celebrate the birth of a child.  But the child that lay in that manger was no ordinary child.  He is the Son of God, to whom the whole universe owes its existence, and to whom we owe our very life. And he is the one to whom we owe our redemption, the forgiveness of our sins, and to whom we cling in the hope of life eternal through his death and resurrection.

As persons who have been baptized into Christ’s death and resurrection, we have a responsibility to take up where John the baptizer left off. We have a responsibility to witness to those around us that Jesus is indeed the Christ, the Son of God, who takes away the sin of the world. May God’s Spirit so empower us, not only to rejoice in the fact of our redemption, but also empower us to proclaim that in this child, whose birth we celebrate in just two more weeks at Christmas, God has come among us to offer us new life.  We, too, can be messengers of the Light.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.  Amen