January 16, 2011
Isaiah 49: 3, 5-6 + Psalm 40 + 1 Corinthians 1: 1-3 + John 1: 29-34
Last week we proclaimed Matthew’s account of the Baptism of Jesus.Today we proclaim John’s account. Notice the difference: no water in John’s version. In Matthew, Mark, and Luke, a voice is heard that identifies Jesus;the Spirit Speaks – a voice is heard. In John’s account, the Baptist identifies Jesus by two important titles: Lamb of God, and Son of God.Now when John sees Jesus, it is not a physical sighting.What John sees leads him to testimony about the mission of Christ.In other words, John doesn’t see Jesus of Nazareth, a person.John sees a mission, and begins to understand his mission.John sees the one comes to take away the sin of the world.He has a revelation which in the Gospel is signaled by the word: Behold!
Pay attention to the detail that sin is singular, here, not plural.His mission is not to take away individual transgressions.It is to restore what sin has destroyed: our relationship, our communion with God. The mission of Jesus is to connect us to God. Through Him, With Him, In Him is the message of John to the church today.In the other Gospels the Spirit comes upon and dwells within Jesus.In this Gospel, the Spirit speaks to John. In other words, now John speaks in the Spirit, and with that Spirit he sees, understands, and believes what God has come to accomplish: restore our relaitonship with God.
Now brothers and sisters, John may be the greatest prophet, and the greatest man born of woman; but he is not the only one who has received the Holy Spirit. This church is full of the Spirit filled people.It is full of people who can see more than the physical presence of those sitting beside them if they will just look.It is full of people who can see more than bread and wine on this altar;who can see more in this world than what is around them.Spirit filled people see the work of God in all things see the face of God in all faces see the glory of God in every human life born and unborn, sick, dying, ugly, angry and beutiful. Without that Spirit we are blind fools stumbling the the darkness.
At the beginning of this season which will lead us to Lent in several weeks,we recall and retell the story of the Baptism of Jesus for one reason only:to more deeply understand and consistently live our own Baptism so that we may see as John saw more than just what the meets the eye.So that others might come through our testimony to find in Christhe way to holiness and perfection; the way to God.For having been baptized into Christ,we take on His mission and we become his saving work.Our alienation from God is destroyed. The Sin of the World is finished.We know how and where to find our God.We know what it is we called to become: children of God, children of the Light.The work of John the Baptist was to attract people to Christ and through Christ to lead people to God and a life without sin.If Byron had kept on reading the next verse of John’s Gospel it would have said this: “The next day John was standing with two of his disciples; and he loked at Jesus as he walked by and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus.”
The work of John the Baptist was cut short by the jealousy of Harod. The work of John the Baptist is not finished. In this church is John the Baptist, Tom the Baptist, Joan the Baptist, Mary the Baptist, Edward the Baptist, and every other name by which you were called on the day of your Baptism. We know from John the Baptist what we must do: lead others to Christ and therefore to God.
We will do that by the life we lead in Joy, lived in the Spirit. We will do that by the integrity with which we live, the truth, and the inclusiveness which is a hall mark of God’s Kingdom.
This season, before Lent begins, we have time to restablish and reaffirm what was begun in us at our Baptism. We should get started, and remember.