Sermons from the Temple

As we continue in this season of Advent, we do so with a focus on the life of the one called John the Baptist. Scripture tells us that John was born filled with the Holy Spirit, and that the purpose and mission of John's life was established by God. John was born to become and to be the uncompromised "voice crying out in the wilderness" that had been prophesied from Old Testament times. And while John could have chosen a different way - a different purpose and mission for his living, altogether, he chose to accept and to walk in the way of his Lord.

John inhabited and preached the unusual message of repentance in the wastelands surrounding the region of Judea. And the Word tells us that he clothed himself in animal skins and subsisted on a simple diet of wild honey and locusts. People from all around came to see to hear John preach. Some came merely to see and observe; there are always those come only to see and to observe. But many more came mostly to hear, and when moved by what they heard, submitted themselves to be baptized. While we are not all "John the Baptists", nor are we all meant to be, in this season meant for contemplation, reflection, and for the anticipation of new life, the life of John the Baptist offers a profound framework for considering how each of us is choosing to live our lives today.

It has been said that our human vocabularies, no matter how extensive, lack adequate words for explaining, for articulating what moves deepest within the soul. Ask ten people to explain love or to describe the incredible experience of "falling in love" and you will like come away with ten very different kinds of responses. The ecstasy of welcoming a new life into the world, or of finally reaching some long sought after goal, or the anguish of having to say goodbye to someone we would offer our own lives for are human experiences which defy adequate words. Those things that push and pull within our innermost places can be realized, but rarely put neatly into words. And this is especially true of the experience of sharing a daily relationship with God; for such is filled with unspeakable mystery and with a majesty of moments that are beyond our fullest comprehension, that take us beyond our own capabilities, ever moving us to new possibilities for our living.

In the eyes of the world, John the Baptist could have easily been described and discounted as an eccentric loner, driven to absurdities, no doubt by the manner in which he consented to live. John wasn't wealthy, nor do the Scriptures indicate that he was particularly well educated. He certainly didn't share even amiable relations or connections with the power brokers or prestigious of his day. According to the world's standards, John lived his life as a failure - foraging for his daily "bread" amidst the wilds; dressed completely (and ridiculously!) out of style; passionately focused on and driven by matters that meant little or nothing to most folk; and in the end, paying the price of his life for remaining true to what he believed. And yet, the manner in which the world tends to view and to judge are ever at odds with God's perspective. The life of John the Baptist, his purpose and the commitment with which he lived have preserved for us truths and lessons which offer wondrous meaning for us, today.

The social experts have been telling us for decades that we are products of our environment, that it is the world around us that cultivates our tastes, dictates our beliefs, and sets the standards by which we live. But living in accordance with society's standards has always presented some significant problems and dilemmas for us, because society tends to never speak (or at least for very long) in one unified and clear voice. And so, the question that must be asked by each of us is "According to whose standards am I living my life?"

Consider, if you will, the sweeping changes in our tastes, beliefs and values which blew across America's social terrain during the last turbulent half of the 20th century, alone. Those of us who are over the age of 40 can remember America's changing hairstyles - how we went from poofy bouffants to long, straight cuts; and we, Black and African-Americans threw away our straightening combs and began sporting our "naturals", then braids, then dred locks, until finally everybody - male and female - were swooning over those shiny, bald heads.

Our tastes in music changed, from those relatively harmless bobby-soxer tunes and romantic ballads, from spirituals and gospel to rhythm-and-blues and rock-and-roll; to punk rock, hard rock, metallic rock; to rap, hip-hop, and gangsta' rap; to the contemporary gospel sounds of The Anointed, Take 6, Kirk Franklin and God's Property, along with BeBe and CeCe Winans - religious music that is scarcely recognizable as such until one listens to the words and not simply to the beat. Our tastes in foods have changed, along with the ways in which we prepare them. We went from frying to baking to broiling, and then to meticulously counting calories and fat grams. The health experts told us we needed to become more health-conscious, which triggered massive buying sprees of gym shoes - walking, running, and jogging ones! A whole lot of us are still promising to make use of that expensive exercise equipment that's been taking up space and gathering dust. We have become a nation of pill poppers, taking everything from Prozac to calm the nerves to an endless array of vitamin and herbal supplements, said to help us "battle the bulge" and keep our body's system stabilized.

And let us not forget the issue of our changing tastes in clothes. Armani, Givenchi, both of the Kleins - Calvin and Anne, along with Claus introduced clothing fashions and accouterments that allowed us to "dress for success" and it do so at "affordable" prices. Peddle-pushers became shorts, then shorts became Daisy Dukes; clean and pressed jeans became jeans with rips and holes in all of the most suggestive places; bell bottoms became skin tights; then pants and shirts - at least eight sizes too big! - became the latest rave. And now, since the designers and manufacturers have done just every conceivable thing, they are returning us to the styles of 1960's, beginning the cycle all over again.

Keeping pace with society's ever-changing tastes is both costly and confusing. But our tastes have tended to change because our values, what we think is important, have continued to change. We used to have the benefit of some clear guidelines of right and wrong, but the culture now tells us, "If it feels good to you, it must be good for you." Through overt and subliminal messages, our culture teaches us that only the biggest, the baddest, and the best exemplify happiness and success. The culture tells us who and what to love; who deserves to be maligned and marginalized and who we ought hold in high esteem. And somewhere along the way, we stopped caring about the "we" and have become increasingly preoccupied with the "me and the mine." We are encouraged to concern ourselves with one's outward appearance and achievements, while giving little concern to much of anything else. Society's tastes, beliefs, values, and virtues remain in a constant state of flux.

In contrast, our Lord poses to us the queries this world still tends to disregard and resist. Instead of wanting to know how much we earn and what our titles happen to be; instead of being interested in however many degrees we've earned or how many things we possess; instead of wanting to know the number of influential "movers and shakers" you know on a first-name basis - instead of those questions (and all of their first-cousin questions) God wants to know if you are living with the kind of integrity and commitment that are somehow making a real difference in our world. Or to put it another way, is the relationship you claim to have with Christ forging the kind of difference within you that is also making a difference for someone else? John's relationship with God made a difference within John's heart, soul and mind; and gave daily purpose, direction, and power to his daily living. The Spirit of the Lord was able to accomplish a work within John, in order that God might be able to work through John.

Is your relationship with Christ Jesus making a difference within you and is your life making the kind of difference God desires? And just as importantly is the question of whether or not the difference you are making will last? Will it last? The life based upon the ever-changing fluctuations and preferences of society is destined for restlessness, chaos, and a good measure of disappointment. Does the foundation and example you are setting for your children offer them what is necessary for ling their lives with commitment, with passion and real meaning? The culture urges us to give them what will soon break, rust out, wear out, or go quickly out of style. But the Lord teaches us how to receive and offer that which lasts!

Are all of your sacrifices, energies and deeds being done in accordance with God's plan, or more in accordance with what you (or someone else) deems more appropriate? In the eyes of the world, John's purpose and the standards by which he lived were ludicrous. Yet, every one of his powerful and influential contemporaries - those mentioned in the opening of today's passage - passed, all too soon, from the pages of history, remembered only in their relation to the Gospel story. But what John did with his life made a difference - and a difference that has lasted!

We used to sing the song, "Only What You Do For Christ Will Last", but more recently we began singing, "Order My Steps", which is a song of joyful praise, reminding us that in the midst of this ever-changing and unreliable world, we who choose to live with and in Christ Jesus are forever blessed and kept by our Lord.