Third Sunday of Advent

The Gospel of John is called “the book of signs” because throughout his public ministry, Jesus shows himself in sign and word to his own people as the revelation of God.[i] Where in Luke Jesus comes to us as a baby in a manger, and in Matthew he is the descendant of royalty, the Fourth Evangelist introduces Jesus to us as the λόγος (logos) the “Word” or “revealer” of God.  

In the gospel reading we just heard, we meet Jesus’ cousin John again, but here, unlike last week in Mark, he isn’t baptizing. Instead this account focuses on John’s unique role in the “Good News story of Jesus”[ii] as a herald and the first witness to Jesus.[iii]  

Verses 7 and 8 tells us: “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.”

Witnesses make statements, sharing firsthand accounts of what they have seen or heard. They are compelling storytellers who speak from their lived experience of a person or event.

John knows his role, and understands, with enviable clarity, that everything he is doing – his reason for being in Bethany – is to point to Jesus.

So, when the priests and Levites sent by the Pharisees ask who he is, John is quick to tell them he is not the long-awaited Messiah, and he is not Elijah, whose return was expected ‘before the day of the Lord.’[iv] Nor is he the Prophet, a much-anticipated figure in the tradition of Moses. Having refused all of these traditional roles, he redirects his interrogators’ attention to Jesus, the one who stands among them but whom they do not know. (1:26)

A leader with influence and followers, John chose to lead by serving; and in giving himself fully to his identity as one who points to Jesus, he participated in the holy event that was initiated when “God came down to us in the flesh in Jesus.”[v]

In this account, Jesus had not yet arrived in Bethany, but John’s words are full of expectation —not giddy, childlike excitement, but faith-filled confidence that hope will reach fulfillment.[vi]

We too, as the church, are called to be filled with expectation and to witness to how God is here, active and moving in our lives, how the light of Jesus Christ is breaking into our world.

Like the news broadcast that takes a daily break from the cycle of hard news to share a ‘good news story’ of a 100-year old woman who still drives or a Santa who knows sign language, we have our own good news stories to tell.

One of the first stories in this issue of SOFIA is about a seminary classmate at Luther who has been called to serve two rural congregations in North Dakota. Like Brook Seaford who preached here in summer 2016 and is now called to serve at Cross and Crown in Matthews, God’s fingerprints are all over Kathy’s story. Importantly though, it isn’t only in the lives of soon-to-be-pastors where God shows up. These stories showcase how congregations of all sizes have imagined new ministries together, including one that claimed a New Jersey parking lot as a ministry site and another that transformed their building into a community hub.

Like these stories, the story of John the witness is that each of us may “put [our] faith into action by pointing to and participating in something larger than [our]selves” and in helping make Christ known.[vii]

Because the hard truth is that for many of our neighbors and perhaps even for some of you who are worshiping here today, Jesus stands among [us] as one who is not known. (1:26) Perhaps, God was reduced to a harsh judge or a distant and unsympathetic puppet master; or what you thought you knew about God has been shattered against the reality of your life, or deep grief and disappointment, cynicism and the noise of the world have eroded your confidence in who you thought God is.

For us all, this is the Good News story of Jesus, and here, the evangelist and John point to Jesus and remind us that God came to us to be with us, to set us free from our worry and suffering, and to send us out to be witnesses, telling others how God loves and cherishes them, too.[viii] Sent out for the sake of the world, we share our firsthand experience of how knowing Jesus changes who we are and our relationships with others and why God’s love matters.

Let us pray…

Good and gracious God,

Thank you for loving us so much that you came down to us, in the person on your Son Jesus. Fill us with expectation that Your promises are being fulfilled, even now, and give us courage to live out our faith by serving as your witnesses.

We pray in the name of your Son Jesus,

Amen.

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[i] Raymond E. Brown. The Gospel According to John, Chapters I-XII , 39.

[ii] “Third Sunday of Advent,” Daily Discipleship, ELCA.

[iii] Brown. 45.

[iv] Brown, 47.

[v] David Lose. “In the Meantime,” Advent 3B 2017.

[vi] “Third Sunday of Advent,” Daily Discipleship, ELCA.

[vii] Lose.

[viii] Lose.