Third Sunday of Advent

Last week we heard the beginning of Mark's gospel and Mark's introduction of John the Baptist. In my sermon last week, I looked at what it means to “prepare the way of the Lord” and how we do that. And what I emphasized in that sermon is that the preparation that Isaiah and John the Baptizer are talking about is real work. Construction.

I ended that sermon as follows, quoting from the text from Isaiah: 1Comfort, O comfort my people, says your God. 3A voice cries out: “In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord,” … How do we do that? Make a conscious decision each and every day to do your best to put the needs of those who suffer above your own needs.

How do we “make straight in the desert a highway for our God.” If you see or hear someone being disparaged for who they are, because of their race, their religion, their gender or sexual orientation, their political persuasion; say something or do something about it and establish a little corner of God’s kingdom justice in the world.

How do we ensure that “4Every valley shall be lifted up”? You know that co-worker, colleague, or cranky uncle you have a hard time getting along with? Send them a Christmas card this year.

“…and every mountain and hill be made low; … How do we do that? More people than ever before are going hungry in the richest country on earth. Make the largest donation with which you’re comfortable to a local food pantry.

How do we make “the uneven ground … level”? Next time you go to the grocery store, ask the elderly couple next door or down the street what they need.

How do we make “the rough places a plain”? Take the time to acquaint yourself with the details of a systemic injustice that you’ve witnessed and then contact your state or local representative about it, challenging them to address the issue.

Because when we do these kinds of things, guess what happens? “5Then the glory of the Lord is revealed, and all people see it together, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.” Through you, God has spoken and continues to speak, bringing a word of hope, love, grace, and redemption to a suffering world.

Today we hear a different emphasis on John the Baptist's work. Like Mark, the Gospel of John describes John the Baptist as the voice of one crying in the wilderness. But the writer of the Gospel of John emphasizes John the Baptist's role as the one who bears witness to Jesus as the Light of the World.

Darkness and Light are key themes in John's gospel. In fact, later in John 3, the gospel tells us: 19 And this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. 20 For all who do evil hate the light and do not come to the light, so that their deeds may not be exposed. 21 But those who do what is true come to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that their deeds have been done in God.” John 3:19-21

Twenty years ago, Frederick Buechner wrote a powerful little book called "Telling Secrets." In it, Buechner tells how his father came into his room late at night when Frederick and his brother were in bed. He kissed them both, went downstairs, and then took his own life. After his body was taken away and the mess was cleaned up and after the funeral was over, Buechner's mother never spoke of what happened and made it clear that it was not a topic for discussion.

And, so, the father's death suicide became this terrible family secret. Buechner never understood what an emotional toll his father's death by suicide had taken on him until his own daughter almost died of anorexia nervosa. A huge part of the healing process was opening up the emotional doors and windows of his life and talking about his feelings with his family. The family needed to learn to be open with each other.

Buechner's story illustrates the power of hidden things to crush lives. He wasn’t urging that everyone live the equivalent of an emotional Jerry Springer Show where people broadcast their dysfunction to the world. Nor was he saying that we should never have any unspoken thoughts, or that our tongues should be unbridled. He was saying that keeping secrets is about running from the Light of the world. Running from the one who already knows it all!

John the Baptist shows us how to witness to Jesus Christ the Light of the world. And he does so by making a full disclosure about his own identity. He confesses to the religious leaders: "I am not the messiah... I'm just the one getting everybody ready for the messiah." He tells them: "I'm not worthy to untie the sandals of the One coming after me." Later he tells his disciples: "Behold, the Lamb of God" (1:36). The way to witness to the Light of the world, is to remember to say that Jesus is what matters...and not us. If we make things about us, we're not bearing witness to the Light. If we make things about us, we're wandering off into darkness.

Again, I am not suggesting that nothing should ever be left unsaid. Like toothpaste that’s already been squeezed from the tube, words spoken in anger can’t be taken back. Our pride often keeps us from admitting when we’re wrong or that what we’ve said or done was wrong. But the Light of the world knows everything we say or do or think, and there are no secrets from God. Psalm 139 says: “11 If I say, ‘Surely the darkness shall cover me, and night wraps itself around me’, 12 even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is as bright as the day, for darkness is as light to you. (Psalms 139:11-12) Nothing is ever hidden from God.

The danger of deception is that it comes from a place of untruth. Parents don't have to tell their children every stupid thing they have done. Spouses don't have to tell each other all the mistakes they have made in life. Children don't have to expose themselves to ridicule or parental disapproval by talking about every dumb thing they have done. But let's be clear. God knows it all.

As human beings we like things to be neat and tidy, and so we’re prone rush to judgment without all the facts. We may see two people talking in animated fashion and assume the worst. We may think that someone is a model spouse, because that is what he presents to the world. And we may not know that he is a very different person in private and, in fact, is incapable of being a spouse.

God knows our secrets. Even if no one else finds out, God knows. It’s foolish to run from the Light of the World, even dangerous. And yet it seems to be our natural inclination to try to keep from being exposed. We deny to ourselves the fact that God already knows it all. The good, the bad, and the ugly. But how then can the Light of the world help and heal us when we try to run and hide?

On the cross Jesus showed the world what sin and death are: an attempt to destroy the Author and Giver of Life. On the cross, Jesus showed where human power leads: trying to usurp the power of God to our own ends. On the cross, Jesus showed what the power of sin and death want: to lead the whole world into eternal night by trying to snuff out the Light of the world.

But it can’t be done. The darkness can never overcome the Light. Even if darkness seems to succeed for a while as it did on Good Friday, as it did again on September 11, 2001, as it seems to be doing now in places like Ukraine or Gaza…

Nevertheless, the Light always prevails. Christ is risen indeed. Alleluia! And nothing, no matter how big or how small can destroy those who belong to the Light of the world.

When we have been born again through the washing of Holy Baptism, we have the opportunity to live as children of the Light. With John the Baptist, we can say: "It's not about me...it's about Jesus, the Lamb of God who takes away my sins. It's not about me...it's about Jesus, the Light of the world who knows everything I've ever done and still forgives my sins." When we walk as children of the Light, we bear witness to the Light of the world by reflecting His Light in our words and deeds.

We have plenty of Light-bearers in our midst. The people who see to it that, regardless of circumstances, Calvary continues to offer meaningful, edifying worship. Those who make sure that we have a handy supply of Grace Bags available, to help those in need. The people who donate valuable time and energy to caring for our grounds and the memorial garden. The list is nearly endless…

This is by no means an exhaustive list of people who spend hours and hours doing good works in our congregation and in our community. Like many of you, these people serve in no official ways, they’re not staff of the church. They tend to avoid the spotlight. And in so doing, they, like John the Baptist, point beyond themselves to Jesus.

Advent is a penitential season of the year. It’s a time to look at our lives and our need for that Savior whose birth we will soon celebrate. It's a time to ask ourselves: "How have I run from the Light of the world? How have I participated in deception? Have my words and deeds been helpful or hurtful to others? Have I rushed to judgment without knowing the truth? Have I rushed to point out the sins of others while forgetting my own? Have I tried to cover my misdeeds and my mistakes with lies and misinformation?”

No other human being will ever know the complete truth about each of us, but God sees, and God knows everything we have said or done. We can keep on yammering about the sins of others and act badly out of sinful pride. Or we can learn to mean what we said at the beginning of worship: “we confess that we are captive to sin and cannot free ourselves. We have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done and by what we have left undone. We have not loved you with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves.”

Let’s not cling to sinful pride. Instead, let’s run to the Light of the world as He comes to us in bread and wine, saying: "This my body and this my blood is given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins." And may we also try, with the Holy Spirit's help, to do better as children of the Light!

Amen