LAKE JAMES

NORTH CAROLINA

Advent III + 12/17/06 + St. Paul’s Church, Lake James

+ In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

The central figure in today’s Gospel is Saint John the Baptizer, or, as he is often called in the Eastern Orthodox Church, Saint John the Forerunner, the one whose calling it was to prepare the way for the Lord. Saint John is an intriguing character who especially “comes into his own” during this season of Advent, because Advent’s theme is exactly the one he preached, namely, “Get ready! Jesus is coming, get ready!”

What do we know about Saint John? Not too much. There are substantially similar passages about him in the Gospels according to Matthew, Mark, and Luke, with somewhat different information in St. John’s version. There are a few, brief references to him in the Book of the Acts of the Apostles, but that’s that as far as the Bible is concerned. John is not even mentioned anywhere else in Holy Scripture! The Jewish historian Josephus, who lived just after our Lord’s death, from about the year 37 to 100, notes Saint John’s existence, but that’s all. A meager record, yet one which suffices to reveal at least “glimpses” of a fascinating man who was stern, commanding, austere, somewhat of an oddity, yet peculiarly compelling.

The noted 20^th Century scholar and Anglican Priest, Father Boone Porter, wrote a brief sketch about Saint John, including these vivid words: “For many years, John lived in the desert. Not the smooth, sandy desert of romance, but a rough, inhospitable terrain of rocky hillsides, cliffs, steep canyons and arid plains. It was much like the scenery familiar to us from Grade B cowboy movies, a lonely area inhabited (if at all) by bandits, wolves, and an occasional lion. It was a land scorched by the sun in the daytime and chilled at night under the vast sky. It was in that harsh and unattractive setting that John, like the prophets of the Hebrew Scriptures before him, and the Christian hermits who would come after him, learned to live with the elements, with himself, and, most importantly, with his God. Most of us would not survive three days in a place like that. John lived there for years. We don’t know exactly how long he lived all alone in the wilderness, but however long, it was long enough so that, when he returned to human society, he was not like other men. His clothing was odd, his dedication to what we might call “health foods” was even stranger. He cared nothing for the rewards, comforts, or honors which others craved, and was unmoved by threats or punishments dealt out by the worldly power of the government. In the words of the Fourth Gospel, ‘there was a man sent by God whose name was John.’ Clearly, John was, very consciously, a ‘man of God.’ He was a man with a purpose, a man with a message.” When someone like that spoke, people listened. Even though he called his listeners “a brood of vipers,” rich and poor alike trudged out to the riverside to hear him preach, and many of them waded into the muddy waters of the Jordan River to have their sins washed away in preparation for the coming of the Messiah. What a contrast between the gaunt, intense, ascetic figure of Saint John and the jolly fat man in the red plush suit which is what the secular society has made of Saint Nicholas. What a contrast between the stark warnings of the Forerunner and the busy hucksterism of the contemporary Christmas season with its intense emphasis on buying, selling, and partying. Could any two figures be more different than Saint John the Baptizer and Santa Claus?

When I was a youngster, one of the welcome changes of pace at school came when we would enter our classroom and find a movie projector and screen set up. We knew then that, instead of a regular class, there would be a film of some kind. (I always hoped for Mickey Mouse but inevitably it turned out to be something “educational” instead.) Somehow, at my school, the beginning of the film would always be out of focus as the teacher fiddled with the lens.

“Out of focus” might well be a theme of this sermon.

Not too long ago, I read a magazine article in which a department store Santa Claus wrote about having a little child climb onto his lap and disdainfully say: “You don’t have to bother about me this year – we have MasterCard!” That seemed “out of focus” to me. Then, on television, watching commercial after commercial in which very happy families of well-fed, well clad, bright eyed children, beaming parents, and usually a benevolent grandparent or two gather around a large, beautifully decorated Christmas tree in an elegant house, simply bursting with joy at the presentation of whatever the product was the ad was designed to sell. All that seemed “out of focus,” too – a message subtly claiming that the real meaning of the holiday would be found through the purchase of what they were trying to sell, and yet, that’s part of the reality of the culture in which we live, isn’t it?

Another part of that reality, especially for many who are alone or sick, those who feel unwanted, uncared for, or unloved, is that the holidays bring a deepening gloom, an intensification of sadness, of loneliness, of emptiness. That’s something virtually every parish priest, or minister confronts at this time of year. Nurses and other caregivers in hospitals, nursing homes, and other residential facilities describe the same thing – something which, when considered in conjunction with the meaning of Christmas, the birth of the Savior, is also surely “out of focus.”

In what has become a seasonal classic, Hank Ketchum, the creator of the “Dennis the Menace” cartoon strip sums it up all too well. A one frame drawing shows a large Christmas tree glowing with lights and covered with ornaments, the floor around the bottom of the tree is piled high with toys, games, a bicycle, sports equipment, discarded ribbons fancy boxes, and torn gift paper. In the midst of it all, little Dennis sits with a petulant look on his face, saying “is this all there is?”

In the Gospel for today, Saint John proclaims his timeless message: “Make the Lord’s path straight! Get ready for Him!” The focus there is clear, sharp, unmistakable: “God is coming! God is coming – to us!” You and I face the annual question, namely, are we ready?” And, for many of us, the answer is a definite “NO!” (Meaning that we haven’t finished sending out all our Christmas cards, our shopping list is only partially done, and there is still housework to be completed if entertaining is to go on.) So much to do and so little time in which to do it! But this morning, the question with which Saint John confronts us has no reference at all to holiday chores. His question has to do with our hearts, our minds, our very selves.

Over there is the new stable – a real work of art, lovingly made by our own Carrol Epley. I hope you will take time to look at it closely, not just to admire Carrol’s wonderful creativity, but to consider that, except for animals, there are no other figures in it. No good St. Joseph or the Holy Mother, no shepherds, no Angel, and, of course, no Infant Savior. My friends, I hope that empty stable will be a powerful symbol this morning, because we know who and what belongs in it. It isn’t a Christmas tree with decorations. It isn’t a new bicycle or automobile. It isn’t an office party or gala holiday gathering. It is the Lord Jesus Christ. Isn’t that true of you and me, also? Isn’t it the Lord who needs to be present in our hearts, in our minds, in our conscious awareness? Not to chase away parties, gifts or trees, but to validate them – to give them a real meaning, a worthy reason for celebration! The Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, thinking about that real meaning, wrote this insightful comment: “Entering into what may look like the rather odd and marginal world of the Churches is to go into a larger reality. That’s the good news of Christmas. A purely secular Christmas which is just consumption, or a Christmas which is unwilling even to use the word ‘Christ’ – that is so small and so boring by comparison with what the Christmas story is really about.”

It’s time to ask ourselves if our focus is clear. It’s time to heed the message of Saint John the Forerunner. What are we waiting for, hoping for, preparing for in this Advent season?

May this time for every one of us be truly Christ-centered, a holy and joy-filled time of expectation. With God’s grace and our conscious intentions, it can be just that. We may have MasterCard, but we must have Christ! He is coming. Get ready!

+ In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

The Reverend Alfred T. K. Zadig, Sr.

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