December 8, 2013
Sermon. John the Baptist
Rev. Barbara Abbott
Trinity, Buckingham
Matthew 3: 1-12
Can you imagine complete silence? It’s hard to in our culture today in which televisions,
radios, etc. are constantly blaring. But in this morning’s gospel a silence of 400 years is
broken. No prophet had spoken the Word of the LORD in a very long time – not since
Malachi, last book of the Old Testament. Then come John the Baptist’s words: “Prepare
the way of the Lord.”
Actually, another silence is also broken by John’s words - a gap of approximately 30
years in the life of Jesus. Matthew skips directly from his birth and infancy narrative to
an event that occurs approximately 30 years later – this event in John’s ministry. Both of
these silences are broken by the sound of a voice.
John functions as a Herald by announcing the coming of the King. In the ancient world, a
herald was one who went ahead of a king’s chariot to prepare the road. He would
command a crew which would smooth out the usually rough roads of that day by filling
potholes and removing boulders. The herald would also go before the king shouting,
“Make way, the King is coming!” One commentator noted that such “efforts to make a
road level and smooth were restricted to times when royalty was on its way” (Robert
Mounce, Matthew NIBC, 23).
In the great tradition of the Hebrew prophets, John was aware that time was running out.
His message burns with urgency. Soon Herod, who killed some of his own children,
would heed Salome’s request and command his guard to act. John would lie silent in the
grave.
Who was John the Baptist, son of Zechariah and Elizabeth, born just before Jesus? Many
believe he was an Essene – that almost monastic sect of Jewish men and women who had
left the temple 200 – 150 years before Christ in opposition to changes in religious
customs. They practiced their Judaism in the desert, preparing themselves through
ascetic practices for the coming Messiah. The discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls gave us
much information as to the scripture and other apocalyptic texts they read, copied and
preserved.
John’s location, manner of dress and diet – the desert, animal skin, locusts and wild
honey – seem exotic to us – but to the Hebrew people these reminded them of their
ancestors wandering in the desert – led by God. The desert was a place where the Holy
could be found. So, to go out to find John the Baptist – however arduous the journey –
made some spiritual sense.
Still, who went? Well, probably those who had had enough of the unfaithfulness of the
Temple priests and religious practice co-opted by the State. Many were probably
motivated by misery as Roman oppression more and more constricted their livelihoods.
Tired and frustrated, angry and resentful, anxious and afraid? Old and young, they went,
seeking renewal.
When they reached John he asked them first to repent. We think of repentance as having
to do with our sins. It also has a literal meaning: to turn from. He asks them to leave
behind the past and to prepare for the new. The line between what was and what is to be
becomes clear. You can’t cross it if you try to drag the old along with you.
This reminds me of one of my favorite theologians, Lily Tomlin, who spoke about what
we do when we forgive one another. She said that it requires agreeing that you are not
going to have a better past. The past is what it is. Nothing we do can change it.
Some who came to John were much less likely to let go of the past. His harshest words
are for the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to be washed in this unauthorized ritual bath
in the Jordan. Their tradition demanded that they use the past to interpret the present.
But John is inviting people to let go of the past so as to fully embrace the new. These
“sons of Abraham” think they are entitled to special status – but this expectation is futile,
even destructive for what was coming. Indeed, Jesus would not fit their definition of a
Messiah and they would quickly reject him.
What if there had been no John the Baptist? Would Jesus of Nazareth have been rejected
from the get-go? Would we even have heard of Jesus? I suggest that for Jesus to have
even his brief 3-year ministry, there had to be a John, preparing the way. Rallying
enough believers to repent, to prepare themselves for the new.
In John the Baptist’s ministry we have a powerful, transformative model for parish
transition to new life. He is often called the patron saint of Interim Rectors! He is the
Bible’s Interim – holding the place “between” – meeting people who sought relief from a
troubled past and helping them prepare for the future.
Now obviously the analogy with Interim Rectors only works in part. John prepared the
way for the son of God – I help you prepare for a human being who will come to join his
or her ministry to yours – with all the brilliance, insight and skill, but also the foibles and
weaknesses we all share. Chiefly, I work with vestry, wardens, profile and search
committees to help facilitate conversations to clarify and define what a parish needs next
to fulfill the mission before it. This is successful only if all the voices can come together
to hear one another and name a shared vision.
If we fail to bring people together over the next 6 months, the outlook is not good for
moving to a search and call. In such a case, the Bishop usually recommends a priest- in -
charge who helps a parish heal over a period of 3-5 years, then the Interim process can
begin again.
Currently, vestry and wardens and I are hearing anger and resentment is being voiced
after a long time of silence. People are speaking of a sense of loss at having been ignored
when they needed pastoral care, or unappreciated after years of hard work. That you are
speaking out is actually reason for hope. If these feelings continued unspoken, they could
well resurface under a new Rector, perhaps rendering that ministry an “unintentional
interim.”
Apostle Paul urges the early Roman church in our Epistle this morning to live in harmony
with one another that they may be able with one voice to glorify God. May Advent
continue to be for us at Trinity a time of truth-telling, of listening and imagining greater
connection between us. Then let us turn from the old and prepare the new, discerning
together to share a holy vision with hope and love.