Sermon for the Birth of John the Baptist – Luke 1:57-80

Today we celebrate the Feast of John the Baptist. Do any of you know what “feast day” actually means? Ususally we just think “feast” means a big meal like Thanksgiving. But “feast” can also mean an annual religious celebration. For us Christians, feast days are when we remember certain saints. Important people in the history of the church. We like to talk about who they were, what they did, and give thanks for their witness. But you know, it’s odd that we celebrate John the Baptist in the middle of summer. Normally we talk about him in December during Advent. Our readings for today are usually Advent readings, not summer readings. Why talk about John NOW? Well, in Advent we’re building up to the birth of Jesus. Jesus and John are cousins, you know. The angel Gabriel visits Mary to drop a bomb on her – guess what? You’re unwed and pregnant! Oh happy day. Boom. Oh, and by the way, your relative Elizabeth is 6 months pregnant. So, when’s Christmas? 6 months from today. Fun facts!

But there’s a serious reason to talk about John today. What was his job?

He’s out in the desert. Decked out in a hair shirt. Eating locusts and honey. Sounds uncomfortable, right? He yells, “Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. Every valley filled and mountain made low. The crooked shall be made straight and rough places plain. All flesh shall see the salvation of God.” He’s quoting the prophet Isaiah. John’s a prophet. The job of a prophet is to speak uncomfortable truths. Maybe you have to feel uncomfortable to do that. Maybe you wear a hair shirt. What’s John’s uncomfortable truth? Things are not right. The Roman Empire is corrupt and oppressive. There’s discrimination everywhere. The rich get richer, the poor get poorer, and most of the people around him are very poor. Sound familiar? But if you’re in collusion with the system, woe be to you.

So, talking about John means talking about prophets and what they do. We have a 2nd prophet today – Paul. He shows up at the synagogue in Antioch. The priests say, “Brothers, if you have any word of exhortation for the people, give it.” Wow, that’s bold! You don’t just invite someone to get up and speak unless you’re SURE it’s safe. It’s like a wedding toast. You don’t just let anyone do it, do you? Oh, they expect he’ll be a LITTLE critical. Say what you mean, but don’t say it mean. So, what does Paul say? The God of this people Israel delivered our ancestors from Egypt. He put up with them in the wilderness for 40 years. Put up with. He’s saying they were a hot mess. Rebellious. Disobedient. Unfaithful to God. Repeatedly. They didn’t want God, they wanted a human king. And God even obliged. Repeatedly. Same result every time. They killed each other. These folks listening to Paul are clinging to some fantasy of inheriting the glory of their ancestors, God’s chosen people. But Paul just said the ancestors were a disaster. He’s saying, you think you’re any better? That’s an uncomfortable truth.

But one more prophet to go – Malachi. From the beginning, prophet after prophet warned Jerusalem. All those years wandering in the desert hasn’t taught you anything. Get your act together, or God’s going to let you fall. Because ultimatums work? No. Babylon conquers and exiles Israel. But Persia liberates them, they return to Jerusalem, and you know what happens. We’re free! Let’s make Jerusalem great again! They didn’t learn a thing. Same old games. Oh, they still give sacrifices, but not clean animals like God commands. It’s blind animals. Diseased animals. Cheap animals. Why? Because they don’t think God knows the difference. We’re free, we’re home, it’s all cool. So Malachi rails. He warns, “the messenger is coming, but who can endure that day, and who can stand when he appears?” Very uncomfortable truth.

What about us? Here’s a not so fun fact. John the Baptist is the patron saint of San Juan, Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico has been without full power for almost a year. They’re a US territory, but somehow the most prosperous and technologically advanced nation on earth still hasn’t fixed the problem. Maybe because for most of us, Puerto Rico is out of sight and out of mind. Forgettable. Granted, this is a huge disaster. I don’t know how to fix it. What happens when that kind of problem drags on? We get used to it. We stop seeing it. We drive AROUND the pothole and think that’s just the way it is. At least we’re not suffering. That’s why prophets like John are so crucial. They won’t let us forget, and we hate them for that. They confront us with these injustices that we forget, because thry’re still killing people. But God DOESN’T forget, so if we’re not fixing anything, then what will the prophets say to us?

Here’s what they say. “God has brought to Israel a Savior, Jesus, as he promised. He will purify the descendants of Levi and refine them like gold and silver. Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the LORD.” Folks, God dooesn’t send us prophets to give unconmfortable truths and ultimatums. God never works that way because God knows us better than we know ourselves. No, God sends us prophets to give us the unbelievable promise that we never thought could be true. That promise is Jesus, the savior of the world. Jesus knows our dire situation, and he doesn’t sit around waiting for us to turn around. He doesn’t even wait for us to ask. He just jumps right in and DOES somthing to us, like a holy violator. Jesus takes our blind eyes, our forgetting, our neglect, all upon himself on the cross, and willingly lets it kill him, in our place. Because it was killing us. But no more. He gives us his own righteouosness, the power of his resurrection, just so we could taste it right now and know our gracious Father always keeps his promoises. It had to be death and resurrection, because resurrection is the only thing that’s eternal and always. And we will ALWAYS belong to God. God won’t tolerate anything less than that.

And thank God for this kind of faith, because it’s so obvious what the prophets have been doing all along. The world thinks it’s all fire and brimstone and threat. But we know better. The prophets are only showing us what God’s true justice looks like. We’re dying to see that right now. It’s the only thing worth anything at all. Yet we will taste and see it by God’s own will. When Puerto Rico lacks power and resources for emergencies and medical needs, faith shows us countless ways to support folks in place on the ground, especially with prayer. It’s not just up to us. Or we see the families in Flint, MI who lack clean water and we do the same thing. Sure, it seems too slow today, but we know the body of Christ only grows and accelerates, and saves lives. But it’s not just Flint and Puerto Rico. It’s wherever we are. The Spirit constantly gives us neighbors and makes us nosy, er, curious to know who they really are.

And we can’t help but speak out to others, especially those in power, because guess what, folks, God has filled you and me with a Spirit of prophecy, so that others will know God’s promises for them. Here’s the thing. People think prophecy is about predicting the future. It’s not. Prophecy says that God’s future has already begun, and that truth gives comfort. Maybe you didn’t get the memo. You got it now. But before we open our big mouths, and we always do, just remember one thing. These are God’s promises, not our own. We’re just the big mouths that proclaim them for the sake of the world. Nothing more and nothing less. Thank God for that!