JOHN PREPARES

John 1: 6-8; 19-23

Many years ago, ocean liners were used for safe travel to far places, not just for cruises. The story is told of a liner making its way across the north Atlantic in normal seas. There were people dancing after dinner, others were at shows, and children were in the play area with a care giver nearby. Before long the weather got remarkably worse; a message from the bridge told people to prepare for rough seas ahead. Indeed they did get rough; plates crashed to the floor, waves smashed onto the front of the promenade deck, and a sense of panic began to rise. Crew members were trying their best to hang onto something while assisting passengers. Some were getting sick while others cried. There were people wondering if the ship would break or capsize. On the whole ship there was virtually no one who was still playing, or dancing, or eating; no one except one young girl. At 9 years old, she was playing with a dollhouse. Although the ship was swaying, she was still playing, apparently unafraid. A mother in came to pick up her daughter who was crying. The mother looked over at that girl and said: “We’re going through terrible waves, aren’t you afraid?” “No ma’am” the girl replied. To which the woman replied, “For Heaven’s sake, why not?” And the girl said to her: “Because my father’s the captain.”

When your father is the captain of the ship, and you have trusted his strong back, his steady hand, and his wise decisions all your life, then you can ride out the storm. Then it does not matter what you know, it matters who you know and if you trust that person. When I need help, I have a file that includes the names of people I call to help in different situations. Do you do that? Do you have people you consult, or that you would recommend to others? I try to fill my life with people I can recommend. My children say to others, “Dad always knows a guy.” I know and trust the one who sells me cars, the one who fixes my air conditioner, the ones who replaced my roof, and the one who put in my landscaping and sprinkler system; I also trust the one I have gone to for pastoral counseling. And I know and have recommended realtors, attorneys, and financial consultants. I am less anxious knowing there are experts I know and trust. I know people who will steer me back on course if I start drifting. I am married to a person I trust and I have children I trust; I have a staff I trust and people in the church I trust. What do people do when they have gotten consistent bad advice, have consistently had bad relationships, or have regularly made poor life choices? Where do those people turn? What can they do? Or do they just begin to trust no one?

One of the ways Christians—good and faithful ones, not the ones who just say they are Christians—can guide others is by reflecting the light of Christ in what they do. Are you and I on someone else’s list under a heading like “faithful Christian friend,” or “a real Christian?” Might people turn to us as ones who point to Christ as Savior; who trust Christ to guide our lives; or who can give advice when a friend’s life seems off course? I have spent my life getting to know Christ and making him known. You probably have a story to tell about your finding Jesus as your Savior as well. Was it at a church camp or retreat; was it when you hit your lowest point in your life; or was it just because a neighbor invited you to come try his or her church? Someone, or something, led you to Christ. It happens every day and it first happened long ago.

It was a man named John (known as the Baptist, not the writer of the gospel) who first led people to Jesus. John was a charismatic man; many people followed him; he was a purist, he was an orator, and he had two clear purposes: one was to expose any who were hypocrites, and the other was for sinners to repent. “You brood of vipers!” he cried out. “Bear fruit that befits repentance, and do not begin to say, ‘We have Abraham as our father!’” [Luke 3: 7-8] Translation for us today: “Turn back! Turn from sin! Do not try to hide behind the title ‘Christian’ unless your life reflects that truth!” But John was treated as an expert: he knew Scripture, and even more, he knew Jesus. Just six months older that Jesus, John was one who knew him well; he watched him grow up, and now John began to fulfill his God-given mission: to identify Jesus as Messiah. Even John’s mother, Elizabeth, identified the child her kinswoman Mary was carrying as “blessed.” That child was Jesus! When people came to John asking for advice; advice like “Who has the truth?” “Where is the light?” or “Who should I follow?” John fulfilled God’s plan for his life. He was one who preached, and also one who baptized; but mostly he directed people to Jesus. His message was “Prepare!” and “Repent!” But his actions lead others to the Christ.

Isn’t the purpose of nearly every Christian the same thing? Aren’t we also called to encourage those we know to get ready, because we have witnessed the sudden deaths of others and learned that we do not know the day or the hour that will be our last? Isn’t our role also to reflect the one who is light of the world with our actions and words? Part of our role is to help people see that the Kingdom of God is beginning to break in even now. The world is filled with people who just live in the moment; they rarely plan for what may happen. Sometimes it’s because of poor planning, or sometimes because of choice, and other times because of poverty, but I am amazed at how many people walk around with virtually no insurance. Many don’t plan for their demise or for possible catastrophes and others simply chose not be plan; but we can be like John: we can urge others to be ready. We may have a better idea of how to get a home ready for guests than how to get human hearts ready to welcome Jesus. Welcome involves things like a rugged self-examination of our own life; an acknowledgement of sin; a desire to live a better life; and the consulting of an expert: perhaps another Christian or a pastor to help you get started. This is when your non-Christian acquaintances might be turning to you. You, this season, can be like John or like Philip( who I’ll describe in a moment) : they both honored and pointed people to Jesus. If we are poor witnesses, never inviting others to know Jesus, or never pointing others to him, or forgetting to constantly reorient our own lives toward the one who is “The Way,” then we indeed are not like John. But we are called to be like John: to point to Jesus with our lives and our lips.

Let’s look briefly at what John and Philip did: The Gospel of John says this about John the Baptist: “There was a man sent from God whose name was John. He came for testimony, to bear witness to the light …. He was not the light, but came to bear witness to the light.” God is not praised by egotistical people thinking they are the light of the world! But God is praised by someone who is spiritually lost, or looking for a referral, coming to you for help. The classic definition of a person connecting another person to Christ was written by D. T. Niles. He says inviting others to know Christ is like “One beggar showing another beggar where to find bread.” I wonder how many opportunities present themselves to us each week that slip through the cracks of our distractions, or our unwillingness to get involved, or our rationalization that a lost person just needs space, when really they need the light? The Bible has many witnesses; John the Baptist is just one of them who, in our text today, rightly turned away self-aggrandizing titles and said instead, “I am the one crying in the wilderness.” There are plenty of people lost in America today in the wilderness of December. Your Christianity is your tether, your lifeline; it is your mooring to the Way, and the Truth, and the Life. It is incumbent on us to know our faith and to know our Lord. If people really challenge you about your Christian knowledge or faith, what kind of answer is it to say: “Ask Jeff, or Cara, or Richard?” We are not the light; show others how you know Jesus as your light. If you’re not sure how, plan to come along side of those who ask you and learn more about Him together; or you can plan to study more next to other such beggars. Many who follow Jesus are not preachers or prophets; they are simply followers. Philip was also a follower. Right after Jesus invited him to be a disciple, Philip also invited someone else to also come and meet the Messiah! “I have found the one of whom Moses wrote!” Philip said, and he immediately hit by a negative comment, like might happen to us when we invite someone else to try our church. Nathaniel scoffed at him, but Philip persisted: “Come and see.” He didn’t have to do anything more than to challenge him “Come and see.” He pointed a reluctant friend to Jesus. Philip is like any one of us: an ordinary person. He was called by Jesus, but so are you; he had a choice of following or just being a bystander. “No thank you,” he could have said to Jesus. But he didn’t.

Certainly December can be an invitation time for the world. “Prepare” is supposed to be the work of the uncommitted, the unbeliever, or the uninvolved person. It is not supposed to be for the Christian who already knows Jesus. But if you have failed to live by your baptism vows; or if your zeal for your Lord lapsed a while ago, or if there is a danger of Jesus saying to you face to face one day “I don’t know you,” then you prepare. Prepare again; or prepare for the first time. Then reflect the light of Christ, and refer people to him, and let them know that he is your anchor, your lighthouse, on life’s stormy sea. Let them know that he is your captain. If your Bible knowledge of Jesus knowledge is shaky, commit this season to start to know him better. You have lists of people you trust and call in many times of need; could you be on someone else’s list of who to call for spiritual help? Does someone else see Christ reflected in you? You can tell them about the true God: the one who loved us so much that he came to earth in Jesus to save us; the God who always is looking for the return of any prodigal children. Bear witness to the light of the world; his name is Jesus.

Jeffrey A. Sumner December 11, 2011