15 Jan SUNDAY, JANUARY 15, 2023

I find the way John describes Jesus being revealed quite fascinating. There’s a real sense of wonder and delight as John says, “I myself did not know who the Messiah was. I went along doing my job and minding my own business: baptizing folks in the river Jordan one by one, day after day, until I saw a Spirit descend from heaven and land on one particular dude as he rose from the water.

A Spirit descended from heaven, just like I was told it would. Sure enough, it landed on one and only one man. Now I know without a doubt, this guy is the Lamb of God, God’s Son. And listen to what else I was told, “He won’t baptize with water, like I did, but will baptize others with God’s own Holy Spirit.”

Imagine how excitement started building once John was told by God what to look for. Following the words, “I baptize you” and a good dunking under water, I wonder if others noticed John looking up to see a dove? It’s no wonder that after so many no-shows, John was pleased as punch to point out and announce the coming of Jesus as he walked toward John again afterward. With confidence, John told everyone within earshot, “Here he is, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” 

John’s definitive statement is another example of literary device. The author of John’s gospel lets the reading audience know without doubt, like John the Baptist, who Jesus is and why he has come. This knowledge is retrospective for those alive during John the Baptist’s time, and may be new knowledge for those still living when the apostle or some other disciple wrote the gospel attributed to John. It’s not so much a historical account as 20/20 hindsight. John’s gospel points to things working out exactly as planned. 

The plan included John the Baptist being sent by God to achieve a mission. Now that was done. John baptized with water and discovered Jesus as foretold. Afterward, he continued to identify Jesus, state God’s purpose, and reiterate he and Jesus had been sent. 

The author of the gospel attributed to John chose the biblical character John the Baptist to teach us theology: truths about the nature of God and the religious beliefs of our faith. The apostle deems John the Baptist a theologian, and through him, we discover more about the nature of Jesus being Christ, God’s anointed one. 

By telling the audience that Jesus is a man who ranks ahead of himself because he was or existed before him, we receive the startling declaration that Jesus existed prior to becoming human. You see? This collection of verses contains more than meets the eye.

Our opening paragraph reflects early teaching on the two natures of Christ, human and divine. The gospel of John makes other bold statements. For instance, John the Baptist, an ordinary human, was also sent to earth with divine purpose. Somewhere in the spirit of an ordinary person, was foreknowledge of God’s plan. Such knowledge allowed him to definitively recognize Jesus as the savior also under the savior’s purpose: to take away the sin of the world. 

The Lutheran Study Bible by Augsburg Fortress notes “the gospel of John is very different from other Gospels.” Jesus performs seven miracles, or signs, during his lifetime. He describes himself through a series of, “I am” sayings. Unique to John’s gospel are other stories and encounters. There are no parables, Sermon on the Mount, institution of the Lord’s Supper, or nativity story.” (See page 1752.) The emphasis of the entire book is on Jesus’ true identity.

We see that in the next paragraph. John teaches two of his disciples who Jesus is. As mentioned in the Book of Isaiah, not only prophets and nations are called, but ordinary people.  God tries to enlist every person in a divine mission before they’re born. God even gives each a name while still in their mother’s womb.

I can’t help but wonder what happens afterward. As in the TV series named Once Upon a Time, is there for lack of a better way to explain it, an amnesia spell in effect? Do most of us forget our God-given purpose, identity, and namesake as we come into this world, then spend a lifetime recovering that memory, if we try to recover it at all?

It seems more likely that we push the memory back, argue against it, or work to bury it.  Interestingly enough, I often see people rediscover these memories later in life. Glimpses of them come through the birth of children, the death of loved ones, ours or those that belong to someone else. As written in the Book of Isaiah, “All the while we are hidden in the shadow of God’s hand, a polished arrow in God’s quiver. After laboring in vain and spending our strength on vanity, one day we finally realize that our cause is with the Lord and our reward with God.” 

Some people catch on faster, like two of John’s disciples who hear and recognize their calling right away. How I admired young women and men entering seminary more than my peers. They answered the call sooner; they did not put such a big commitment on hold at the start of their adult lives. Instead, they asked where Jesus was staying. He told them, “Come and see,” and they remained with him.

You see there’s a difference between recognizing the Messiah and following him, between going by the name your parents called you, such as Simon son of John, and taking on the name God gave you while in your mother’s womb. Think about how Abraham, Sarah, Jacob, and others who accepted God’s call to divine mission were given and called by new, perhaps previous names going forward. 

Most humans are obsessed with arriving somewhere other than where they are.

Sometimes I wonder if we are on a linear path or a circular journey. If we got rid of hymns and other songs that mention home or going on some journey, we’d lose big parts of our playlists, our music libraries would be much smaller. On her album entitled Tapestry, Carole King sang, “Sometimes I wonder if I’m ever gonna make it home again…” Know how the sentence ends? “It’s so far and out of sight.” Most humans are obsessed with arriving somewhere other than where they are. At least according to AAA, the highlight of luxury and/or retirement for many seems to be extensive travel. Why?

Seems to me we do the opposite of what God hopes for, we go places temporarily to distract ourselves from the walls we live in. We visit scenic vistas, take photos and strive to make new lasting memories while forgetting what memories given by God lie hidden in shadow. We’d rather forget that we were formed to be servants, even if that means we are honored in the sight of the Lord and God will become our strength. 

The downside or negative connotation of becoming God’s servant may be steep, but often only lasts a short-distance. Becoming a partner to God means getting involved, being part of the rising, restoration and lighting of nations. It involves sacrifice, a limited time of being suspected, despised, even abhorred as slaves.

After a time of trial, the cause of the Lord, who is faithful, shines through. It becomes clear that the Lord chose you, like John the Baptist, to help salvation reach the ends of the earth. And by that I don’t mean that everyone necessarily becomes a Christian. Salvation in the truest sense  means everyone has the opportunity to experience abundant life, a chance of knowing God chose them before they were born, not just Israel or people in northern hemispheres. 

Steve and I enjoy the show Finding Your Roots on PBS. Do any of you? I would love to know more about my ancestry, discover records and see the face of my fifth great grandmother, too. What could be more exciting or satisfying than such marvelous personal discovery? How about this? 

That our personal genealogy is so expansive in God’s eyes that our family tree holds branches that include everyone, including those sitting next to, in front of or behind you. Whether we are from here or not, married to a local or own a farm nearby, people all over the world and certainly in every church are related through one common ancestor: one and the same heavenly father.

We, like John the Baptist, are also related to Jesus. We, too, have been called to divine purpose and by name in our mother’s womb by none other than the God who created us. I wonder if you have identified your divine mission? Perhaps your divine mission is being a good daughter, son, or faithful spouse. Perhaps your call is to humble or strenuous work, patiently willing to trust others for care, or caring for others some other way. 

Now let’s recite Psalm 40:1-11 together by verse. Paul writes, “The church of God is made up of those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, together with all those who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Becoming a Christian and going to church are not boxes to check on a form where we claim one identity or another. We are called and equipped like John and his disciples, to inquire, then follow, to come and see, to be renamed with a name we were once given that we’ve long since forgotten. 

That name, given by God, is our real username. It’s the name associated with a long forgotten account set up prior to our birth. Have no fear about forgetting what you were once told. God will always grant the option of resetting a password to gain access. You won’t ever be locked out no matter how many times you log in and fail in your attempts. 

Please tell me you can relate to that last analogy, lol.

Remember this: Fulfilling God’s mission is not up to us. It wasn’t up to John to discern who Jesus was. It was only up to him to notice what God would reveal. It was up to him to perform his role, watch and wait for a sign of God’s divine plan unfolding. 

It is up to us to shift our roles when appropriate from what we’ve been doing to helping others see and know what we’ve seen and come to know. That’s the real goal of life: helping others see and learn what we’ve been privileged to see and learn so all may experience abundant life and know they too, have been chosen by God. Let us pray.

Lamb of God, in heaven you called and claimed us. On earth, you reveal and revel in every person born upon the moment they rediscover divine mission and the name given by you. Help us remember and recount all we are privileged to see, do and come to know so everyone can live abundantly, discover their true self and be blessed in such a way they feel chosen by you. IYHNWP, Amen.