All These Names!

 This is the sermon I preached at St. Timothy Lutheran Church on Dec. 8. The text is Luke 3:1-6.

 

Do you ever wonder who is who as you hear a list of strange names like the one in today’s gospel? What a cast of characters! All the important people are represented, the largest group being the political leaders, followed by religious leaders. 

Last of all is John the Baptist. He was the son of a priest named Zechariah. Reading about John, we discover that he too was miraculously conceived and God made great promises about his life through prophets in the temple. 

Luke did not set the births of John the Baptist and Jesus in some mythological never-never land, but took care to place them in a specific historical period (during the reigns of Augustus Caesar and Herod the Great). Here, thirty years later, as their ministries begin, he describes the historical situation at length. Perhaps he is not only making sure that the Word of God comes into particular places and times, but that it does not always come through the means (like priests and kings) we would expect. Mark Oldenburg

And of all places to find God–in the wilderness. In the desert, we find poisonous snakes and scorpions. Most of the day, it’s a boring beige color. Little grows there, yet, one can be undistracted there. There weren’t any people around to capture John’s attention. He could be undistracted there. This is where the word of God came to John. Even in the spring, once it has been raining for a while, there isn’t much green to be had there. However, on the upside, distractions are limited in the desert. God came to him, not the other way around. 

There is nothing easy about being in a state of wilderness. Survival in the wilderness of any kind can block our vision of God. We can become consumed with where to get food and drink. There is little, if any, contact with people or even friendly animals.

An unexpected message came to an unexpected person in an unexpected place. What was John’s message? It was one of baptism for the forgiveness of peoples’ sin, which was “a call for preparation for the arrival of the Lord’s salvation. To participate in this baptism was a recognition of the need for God’s forgiveness with a sense that one needed to live differently as a response to it” (netbible.org). New Testament scholar, Amy-Jill Levine, explains that “… John’s baptism did not wash away sins; rather, it served as public testimony of repentance” (Amy-Jill Levine, Marc Zvi Brettler, The Jewish Annotated New Testament).

The reason for all this is to prepare the way for Jesus. Let’s bring in the bulldozer to do the heavy work. There is a lot of moving and rearranging that requires doing. The path is not clear for the Messiah. 

God’s word does not only come to John or to Jesus’ disciples, but also comes to us wherever we are. Are you in a wilderness, barren place in your life? If so, Jesus is there too. Or is everything great? You’re in a place of wonder and wellness? Thank God. Jesus is there with you.

However, the good news is, here we can be undistracted and can focus on God’s Word, Jesus as he comes to us. He also has a message for us to prepare God’s way in people’s lives and hearts. God is healing us and making us whole. Our God has done this so that as rescued, healed people, we can reach out to our community. 

I am always amazed at all the wonderful things our small community of faith accomplishes each day. And the needs continue to grow. They seem more obvious to me now; whether it’s hunger, mental illness or any of the things that lead to homelessness, being undernourished, without proper clothing for the weather. I’ve seen children without winter coats walking around in this weather. 

What I see happening is that someone mentions a need, and we find some way to help out, being God’s vessels. I am grateful that it’s not my responsibility to meet all the overwhelming needs. But you and I together can certainly chip away at the mountain of insufficiency before us. There is no instant gratification. It is slow work. However, God comes to us, rescuing us, healing us, so that as whole people we can reach out to our community. We’re so blessed here with many agencies and individuals working together to change our world. Thanks be to God. 

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