The Signposting Light
This Sunday's lectionary reading in the Gospels is part of John's prologue. This part of John's Gospel gives us a brief resume of the content to follow. It is also some of the reading from John that is read out in "Nine Lessons and Carols".
If John was a light in any sense of the word it was as a brightly lit sign that pointed towards Jesus. God's work of redemption that began some 2,000 years ago really began with the appearance of John in the wilderness, calling on people to repent of their sins. John's entire function can be seen as a prologue to the three year ministry of Jesus. The Jewish leaders from Jerusalem came to ask John who he thought he was. Are you the Messiah? No! Are you Elijah? No! Are you the Prophet? No!
John had gone into the wilderness to perform a work of preparation. He was a key figure in God's intervention, though. It was John who had to begin showing the people the error of their ways. His answer to the Jewish leaders was, "I am a voice crying in the wilderness, 'Make straight the way for the Lord.'" The work had to start somewhere, and it started with John baptising in the Jordan. John spoke about his baptism with water but told his challengers that he was just the herald for one who would baptise in the Holy Spirit.
So, at this stage we can see a physical baptism in the hands of John. But, as a light, he is now pointing to a baptism at a higher level - in other words he refers to the brighter light of Jesus, the Son of God. John was motivated to baptise in the River Jordan having remonstrated with people at the way they lived their lives. This was the limit of his work. Though he could see the remedy through listening to Jesus his own work was short lived. His function was short indeed. Sadly, he lost his life through his work in the wilderness. Nevertheless, he was a vital function in the process of salvation.
In many ways we can see how the role of John suggests the role we Christians must play. We can be described as a light but can never be "The Light" which is the heavenly function of Jesus. We, as John was, are vital in the salvation process but can only be, at best, a light pointing to "the light". But at least it tells us what our function is and where we stand in the whole process. To be "a" light to a dark world is a test we are more than capable of being but it is the greater task of being "the" light that is born by Jesus. Being signposts to Jesus is a great responsibility but it an achievable task and function for us.
It has been said that we need to be Jesus to the people. But John, in his time, denied being the Messiah or any suggested prophet. In fact, I believe it is true to say that our light lens reflects the light from Jesus himself. At many funeral services I have comforted mourners and told them that God will not leave them alone in their grief and that he will come to them. Now it is vital that they know how God will come. So I have continued by saying that when he comes it will be through other people who bring them comfort. This is one way in which we are called to act as reflections of the light of Jesus.
Many centuries ago, a philosopher by the name of Seneca declared that what we needed was a hand let down to lift them up. Here, he was describing the human condition. It is the hand of Jesus that lifts us up out of the old life and into the new. We have to point people to the light where there is also that hand let down to lift up the pilgrim.
Recently I spoke to a friend of mine who was really down in the dumps. He was concerned about his marriage. He felt utterly at a loss to explain why, having always tried to do the right thing, he was now suffering and concerned that what he had built up would collapse around him. After an hour's conversation with me he felt less alone and his voice, on the phone, was noticeably stronger. A later email confirmed that our talk had helped him greatly and he could see the way forward more clearly. Here is an instance of how we can make a difference by reflecting the light of Jesus.
The fact is that God calls us to be many different things and it is through this that we are to witness to the light. We are called to have confidence in what we were created to be and do. It is in this way that we shine and illuminate the path to God.
A tear ago John Sentamu, the Archbishop of York, cut up his dog collar on TV, declaring he will not wear a dog collar again until the tyrant of Zimbabwe, Robert Mugabe has been overthrown. Here was a light shining on the path of faith to Jesus. In a group of Christians earlier this year a Roman Catholiv priest asked, "When Robert Mugabe dies, who will conduct afuneral service for him?" The tyrant is a Christian and a Roman Catholic but has not lived the life signposted by other believers and scorns the efforts of any church to make a difference in Zimbabwe.
I know a man who was a missionary in the days of UDI in what was once called Rhodesia. At that time he was criticised for going to visit Mugabe in jail and listening to his great plans for the country. Even though this man did as Jesus challenged him to do by visiting this man in prison the ultimate end has become a farce in which Mugabe, man of the moment when Zimbabwe was born, presides over a country that he has raped and raped again with impunity.
Here is just one of the countless injustices of today's world, challenging us to stand up, be counted, and point the way forward to Jesus, Saviour of the world.
I now return to my favourite theme. Sitting beside the lake with fish cooking on a beach barbecue, Jesus challenged Peter, "Simon Peter, do you love me?" "Yes, Lord, you know I love you!" was the answer. Jesus simply said, "Then feed my sheep." It is by feeding those sheep that we shine the light that points to Jesus. It is a simple request and yet a great challenge to us. "Feed my sheep."
We need to look for inovative ways in which to connect to people of the 21st century. They have reached the point where they see the church generally as irrelevent. Yet the common cry they make is "What we need is a hand let down to lift us up!" They cry out for help. So what should we do?
If John was a light in any sense of the word it was as a brightly lit sign that pointed towards Jesus. God's work of redemption that began some 2,000 years ago really began with the appearance of John in the wilderness, calling on people to repent of their sins. John's entire function can be seen as a prologue to the three year ministry of Jesus. The Jewish leaders from Jerusalem came to ask John who he thought he was. Are you the Messiah? No! Are you Elijah? No! Are you the Prophet? No!
John had gone into the wilderness to perform a work of preparation. He was a key figure in God's intervention, though. It was John who had to begin showing the people the error of their ways. His answer to the Jewish leaders was, "I am a voice crying in the wilderness, 'Make straight the way for the Lord.'" The work had to start somewhere, and it started with John baptising in the Jordan. John spoke about his baptism with water but told his challengers that he was just the herald for one who would baptise in the Holy Spirit.
So, at this stage we can see a physical baptism in the hands of John. But, as a light, he is now pointing to a baptism at a higher level - in other words he refers to the brighter light of Jesus, the Son of God. John was motivated to baptise in the River Jordan having remonstrated with people at the way they lived their lives. This was the limit of his work. Though he could see the remedy through listening to Jesus his own work was short lived. His function was short indeed. Sadly, he lost his life through his work in the wilderness. Nevertheless, he was a vital function in the process of salvation.
In many ways we can see how the role of John suggests the role we Christians must play. We can be described as a light but can never be "The Light" which is the heavenly function of Jesus. We, as John was, are vital in the salvation process but can only be, at best, a light pointing to "the light". But at least it tells us what our function is and where we stand in the whole process. To be "a" light to a dark world is a test we are more than capable of being but it is the greater task of being "the" light that is born by Jesus. Being signposts to Jesus is a great responsibility but it an achievable task and function for us.
It has been said that we need to be Jesus to the people. But John, in his time, denied being the Messiah or any suggested prophet. In fact, I believe it is true to say that our light lens reflects the light from Jesus himself. At many funeral services I have comforted mourners and told them that God will not leave them alone in their grief and that he will come to them. Now it is vital that they know how God will come. So I have continued by saying that when he comes it will be through other people who bring them comfort. This is one way in which we are called to act as reflections of the light of Jesus.
Many centuries ago, a philosopher by the name of Seneca declared that what we needed was a hand let down to lift them up. Here, he was describing the human condition. It is the hand of Jesus that lifts us up out of the old life and into the new. We have to point people to the light where there is also that hand let down to lift up the pilgrim.
Recently I spoke to a friend of mine who was really down in the dumps. He was concerned about his marriage. He felt utterly at a loss to explain why, having always tried to do the right thing, he was now suffering and concerned that what he had built up would collapse around him. After an hour's conversation with me he felt less alone and his voice, on the phone, was noticeably stronger. A later email confirmed that our talk had helped him greatly and he could see the way forward more clearly. Here is an instance of how we can make a difference by reflecting the light of Jesus.
The fact is that God calls us to be many different things and it is through this that we are to witness to the light. We are called to have confidence in what we were created to be and do. It is in this way that we shine and illuminate the path to God.
A tear ago John Sentamu, the Archbishop of York, cut up his dog collar on TV, declaring he will not wear a dog collar again until the tyrant of Zimbabwe, Robert Mugabe has been overthrown. Here was a light shining on the path of faith to Jesus. In a group of Christians earlier this year a Roman Catholiv priest asked, "When Robert Mugabe dies, who will conduct afuneral service for him?" The tyrant is a Christian and a Roman Catholic but has not lived the life signposted by other believers and scorns the efforts of any church to make a difference in Zimbabwe.
I know a man who was a missionary in the days of UDI in what was once called Rhodesia. At that time he was criticised for going to visit Mugabe in jail and listening to his great plans for the country. Even though this man did as Jesus challenged him to do by visiting this man in prison the ultimate end has become a farce in which Mugabe, man of the moment when Zimbabwe was born, presides over a country that he has raped and raped again with impunity.
Here is just one of the countless injustices of today's world, challenging us to stand up, be counted, and point the way forward to Jesus, Saviour of the world.
I now return to my favourite theme. Sitting beside the lake with fish cooking on a beach barbecue, Jesus challenged Peter, "Simon Peter, do you love me?" "Yes, Lord, you know I love you!" was the answer. Jesus simply said, "Then feed my sheep." It is by feeding those sheep that we shine the light that points to Jesus. It is a simple request and yet a great challenge to us. "Feed my sheep."
We need to look for inovative ways in which to connect to people of the 21st century. They have reached the point where they see the church generally as irrelevent. Yet the common cry they make is "What we need is a hand let down to lift us up!" They cry out for help. So what should we do?
posted by Keith Alexander at Friday, December 12, 2008
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