Have you ever known someone or been some place and all that you can do after is talk about it? There is this great bagel place at Boston University…it’s called Aesop’s Bagels. This place makes the best bagels…they also make great sandwiches. I eat there so much that when they see me coming they already know what I will order and almost have it ready when I get to the counter. What a great place that is. You should try it sometime if you ever go out to Boston University. I can “witness” to this bagel shop’s delicious food!
This morning’s John scripture talks about another kind of witnessing. It talks about a “witness” that we all should remember and share. It talks about John telling the Jews in Jerusalem who he is. Listen to this…
[John 1:6-8, 19-28]
John, using the words of Isaiah, told them that he was that voice…calling in the desert…testifying…witnessing…telling people to make straight for the way of the Lord. John testified to the one to come after him whose sandals he was unworthy to untie. He was testifying…witnessing…about our Risen Lord, Jesus Christ. (And I can’t think of anything or anyone that I want to testify about more than Him…Can I get a witness!)
OK…so…you might be saying to yourself “Here we have John witnessing…but what does that mean for you and me in our day and age.” Well…I’m glad you asked that question…You see when we are baptized (not by water but by the Spirit)…We are called to witness to the light…the light of Advent. We are like Isaiah with the Spirit of the Lord upon us…and like Isaiah; we are anointed to preach the Good News to the poor and everything else he talks about in the Isaiah scripture we read this morning. WE are anointed and appointed to witness to those around us.
In our day and age…Christmas has become so commercialized it makes me sad. They start the commercials for those “must have toys” before Thanksgiving. Now I know most of you have had children so you know what I am saying when I say that when I get the “Oh mom…look at that…I want that…can I have that for Christmas?” from my daughters…even before Thanksgiving is here, and I know there is more than a month left that I will hear this “calling from the living room”, it makes me want to just shut the TV off until after the New Year. (Can I get a witness?) So what are we to do to keep the “light” of Advent…this “light” of Christmas…during this season and throughout the year?
I was reading the Devotionals in the Upper Room Disciplines this week and came to a devotional that made me stop and think about this light and witnessing thing. It was Wednesday’s devotional. It talked about “minding the light”. This is a term that the Quakers use. It means to notice the light which usually just illumines other things for itself. But…if we mind the light…seeing the light of Christ in ourselves and in others…We can testify…witness…to the light in ourselves and others. We can testify…witness…to God’s love and providence. We can testify…witness…to God’s goodness. We can testify… witness…to God’s salvation (I think the Quakers have it right. Can I get a witness?).
In another devotional I read this morning hit the nail right on the head for me. It was from a devotional called “The Quiet Heart” By June Masters Bacher. It states that “Christmas is a celebration of divine love. Love that goes beyond gift and feast. Without it, the season would be but a touch of tinsel. Share the priceless gift of God’s love. Only in this way (through simple things, their influence unmeasured) can the real meaning survive”. We must witness to the love we have found in God. We must witness of the babe in the manger and what His birth means to the world. We must witness to the saving grace we have received through that babe in the manger, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. (Can I get a witness?!)
I would like to end my sermon with a verse from a song by “Celtic Women”. When I think of being called to witness…this song comes to mind. It is called “The Voice”.
I hear your voice on the wind
And I hear you call out my name
"Listen, my child," you say to me
"I am the voice of your history
Be not afraid, come follow me
Answer my call, and I'll set you free"
Listen…do you hear Him? Can you hear His voice calling from the wilderness? Can you feel His hand upon you? It is our choice whether to listen or turn a deaf ear. Which will you choose?
AMEN
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