“A Voice in the Wilderness”

John 1:19-34

(sermon note: 12-28 sermon note)

¹⁹ This was John’s testimony when the Jewish leaders sent priests and Temple assistants from Jerusalem to ask John, “Who are you?” ²⁰ He came right out and said, “I am not the Messiah.”

²¹ “Well then, who are you?” they asked. “Are you Elijah?”

“No,” he replied.

“Are you the Prophet we are expecting?”

“No.”

²² “Then who are you? We need an answer for those who sent us. What do you have to say about yourself?”

²³ John replied in the words of the prophet Isaiah:

“I am a voice shouting in the wilderness,
‘Clear the way for the Lord’s coming!’”

²⁴ Then the Pharisees who had been sent ²⁵ asked him, “If you aren’t the Messiah or Elijah or the Prophet, what right do you have to baptize?”

²⁶ John told them, “I baptize with water, but right here in the crowd is someone you do not recognize. ²⁷ Though his ministry follows mine, I’m not even worthy to be his slave and untie the straps of his sandal.”

²⁸ This encounter took place in Bethany, an area east of the Jordan River, where John was baptizing.

²⁹ The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! ³⁰ He is the one I was talking about when I said, ‘A man is coming after me who is far greater than I am, for he existed long before me.’ ³¹ I did not recognize him as the Messiah, but I have been baptizing with water so that he might be revealed to Israel.”

³² Then John testified, “I saw the Holy Spirit descending like a dove from heaven and resting upon him. ³³ I didn’t know he was the one, but when God sent me to baptize with water, he told me, ‘The one on whom you see the Spirit descend and rest is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’ ³⁴ I saw this happen to Jesus, so I testify that he is the Chosen One of God.”

This morning’s reading reminds me of the one about a guy who decided to go ice fishing. He went out on the ice and began cutting a hole to drop his line through. Suddenly a loud, booming voice spoke from far above, “THERE ARE NO FISH UNDER THE ICE.”⁠ Somewhat spooked, he moved to another spot and tried again. Once again, the deep voice from above, “THERE ARE NO FISH UNDER THE ICE!” Now the guy was thoroughly frightened. He looked up timidly and asked, “Is that you, Lord??”⁠ The voice replied, “NO! THIS IS THE RINK MANAGER!”

Honest mistake. Ice looks the same from above. I guess it helps to pay attention to your surroundings. A floor of ice indoors is definitely not the same as a floor of ice outdoors! Thank goodness the rink manager was there to provide a voice of reasoning to that poor, misinformed guy. Just imagine what that guy’s auger could have done to the flooring beneath the ice…

In life, there are a variety of voices that serve roles of enlightenment. Beginning with the voices of our parents, perhaps even in the womb, we are slowly guided and encouraged into this world. We learn the basics of existing in this world from them, everything from what to eat to how to control our bodies. If we’re lucky enough to have siblings, then we learn how to socialize with others at an early age. Soon enough we enter school where teachers teach us all sorts of things about the world and classmates fill in the gaps of socialization. Employers eventually teach us how to make a living, religious leaders teach us about God, and spouses…well, they teach us patience. AND JOY! And the fact that we’re never done learning in this world. We’re always learning and growing in this world with the help of the variety of voices in our lives. God is always growing us, stretching us, nourishing us, enlightening us through those voices. We are all in the wilderness of this world and we need his multitude of voices to help guide us safely home.

In our reading, we heard one of God’s unique voices as spoken through John the Baptist. John was never confused about the role he played in God’s enlightenment and revelation. The religious leaders of his time were constantly asking him if he was the Messiah or Elijah or the Prophet. They wanted to know just how much importance they should put on his words. And John always reminded them that his words and actions were meant simply to prepare people for the coming of the Messiah. When the Messiah came, his words and actions then shifted to pointing him out. But John always considered himself nothing more than a “voice in the wilderness,” just as the prophet Isaiah had. Of course, Isaiah took it one step further by declaring, “The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is upon me, for the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to comfort the brokenhearted and to proclaim that captives will be released and prisoners will be freed.” (61:1) We know that Jesus would allude to these same words in his own ministry. John and Isaiah didn’t put these words into action as well as Jesus. They only spoke them while Jesus actualized them. Jesus actually brought good news to the poor, comfort to the brokenhearted, and release to the captives.

Now then, why are we being asked to reflect on John being a voice in the wilderness on this first Sunday of Christmas? Perhaps because we are being called to be similar voices in our own wilderness. As we heard in our reading, John shifted from simply preparing the people for the coming of the Messiah to proclaiming his presence once he arrived. He boldly proclaimed, “Look! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” This week Jesus was born again into our world, into our wilderness, into our darkness. Friends, this is no small wonder! There is a great darkness in our world that only seems to be getting greater with each passing year. Maybe it’s the same degree of darkness that has always been with us and our awareness of it has only grown. But regardless, it is a darkness that continues to burden our world despite our Lord and Savior reigning for over 2,000 years now. Why hasn’t the darkness been vanquished yet? I doubt it’s because of our Lord’s weakness. No, it’s because of the sheer power of the darkness. It’s going to take a whole lotta time to vanquish the darkness of this world. And God is patient. He keeps coming back to the fight year after year just as long as we keep welcoming him back. We just need to keep welcoming him back, keep celebrating his birth! As Peter tells us in his first letter, “But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.” (2:9)

We celebrate John’s voice today as a reminder of our own voices. We, too, are voices in the wilderness of this world. Let us, too, proclaim the light of the world as the psalmist tells us, “Give thanks to the Lord and proclaim his greatness. Let the whole world know what he has done.” (105:1) Jesus is born anew! Thanks be to God!

In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.