Who Are You?

No, I'm not posting the song!  This past Sunday's reading from John features religious officials from Jerusalem asking John (the Witness) the question, "who are you?"  This can be a threatening question, but I imagine John's reply likely surprised them.  He doesn't tell them who he is as much as he says who he is not.  Like John, we are not the Messiah, but we are called to be witnesses, testifying to the light of Christ in the world.

3^rd Sunday in Advent (Year B) – Sunday, December 11, 2011

Christ Evangelical Lutheran Church, Lancaster, PA

Texts: John 1:6-8,19-28

I glanced up at the TV screen the other day to see three snowboarders getting on to a helicopter ready to rock! “Yeah dude! This is gonna be awesome!,” they shouted to each other. The man in the pilot's seat flipped some switches and levers, took hold of the controls and guided the helicopter into the air, taking the thrill-seekers to the point where they'd jump out on to the mountain slope. Then the long-haired boarder in the front seat motioned to the man at the controls, pointing to someone wildly waving his arms on the ground. “Hey dude, I think that dude wants you...” The man flying the helicopter replied, “oh, that's just the pilot.” Huh? The color vanished from the snowboarder's face. “Dude, you're not the pilot?” “Noooo, I've never done this before, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night!”

It's important for us to know who people are. “Who are you?” is not just a question of curiosity, but it's a safety device. Are you who you say you are? Are you really qualified to fly this aircraft? Before my surgeon makes the first incision, I want to know that she really did graduate from medical school. At the airport, we are asked, “ID, please.” Are you really who you say you are? How can I be sure you're not going to hijack this plane? As I walk down the street, even though I don't say the words, as I see someone wearing a hood walking toward me on a dark street, I want to know, “who are you?”

“Who are you?” can also mean, “do you deserve to be here?” Where did you come from? Excuse me sir, do you have an invitation? Where is your green card? Just who do you think you are? What have you done to earn your place here? Are you seriously sitting at my table? Who are you in my parking spot? Where's your paperwork? What gives you the right to be here? Or here in church, umm, sir, are you sure this is the place for you? You know, there's another church down the street where you might feel more comfortable...

“Who are you?” can be a threatening question. It's often asked by those who think they are secure in their place, to those on the outside, on the edges – the ones who don't deserve a place, the ones who haven't prepared themselves. Right now in our world, everyone is busy, busy, busy with preparations – shopping sprees, baking cookies, wrapping presents, cleaning for company coming, standing in line at the post office – get ready, cause Santa Clause is coming to town! He's making a list, checking it twice. What if God's making a list? This is the season of Advent and we're told to get ready, fix ourselves up, prepare the way of the LORD! We might think of the ways we have to prepare, to get ready, so that we may answer the LORD's question “who are you?” when he comes again in glory to judge the world. Which list are you on? Who are you?

In today's reading from John, we meet a man named John, no relation – this is not the gospel writer. In Matthew, Mark and Luke, this man is called John the Baptist. But here, in this account, even though he does baptize, he is just called John, a man sent from God as a witness to testify to the light. We might call him, John the Witness. In this version of the story, there is no baby Jesus, no Mary and Joseph, no stable, no angels, no shepherds. In fact, John's gospel begins outside of normal time and space. It begins, “in the beginning...,” just like the book of Genesis, with the Word who was God, the light shining in the darkness. In this story today, John is asked, “who are you?,” but not by God, rather by religious professionals who came all the way from Jerusalem just to question him.

“Who are you?,” they ask. John said, “I am not the Messiah.” You ever answer questions this way? “Who are you?” Well, I'm not the Messiah. You ain't kidding, buddy! John is actually clear here – he says he's not the one they're looking for. In a gospel which features Jesus constantly saying things like, “I AM the light of the world, I AM the bread of life, I AM the good shepherd,” and remember that “I AM” is God's name, John is clear - “I AM NOT.” I am not the Messiah. Keep looking. What about Elijah, what about the prophet? No, and no. Well, who are you? “I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness,” he says. Try that one next time you get pulled over. Brushing this comment aside, the priests ask, “well, if you're a nobody, why are you baptizing? Why are you claiming to witness to God?”

Well, why are all of you here? I'm sorry to say this, but not one of you is the Messiah either. It's a shocker, I know. Breaking news! No messiahs here. No saviors. No great prophets. Not even a bonafide ordained pastor. But we claim to be witnesses to the light also. We claim to have something here, in this place, that the world needs. We claim to gather around things that matter – holy things like scripture, water, bread & wine – simple things that contain God. John declares that he is not the Messiah. This is something we have in common. But John also says that he has a testimony, that he is the voice, that he is a witness to the light.

We also are witnesses, not because we have found something in ourselves. Not because we have special religious insight, not because we have a church ID card nor because we have prepared ourselves for God's arrival. No, we are witnesses because God has found us. We are witnesses because God's love was so great that the Son entered the world, because in baptism God has joined himself to us and given us a name which is forever connected to God's own name. We are not, but God is, and in Jesus, the Word made flesh, God is with us. Who are you? Just someone for whom our Lord Jesus Christ was willing to die. Just someone whom God has known, and loved, from the beginning of creation.

Martin Luther said on his deathbed, “we are all beggars.” Together we all hold out our hands. We are not the Messiah, we are not the ones who have to prove ourselves. We are the ones who have seen God broken and poured out for us, the ones who have felt God washing away our sin, the ones who have heard a Word that changes lives, the ones who have seen the light of Christ shining in this dark world. As Luther said, we are called to tell our fellow beggars where to find bread. Who are you? You are all witnesses testifying to the light. Who are we all together? We are the church of the imperfect, the not-Messiahs, who live in a dark world waiting for God, not for ourselves. We point to the one light shining in the darkness. The beautiful truth is that anyone can offer this witness, even us, you and me, each in our own way. How is God calling us to witness – through words, through actions, through presence here in our community? Fellow witnesses, let us be about this gospel testimony, and let us remember that we are not the Messiah, but the Messiah is, and he is for us. Amen, Come Lord Jesus!