Sermon for the Nativity of St. John the Baptist: "Christmas in June"

+ Feast of the Nativity of John the Baptist – June 24^th, 2018 +

Isaiah 40:1-5; Acts 13:13-26; Luke 1:57-80

Redeemer Lutheran, HB

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

As readers enter the wardrobe into C.S. Lewis’s magical world of Narnia, we hear those haunting, sorrowful words: it was always winter and never Christmas. Now, here in Southern California it might feel like it’s always summer and never winter. Nevertheless, it’s beginning to look and sound a lot like Advent and Christmas.

Today it’s 6 months till Christmas Eve. How’s that Christmas list coming along?

Today the prophet Isaiah’s words are fulfilled in our hearing, and in the eating and drinking of God’s comfort in his Word and in Jesus’ body and blood.

 Comfort, comfort my people, says your God.
Speak tenderly to Jerusalem,
    and cry to her
that her warfare is ended,
    that her iniquity is pardoned,
that she has received from the Lord's hand
    double for all her sins.

And if every Sunday is a little Easter, a weekly celebration of Christ’s death and resurrection for us, then every Sunday is also a little Christmas, even in June. Today we rejoice that our Lord prepares us for his coming and continues to visit us and redeem us.

On this Feast of the Nativity of John the Baptist, we join Zechariah in singing the Lord’s praises: “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, 

    for he has visited and redeemed his people.”

We join Elizabeth in receiving great mercy from our Lord. We join the crowds in listening to John’s preaching. For this reason, the Lord sent John.

You, my child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways. A voice cries:
“In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord;
    make straight in the desert a highway for our God.

John is that voice, a human gramophone playing broken record filled with God’s Word of repentance and forgiveness of sins in Jesus. John is the moon, not the sun. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.  He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him.  He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light.

John is the messenger, but what really matters is the message he proclaims: Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.

As John said of himself, let it be true among us as well. I must decrease; and Christ crucified must increase. Because as important as John’s work for Jesus was and still is, Jesus’ work for John and us is even more important. After all, that is why John is sent.

We still need John’s voice. For this wilderness is not a quiet place. Like turning your iTunes or Spotify account on shuffle, there is an endless cacophony of voices competing for your attention.

The world never tires of singing the same old tune: “Christians are close-minded, bigots, and hypocrites. Come on, forget your fairy tales, let go of the past, leave your imaginary friend the flying spaghetti monster behind, and join the side of reason, science, progress, tolerance, acceptance, peace, love, pleasure, and freedom.”

The devil’s voice rages as well, offering false promises, false hopes, and false comfort.

And then there are the more familiar voices. That relentless voice from within that pounds our ears with our own shame, sorrow, sin, guilt, pride, pain, failures, fears, disease, doubt, despair, and death.

Into this wilderness of noise, the Lord sends us his voice John.

Every valley shall be lifted up,
    and every mountain and hill be made low;
the uneven ground shall become level,
    and the rough places a plain.
And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed,
    and all flesh shall see it together,
    for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”

Because of this Word we often think of John the Baptist as a gruff prophet of repentance. Like the Advent card I saw last year on social media: “Happy Advent, you brood of vipers. Now, repent for the kingdom of God is at hand.”

Thankfully, God speaks another word through the voice of John. John is also a prophet of Good News, God’s grace. That’s what John’s name means: God is gracious. A fitting name for a preacher of consolation, comfort, and Christ Crucified for you. John is sent to give knowledge of salvation to us in the forgiveness of our sins, through tender mercy of our God.

This comforting, consoling word of the Lord filled Zechariah with joy. The Lord opened his lips, loosed his tongue, and his mouth declared the Lord’s praise. As Zechariah sings, the volume of God’s gracious salvation is turned up to 11, full blast, blow-out-the-speakers Good News. Every word of his song blares comfort that rings Jesus’ salvation into our ears.

God speaks and delivers his word to us in water, word, bread and wine. At this altar our Lord visits and redeems us. In this church and school, the Lord speaks salvation to us as he spoke through the holy prophets of old. Here the Lord quells all the voices of our enemies and drowns them out with his mercy, salvation, and promise.

There’s a marvelous picture of the church in John the Baptist. Our new birth in Holy Baptism, like John’s birth, is by God’s grace. From Elizabeth’s barren and aged womb, the Lord brought forth life. From the barrenness of sin and death, our Lord brings forth new life in us in Holy Baptism.

We’re like John, called to live in the wilderness of this fallen world. An unrelenting, arid wasteland of sin and sorrow, grief and pain, disorder, decay and death. We stick out like John too. We may not wear camels-hair clothing or eat locusts and wild honey. But John’s message of repentance and forgiveness in Jesus are just as unpopular today as it was in his day. Yet, we are not alone, just as John was not alone. Our Lord comes to us as he did to John in the wilderness to silence the devil’s temptations, to irrigate the deserts of our hearts with living water, and to deliver us from the hand of our enemies.

And like John, we’re sent out as a voice in the wilderness. As pastor and people, we have different vocations and responsibilities, but our message is the same as John’s: Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.

By God’s grace this is what Redeemer has done, and will continue to do: in Redeemer’s preschool where a flock of little lambs sings the praises of the Lamb of God, and learns the love of their Good Shepherd; in Redeemer’s VBS, youth, and Sunday School as we train the children up in the ways of our Lord, giving them a faith to grow into, not out of; in Redeemer’s symphony of musicians, choirs, and musical talent where you sing the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.

The same Holy Spirit who sent John into the wilderness to be a voice of comfort also fills our hearts, minds, and voices with the comfort of Jesus crucified; and we’re sent into the wilderness to point our family, friends, neighbors, coworkers, teachers, barbers, doctors, mechanics, and anyone else we know to the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.

A Merry Christmas in June and a blessed Feast of the Nativity of John the Baptist to each of you…

In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.