Advent 2, 2020 Year B

First Lutheran, Houston | Pastor Evan McClanahan |

 

 

We have a new dog in the McClanahan household. He is a sweet dog. We think he is a course haired Border Collie, but we joke that he would rather “give hugs than make herds”. Still, he is a dog, and he needs to be domesticated if he is to live in my home. He needs to know when and where to relieve himself, what not to chew on, and to be on a leash so he doesn’t dart into the street trying to herd the neighborhood cats.

 

Of course, most of the domestication of Hank was done in previous centuries, as Border Collies became companions to Scotsmen like myself who had sheep to navigate through Highland terrain. These ancient dogs and men made a pact: the dog would help with the work of herding if the man would help with the work of food gathering. So the wild beast was tamed and he is now so docile he just wants to snuggle. He oozes comfort and joy, a constant companion who will always obey, rarely challenge, and gently serve his master.

 

Well, you may have guessed that I am setting you all up for a contrast. And you would be right.

 

This morning, we are reminded of the star of Advent’s show: John the Baptist. He was, well, never domesticated. He was a wild man from the word go.  Clothed in camel’s hair, feasting on wild honey and locusts – hey don’t knock it if you haven’t tried it – nothing about John says “conformity”. He was the original punk rocker, the outsider, the rebel who didn’t just talk about speaking truth to power, such a practice literally cost him his head.

 

And his mission was clear: like Isaiah, his mission was to call Israel to repentance, to prepare the way for the coming messiah. As the old bumper sticker says: “Jesus is coming. Look busy.” John was functioning a bit like a Border Collie actually, nipping at the heels and barking at sheep who were straying from the fold. He knew his mission was not to make friends and influence people, but to convict people of their sin so that when the holy messenger of God came, they would be ready to hear it and able to stand in his presence.

 

John the Baptist is the hero of Advent because our work is not really so different from his. The mission of the Church is still to call the world to repentance and to prepare the sheep of God for the return of Christ. Such a return is often embarrassingly predicted, mocked, or ignored, but Advent exists precisely to remind us that it is going to happen. We proclaim that the judge of all the earth will come again, and when he does, the mockers will be silenced and the faithful will be rewarded.

But unlike John, we have conformed. We have been domesticated. The Church is often the very picture or icon of going along to get along, or of normalcy. Imagine a picturesque portrait of a quaint town square or a country side. Can’t you just imagine a cute little church being in the picture, on a cobblestone street, right next to the city square or schoolhouse? It’s just part of our civic life.

 

But do you know what happens when things get domesticated? They lose their edge. Their teeth grow dull. They are ignored. They become safe. They become normalized. The beast is no longer a threat. Heck, he’s just one of the family. And that, to me, seems like a pretty good description of the Church within Christendom. The Church helped to give rise to the life that we enjoy. So now that we have that life, we can do away with the Church.

 

Don’t get me wrong: I am all for the ubiquity of Christian truth, values, justice, and the fruits of the Spirit like love, joy, patience, kindness, goodness, and self-control. The Law of God, yes, even the Old Testament Law is a source of incomparable good for us.

 

But after a while, we have stopped looking anything like John the Baptist and we look and act more like a retailer. We have a product you want, and we’ll even tailor it for you if it is not exactly to your liking. It’ll cost you…a little. On average, 1-2% of your annual income. But just like the dog and man made an agreement where they each sacrifice a little to co-exist, we can do the same.

 

But should we? Is a domesticated church still a Church? Have we become too nice? Is it possible to be too nice if you follow Jesus? Well, let’s say we all agree that the answer to that is “No.” A domesticated Church that has lost its bite, that has capitulated and compromised with all of the forces that would have us give up our sacred confessions, is no Church at all. Let’s just say that there is some line that you can cross that causes you to lose your Church credibility.

 

Then the question is, “Well, in what ways should we continue to sound like John the Baptist?” What are the issues or ideas or proclamations on which we have lost our nerve? Well, of course, this points to the various places on which we divide. Some says we should be like John the Baptist on socialism, some on capitalism. Some say wealth should be redistributed in the name of the poor, some say private charity is best. Some are pro-choice and some are pro-life. Some say marriage is understood one way in the Bible, others say it is time to prophetically call for change.

 

You see, it’s not like there aren’t a lot of people who agree that the Church has been domesticated. The question is: in what direction should a more radical voice take us? How would we know? If well-meaning Christians are on both sides on so many issues, will the real John the Baptist please stand up?

 

Well, of course, if I rattled off a bunch of positions, I would kind of be placing myself in the role of John the Baptist. I am not a modern-day John the Baptist. So rather than take it issue by issue, I want to try to get at the heart at what John was saying. When you follow Christ, you must leave every other idol behind. You must commit yourself wholeheartedly to who Jesus is and what he represents. You must prioritize this God and His Word above the wisdom of men. You must, without blinking or flinching or second-guessing, disavow worldly influences. There must be no question in your mind that Jesus is your King. In short, you must repent and believe the good news that the King is ruling and reigning this earth, even when it looks like the exact opposite is true.

 

To hold the biblical positions, especially on the moral issues, like being pro-life, for marriage as between a man and a woman, believing God created us male and female, holding individuals – not groups – accountable for their sins, should not be hard positions for Christians to hold. Christianity may be the backbone of our civilization, but we must never let it become so domesticated that we will compromise it. If the day comes – and many fear that day is near – when basic Christian positions are intolerable to the world, we had better channel our inner John the Baptist and do it fast.

 

And we better have the fortitude and confidence to be willing to proclaim God’s Word even if it is in the wilderness.

 

But like John the Baptist, whenever and wherever we proclaim God’s Word, know that God will use that word to call his people and build his Kingdom. You see, John had joy because he had a singular mission and an audience of one. If and when we can also dedicate our lives to that same audience of one and that same mission, that same joy will be ours. For unlike the world, God is far less concerned with how effective or successful we are. His call to us is to be faithful.

 

May the Spirit of God give us courage and faith and strength, so we would know the joy of serving God, and God alone. Amen.