“Witnesses to the Light”
December 15, 2002
The Rev. Dr. David M. Wendel
Saint Luke’s Lutheran Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado
Lessons: Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11; I Thessalonians 5:16-24; St. John 1:6-8, 19-28
In many parts of the world, the coming of the winter solstice is more pronounced, as the shortening days seem darker by the fact that there’s greater cloud cover, more rain and snow and gloom, more fog and haze. In many parts of the world, there is a very real sense of grief over the loss of light—not unlike that experienced by people’s in biblical times, when it wasn’t so much the climate that heightened the winter solstice, but the fact that there was no electric light—only lamps—and sometimes, only a single lamp per household to light the long evening, till bedtime. In Colorado, we’re not so aware of the darkening days. Oh, I’m aware, because Susan, analytic that she is, announces almost every evening, “hmmm…six, and dark already”; “hmmm..five-thirty, and dark already”; “hmmm…five o’clock, and dark already”. If you’re paying attention, you know that the days are getting shorter, and the light is less—but with our usually brilliant, sunny days, even in the middle of December, there isn’t that grieving over the loss of light. But that doesn’t mean that we take our winter light for granted!
As the days become shorter, I think we in Colorado appreciate even more, the light we have been blessed with. Besides the artificial light that is so much a part of existence, still, we crave the “real thing”, and give thanks for our sun-shiny days. But we also, here in Colorado, have an appreciation for reflected forms of light, as well. As skiers and mountain climbers can tell you, even on a cloudy day, sunlight reflected off snow is intense. After a new snowfall on a clear day, the brightness can blind you—literally. It’s not the sun, itself, but you can’t miss the great source of light and power behind the reflection.
In the midst of the darkest season of the
year, our gospel lesson today speaks about light. But oddly, the lesson speaks mostly, about the one who came, not
to be the light, but to bear witness to the light—to reflect the light, if you
will. In the world before Jesus, there
was an increasing sense of darkness, especially among the Jews, that things
were hopeless. Many of the religious
leaders were selfish and self-centered, so that the people felt they were being
led astray by false teaching, or weren’t being taught at all. To this situation, God sent prophets who
began to proclaim that a Savior, a Messiah would come, who would be Christ, the
Lord. The prophet Isaiah was one such
spokesperson who proclaimed, as in our First Lesson, that the Lord had anointed
him to bring good news—news that would set the captive free, bind up the
brokenhearted, proclaim the Lord’s favor—to provide good news to those who were
mourning, to give them a garland instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead
of grief, the mantle of praise instead of a faint spirit. The prophet Isaiah was telling the people
who lived in darkness, that God was preparing to send the Light—and the Light
would, truly, enlighten those had been struggling along in the shadows of
life. The prophets Micah, and Zechariah
also foretold the coming of the Messiah—so much so that there was almost a
fervor, an excitement of anticipation as the people waited. So that every time a new prophet or preacher
or teacher arrived on the scene, the people wondered if this would be the
one. Would this one be the Light? The average, common people wondered, because
they anxiously awaited the coming of the Messiah. The unfaithful religious leaders, as you might imagine, wondered,
because they were afraid that this new religious figure, this Light, might just
reveal, their dark deeds. They wanted
to know when this Messiah appeared on the scene, so that they could, hopefully,
counteract any negative impact—before it got out of hand! So, it is these priests and Levites,
representatives of the corrupt religious establishment, who came to John,
asking, “Who are you? Are you the
Messiah? If not, then are you
Elijah—returned—are you, THE prophet, who is to come? Let us have an answer for those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?”
And what is John’s answer? Our gospel lesson not only records John the Baptizer’s reply, but the author of this gospel also provides us with his own commentary, about John the Baptizer, to make clear who this John is, in relation to Jesus. And the answer is—John is not the Light, but merely the reflection of the coming Light. Like the glorious glowing mountaintop of Pike’s Peak, reflecting the light of the sun, before it rises in the morning, John the Baptizer is the one sent by God, to proclaim the Light, and to reflect the Light, even before it appears, calling all people to throw open their hearts and lives, to receive Christ, the Light, when He comes! Calling us, not only to receive the Light, but to prepare ourselves, to reflect the Light, so that through us, Jesus, the Christ, might shine into every dark corner of the world! Because just as John was a witness to the Light, so that all might believe through him, so also are you and I, to be witness to the Light, so that through us, people might come to believe.
It’s no coincidence that all this talk of Light, and testifying to the Light, is tied together with John’s ministry of baptism. It’s no coincidence, because John’s ministry of baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, was both part of his ministry of witnessing to the Light of Christ, and his ministry of helping others, through baptism, to also become witnesses. Which is why, in many places in the earliest Church, a candle was given to the baptized, even as we present our newly baptized with a lighted candle, and the words of Jesus from Matthew 5, encouraging the new Christian to reflect the Light of Christ, letting their light shine before others, to bring glory to God the Father. The church father, Gregory of Nazianzus preached a sermon in Constantinople, on January 6, 381, the festival of the Epiphany, emphasizing baptism as illumination, and the baptized as witnesses to the Light, saying:
“Let us be made light, as it was said to the disciples by the Great Light himself, you are the light of the world. Let us be made lights in the world, holding fast the Word of Life; that is, let us be made a quickening power to others. Let us lay hold of the Godhead; let us lay hold of the First and Brightest Light. Let us walk towards him shining, before our feet stumble upon dark and hostile mountains. While it is day let us walk honestly as in the day, not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, which are the dishonesties of the night.”
Father Gregory says it all, does he not, as he encourages us, you and me, with John the Baptizer, to be witnesses to the Light. He says it all, when he says, “let us be made light; let us lay hold of the First and Brightest Light; Let us walk towards him, shining!” This Advent, let us walk towards Him, who is the First and Brightest Light, Jesus Christ, shining—that others may be quickened in the faith, baptized into the Light, that together, we may bear witness to the true light who is coming into the world—Jesus Christ!
In the name of the Father, and of
the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.