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

     Once again, here in early Advent, John the Baptist comes a-calling. And for some today, as surely as for some in John's own day--he is not a particularly welcome presence. To us, he seems a most peculiar figure.wearing clothing of camel's hair, a leather belt round his waist--eating locusts and wild honey. And yet, many scholars feel John was part of a particular community, or group of religious individuals who took special vows to separate himself, to set himself apart for the Lord. These were called, "Nazirites", meaning "separated", or "consecrated" ones--and although they took their special vows for personal reasons, when around the community, they were seen as a sign of the presence of God in their midst. They were a visible symbol of God's call for people to be in the world, but not of the world. And many in John's time came out to see him, and to hear him, and many responded to his preaching, hearing in his voice, the very voice of God, calling them to repent, and be baptized. Matthew tells us, as do the other evangelists, that John's ministry was welcome--for few in his time heard such preaching and teaching with such power and authority. But we have to wonder if all welcomed John so readily. Certainly, his time was not so different from our own, and we know how someone like John would be seen today. Some would go out to him for curiousity's sake, while others would go out to him for the sake of his message. And then there would be those who would see John coming and say, "Oh, no--here he comes again!" Of course, there would've been those then, just as there are those now, who would see someone like John as a bother, with his strange clothing and weird eating habits, and his constant harping on "repentance, repentance, repentance". There must have been those, in John's own time, who saw him coming, and went inside, closed their doors, and waited for him to go preach to some other village. He was that kind of a visible, public figure--and some saw him and welcomed him, while others wished he would just go away. And yet, he was not someone who could easily be ignored. One way or the other, you responded to John. His appearance, as well as his message, stirred something up in you, so that you either repented and went to him for ritual cleansing, or you slammed the door in his face. And we believe John's appearance as well as his message, were meant to elicit such responses from folks.

     Have you ever though of the fact that traditionally, clergy have been thought of as "John the Baptist" kind of folks? Not because we wear camel's hair clothing, or eat locusts and wild honey, but because by our dress, we were to be distinctive, especially when out among the people. In our world, we are to be proclaiming, with John, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near." We are to be voices, calling in the wilderness of this world, "prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight--bear fruit that befits repentance!" That, counter-cultural, divinely inspired message is one that is welcomed by some--by some who hear God's voice in it, and are driven to repent--while others would just as soon change the channel, and not have to listen to such words of conviction calling them to conversion. But as that was the message of John the Baptist, that is supposed to be the message of all pastors and preachers today--the message that still, today, people are sinful, unclean, and in need of repentance. And just as we preach that message with our words, our dress, like John the Baptist's, has been understood to preach that exact same message--albeit non-verbally.through black clericals, and black clothing, and black cassocks. The black of the clergy, is not black, to be formal, or to hide the soil, or to present a somber image. Everyday clerical dress has been black to symbolize sin! Priests and pastors have worn black so that folks would look at us and think--SIN!" And that would give us the chance to respond, "Yes, SIN--and aren't we all, stained with sin?" Like John the Baptist, whose message was communicated both through his voice and through his appearance, the black day to day dress of pastors was meant to communicate, through our appearance, as well as through our preaching, the truth that we are all sinners, in need of repentance. And so clergy wore their black clerical garb, not just in the church, but outside the church, not to be seen and noticed as special--but to be seen, as a reminder that the Kingdom of heaven has come near, and as we are all sinners, now is the time to repent! Which is why, lavender, or powder blue clerical shirts make no sense--nor do tropical print clerical shirts. If you're a pastor and you're going to go for a fashion statement, don't wear a clerical shirt at all--because then all you're wanting is recognition. To wear a clerical shirt at all, dictates that it be black, because black is the "color", if you will, of sin. The black of disobedience; the black of death; the black of the ashen cross, on Ash Wednesday. Which brings us to the question, why then have clergy stopped wearing black clerical dress? On the one hand, there's probably a sense in which it's because clergy don't want to be thought of as "separated--or consecrated ones". But on the other hand, couldn't it also be that pastors don't want to be a constant reminder to others, that we are all sinners, in need of repentance?" John accepted that ministry, and knew that to prepare the way for the coming of the Lord, he must preach repentance, and the confession of sins. That was John's one and only mission, to call people to repent, so that confessing their sins, they would see their need for the Savior. In this way, people were being opened to the coming of the Lord--obstacles, in people's hearts and lives were being removed, crushed, washed away, by confession and repentance--to make the way ready, in their hearts and lives, for the coming of the Christ. And isn't that what preachers ought to be about, today? Isn't the apostolic mission, nothing other than, to proclaim that the kingdom of heaven is coming near, and that we all must confess and repent, to make straight, the way for the Lord to come to us? Isn't the Great Commission, given to us by Christ himself in the Gospel of Matthew, that we are to preach repentance for the forgiveness of sins, so that all in our world might be baptized, and become disciples? The truth is, forgiveness, baptism, discipleship, all begin with repentance. Which is why John the Baptist preached repentance. Which is why pastors must preach repentance. Which is why you and I, as we prepare for our Lord's coming, are to repent--and to bear fruit worthy of repentance. Because it is by repentance, that we ready ourselves, for the coming of the Lord. Because it is by repentance, that we make straight the Lord's path, and hasten his coming.

     During this season of Advent, of preparing for the coming of our Lord, I hope whenever you see a pastor wearing black, you will immediately think of sin--and how we are all sinners, and how we are all called to admit and confront our sin--not just pastors, but all of us. And may that realization, that admission, lead us all to repentance and confession--that we may also be lead to receive forgiveness, that together, we may prepare the way of the Lord, and hasten his coming!

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