The Ordination of a Prophet: John the Baptist

St. Philip's Episcopal Church

Annapolis, Maryland

Mark 1:1-8

The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

As it is written in the prophet Isaiah,

"See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you,

who will prepare your way;

the voice of one crying out in the wilderness:

`Prepare the way of the Lord,

make his paths straight,'"

John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And people from the whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were going out to him, and were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. Now John was clothed with camel's hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. He proclaimed, "The one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the thong of his sandals. I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit."

+ + + + + + + + + +

You can pick your friends, but not your relatives. I’m sure that’s a statement many of us have heard in our lives. Many of us know the truth of that statement. You only have to go to one or two family reunions to realize if you could pick your relatives there’s one or two folks who would get voted off the island and wouldn’t be in your family. Just remember the people you spent Thanksgiving with a few days ago!

I wonder if Jesus felt that way about his cousin John the Baptist. John has actually been quite polite this Advent season and didn’t poke his head in on Advent 1 like he normally does. This year we encounter him – smells and all – on Advent 2. So this morning I want to think with you about this person whom we sometimes write off, or at least I know I do.

As you’ll recall from the Gospel of Luke, John the Baptist was born to Zechariah and Elizabeth. Zechariah was a priest at the Temple in Jerusalem and lived to an advanced age. Zechariah and his wife Elizabeth weren’t able to have children – until an angel comes and tells Elizabeth that she will bear a child. Zechariah finds this all rather funny – much like Abraham and Sarah do when an angel tells them they’ll have a child named Isaac.

So how does John the Baptist end up being such a crazy character – a character that probably none of us would want to have over for dinner – especially given such a good background, the son of a priest.

Scholars have struggled with this question. The best theory is that because Elizabeth and Zechariah were so old that they died and John ended up an orphan. Now because John was the son of a priest, that meant he could be a priest as well.

More than likely John fell into the wrong crowd. At least according to first century Jewish standards. He probably joined a sect within Judaism called the Essenes. This group was distinctive from the rest of Judaism because they had a number of ascetic practices and lived in the wilderness. Why the wilderness? Because of the way they were shunned by their Jewish brothers and sisters and probably by choice. Think about it for a minute. Think about how clear the night sky and the stars are out in the wilderness. What better place to hear God than alone in a wilderness or a desert. Those of us making this Advent pilgrimage to the manger must also travel through the wilderness to get there. It’s hard with all the “Joy to the World” playing in malls and shopping centers long before the 12 days of Christmas.

John the Baptist, I imagine was consumed by God because of spending all the time alone in the wilderness with God. He could probably hear God clearer than any one of us who live such busy lives with our iPhones, iPads, or whatever smart phone or tablet computer you have begging for your attention.

All of a sudden one day John began to preach. It was his vocation after all since his father was a priest. And people came to hear him. At first 20 or so, then a hundred or so, then they came by the thousands. Some walked 10, 20, and maybe even 30 miles which was a great distance in those days. The people were hungry to hear an authentic word from God. They hadn’t heard from a prophet in years.

So what do we see this morning from our Gospel reading? Nothing more than the ordination of a prophet. While John might not have lived up to his father’s dream of being a priest in the Temple, he did something far better. He became a prophet preparing the way for the Messiah. To be sure the ordination of a prophet looks far different than that of a priest.

I believe that each and every one of us in this room also share in John the Baptist’s ordination as a prophet by virtue of our baptism. When you were baptized, you made five vows – or someone made them for you if you were baptized as an infant. The last two in particular ordain each and every one of us as prophets: 1.) to seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving our neighbor as ourselves and 2.) to strive for justice and peace among all people and respect the dignity of every human being. Wrapped within these two vows are the call of the prophet: to speak truth to power, to see every human being as an infinitely loved child of God, and to not be afraid to take risks.

Who are some of the prophets among us or that we have known? Perhaps Dr Martin Luther King, Jr.? Ghandi? Archbishop Desmond Tutu?

Are you a prophet? Do you stand up for justice wherever you are?

As we continue our Advent pilgrimage to the manger I invite you to take seriously your baptismal vows and to follow in the footsteps of John the Baptist and to be a prophet. Amen.