December 10, 2006 at 8 o'clock
The Ven. Howard Stringfellow III
Baruch 5:1-9 + Philippians 1:3-11 + Luke 3:1-16
In the Name of the True and Living God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.
Once again, I am delighted to be with you. You should know that as I visit parishes around the Diocese, I have started mentioning the Cathedral very often. Your adherence to the Consecration Sunday program and your faith have yielded a harvest of many good results. So many increases in tangible signs of your commitment and stewardship, are blessings that other parishes cannot pretend do not result from the right approach. You are an example to us all.
Picture this. Someone wearing very strange clothes approaches you on a street corner, perhaps on West Fourth Street, and yells at you that your life is a mess and that your only hope is to put it in order. Picture that happening.
In a way, it just has happened. Through the Gospel, John the Baptist, with his strange clothes of camel’s hair, has yelled at you and me today. He’s told us that our sins weigh us down and that repentance is necessary for us to prepare the way of the Lord. Repentance is necessary for you and for me to celebrate Christmas with the fullness the Nativity of the Lord calls from each of us.
You can see why John wasn’t all that popular. You can see why he was living on the fringe. The message is so radical, so demanding, that the fringe was probably the only place he could plant his feet. But was he speaking for God? Was he telling us what we need to hear, as opposed to what we just do not want to hear? I believe he is. He is reminding us that our relationship with God depends largely on us. We have to make the move. God already has made the move to us in sending the prophets and John himself, and, most especially in sending Jesus to us. We may need what John has to say. We may need what we today jokingly call a “wake-up call.” This is a season for us to be awakened, perhaps even shaken, out of our complacency and out of our usual, everyday conversation with God. We need to put aside some of our behavior and some of our thoughts to serve God more nearly.
You and you alone best know what you need to do. No one knows better than you what you need to do. I heard it said the other day that everyone knows what he or she needs to do to be more faithful to God’s will and call for us. What we don’t know, often, is how to do it. I can suggest that you begin with a small thing. If the thing is noticeable, like drinking less or praying more or giving away more of your money, your friends and your family will notice, and they will resist. You have to be prepared for that. You have to put the will and call of God in the mix of your choices and make the choice which leads to your greater freedom and your greater spiritual health.
Listen to John, and take his words to heart. They speak to your deepest need and your deepest desire. He prophesies for God who knows you better than anyone else. As radical as he is, he is part of God’s redeeming love for you and your salvation. Listen to him.
In Christ’s Name. Amen.
