Yesterday I got to preach from the pulpit for the second time. It was the Feast of the Nativity of John the Baptist. I was thankful for vestments and a pulpit for whole new reasons - my leg was shaking hardcore from nervousness, but no one could even notice :) haha.
You can hear my sermon here: http://www.saint-peters.net/sermons (it's only about 8 minutes long)
It's been very fun to write these sermons. This one was particularly interesting for me to write, because I never would have written it before this last year at Duke, which is encouraging. Our education is actually accomplishing something. I just hope that it's a good thing. The reason I never would have preached this before this year, is that this is clearly a theological interpretation. My text was Luke 1:57-80, but my sermon is anything but an exposition of those verses. In fact, there's little chance that the point I'm trying to get across was in the mind of Luke as he penned this chapter. I think my sermon is true to the text, but what I mean by being "true to the text" has changed dramatically since my "Biblical Hermeneutics" class at Wheaton, which taught me that for your interpretation to be "true to the text" it had to be within the original intention of the text. I don't think that's what I believe anymore. It was the Feast of the Nativity of John the Baptist, which is why the reading is from Luke 1, which is about John the Baptist, but my sermon is about Jesus - who is never mentioned by name in the entire text. But preaching about Jesus from a text about John the Baptist is "true to the text" because the Gospel of Luke as a whole (or the biblical witness as a whole) is about Jesus. Hence, John the Baptist only finds meaning because of the Christ event, and it is therefore appropriate to talk about Jesus from a text about John the Baptist.
Anyway - those are some brief reflections on sermon writing. I'd love to hear your reflections on my reflection, or reflections on your own experience for those of you who have gotten the chance to write sermons as well. I'll post the full text of my sermon in the "comments" section, so as to save blog-o-space.
hope all is well with you all, would love to hear how things are going. Florida is getting old quickly.
And I'm still sweating.
Here's the first half of the text, for you readers out there:
ReplyDeleteIn the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, Amen.
Once upon a time, in an ancient Israel far, far away there was this woman. And this particular woman loved the Lord – she followed the commandments and she lived righteously before God. And everything was going rather well. Until, a great sadness came into this woman’s life, for she discovered she was barren, and so she and her husband would not be able to have a child of their own, and they were absolutely devastated.
But God saw their distress and heard their prayers and promised to provide for them just what their hearts so greatly desired. Lo and behold, after a divinely determined period of waiting, this woman became pregnant. And then, nine months later, amidst miraculous circumstances, this baby was brought into the world. It was a boy. He was named according to God’s wishes, and was thereafter dedicated to the service of the Lord. He grew up to become a hero of the faith – destined to be depicted in stained-glass windows for all eternity.
In this case, the baby happened to be named John. His last name? The Baptist. He was miraculously born to the barren woman Elizabeth and her husband Zechariah. And we’re here today to celebrate this particular story of the miraculous gift of life that was given to a barren woman.
But, you see, the baby of this story I’ve just told you was not only named John. This baby was also named Isaac - the child born so long ago to the barren wife of Abraham. This child is named Jacob and Esau, born to the barren Rebakah. This baby is named Joseph, Samson, and Samuel.
You see, the Nativity of John the Baptist is only one miracle birth story among many similar stories that we find in the Bible. Throughout the history of salvation, God miraculously provides for his people in the form of progeny – that is, in the form of a child.
Now, there is no denying that there are few things more heartbreaking than being denied the ability to have a child. Maybe this has been you, or maybe you know someone who has experienced this pain. But this is precisely what makes these biblical stories so incredibly moving. God is providing new life amidst seemingly hopeless and impossible circumstances.
And this is precisely what is going on in the story of the birth of John the Baptist. His nativity stands in a long line of similar stories that proclaim this deliverance from barrenness to new life.
However, when we’re reading this particular Nativity story, I think we should try to read it in the same way John the Baptist himself would have read it. You see, John the Baptist spent his life proclaiming the message: “I am not he. But one is coming after me. One whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.” His life mission, we’re told in his father’s prophecy, is to “prepare the way for the coming Lord.” You see, John the Baptist spent his life trying to draw attention away from himself. In fact, if you ever see any ancient mosaics or icons that depict John the Baptist, he will always, always be shown as physically pointing away from himself towards Jesus.
The story of his birth ought to be no different.
second half:
ReplyDeleteTherefore, it would not be in the spirit of John the Baptist to talk about his Nativity story, without talking about that other Nativity story – that is, the Nativity of Jesus Christ.
And this Nativity, which took place in a farmhouse in Bethlehem is the grand-daddy of all biblical birth accounts. It’s the last and the greatest. In this story we have miracles, angels, persecution, a big star in the sky, gold, frankinsence, myrrh.
But most importantly – in the Nativity of Jesus we have another barren woman. Given, the barrenness of Mary is a little different – but the story of Jesus’ Nativity, like that of John the Baptist, Samuel, Samson, and Isaac, is still a story of God providing a child – providing life – amidst a seemingly barren circumstance.
This is what The Feast of the Nativity of John the Baptist is pointing us towards today. In fact, this is what all those previous nativity stories are pointing towards – because the Nativity of Jesus Christ is the Nativity that will change the world forever.
You see, the Nativity of Jesus is not just another story of a hopeless and barren woman who has received the gift of life in a miracle child. It’s really the story of a hopeless and barren world that has itself received new life – through this baby named Jesus.
Brothers and sisters, the world that we are born into is barren. Remember, as a consequence of the Fall, God cursed the fertility of ground, so that it would no longer bear fruit on its own, but rather thorns and thistles. Humanity likewise would be thereafter enslaved to sin, and thus subject to death. You see, the human situation is one fundamentally characterized by barrenness and hopelessness.
But in and only in the person of Jesus Christ, we are invited to be born anew from this barren world. Left up to our own efforts and devices, our lives will only end in death – we will only produce thorns and thistles. But God has interceded on our behalf. He has seen our distress.
And God has given us a child
And in this child, new life – eternal life! – through his very own Son, Jesus Christ.
And so, as we leave today, let us remember that The feast of the Nativity of John the Baptist is not primarily about John the Baptist’ it’s about what John the Baptist points us towards. And may we celebrate this day by going forth and living into the new life that we’ve been offered, despite the barren and hopeless circumstance that this world finds us in.
And let us do so by looking to none other than John the Baptist as our example. Let us say together with him, “He must increase, and I must decrease.” Let us point together with him, away from ourselves and towards the person Jesus. And let us wait together with him, for our Messiah to return again, and with him that New Jerusalem, in which barrenness and hopelessness will never again be found.
Amen.
Zac,
ReplyDeleteIt was a joy to listen to (I could definitely hear the progression, the build-up). I really admire when preachers can work from within a passage and yet by the end of the sermon the large-g Gospel is coursing through your veins and big-picture theological synapses are firing. That's the effect this homily had for me at least.
I think you're right, that the theological interp. you employed is something we are learning at Duke specifically. With you, it seems to me that, whether that is a blindspot or not, it is going to teach everyone who hears it to love Scripture more, to be more fully immersed in the narrative of Israel and the church, and, like John the Baptist, be able to point to Jesus as the Christological center of our faith.
You rock.
Biking much?
-N