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St. Andrew's Church
An Anglican Church • Grimsby, Ontario, Canada
Preached by
Stuart Pike
Rector
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Nativity of St. John the Baptist
St. Andrew's Church, Grimsby
Isaiah 40: 1-11
Luke 1: 57-80
24 June 2007
Today we are celebrating the birth of John the Baptist, Jesus' cousin who was born six months earlier than he and was the forerunner of Jesus. Today's Old Testament Lesson from Isaiah is later quoted by John himself as prophesying about himself: "A voice cries out: "In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God." (And in my mind I can hear the appropriate music from Handel's messiah.)
St. John the Baptist is the only Saint who has two feast days: we celebrate not only his death (as we do with other Saints) but also his birth. The Nativity of St. John the Baptist is sometimes called "Little Christmas" perhaps because it is so linked with the birth of Jesus. John was born just after the longest day of the year. Jesus was born just after the shortest day and Jesus' birth marks the change to ever increasing light in the world. Yet the reading for the Nativity of St. John the Baptist spends a lot of time considering the naming of John.
What's in a name? These days it's an understandable question. Most of us seem to have our name because our parents liked the sound of the name, or perhaps because we were named after someone else. Our names doesn't usually convey anything about our nature. It wasn't always this way. In ancient times it used to be that your name had a lot to say about who you were and what you stood for.
Often in the Old Testament when people have an encounter with God, they get a new name. In the Gospel Stories some of the disciples are given a new name by Jesus. And so Jesus renames Simon and call him Peter, which means the rock, because Jesus says that he will build his Church upon him. When the brothers James and John are offended by a Samaritan village which doesn't welcome Jesus, they ask Jesus if they should call down lightening from heaven to destroy the inhabitants. So Jesus calls them the Sons of Thunder. Names, in this way, in the Bible reveal something of the essential character of the person.
John gets his name a little differently. His name is given to him by God, because earlier in the story, before today's Gospel lesson, Zechariah is visited by the Angel Gabriel when he is performing his yearly duty in the Temple. The Angel tells Zechariah that his wife will conceive and will bear him a son and that they are to name him John. The name, "John" means "God is Gracious" and the reason why this name is so befitting is that this boy really must be a gift, or a grace from God because Zechariah and Elizabeth, his wife, are really old. Zechariah has the reaction that most people probably would have. He just doesn't believe it. As a reward for his unbelief, Zechariah is struck dumb and will not be able to speak until all that the Angel says comes to pass - nine months later.
And so we have today's story. It is the story of a naming ceremony. On the eighth day after birth every male child is taken to the temple and is circumcised and is given his name. It is very similar to what happens in many Christian Churches at Baptism. Fortunately for us, though, we don't have the circumcision bit. We just get dunked in or dabbed with water.
John's birth marks a new relationship between God and human beings. John is the herald of something brand-new. Zechariah, when he gets his voice back, raises his voice in praise of God and says the words of the Benedictus, "Blessed ne the Lord God of Israel, for he has looked favourably on his people and redeemed them ..." and he goes on to say to his son, "... and you, child, will be called the prophet of the most high; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways..." and he says, "By the tender mercy of our God, the dawn from on high will break upon us, to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace." The coming of Jesus will be like dawn breaking upon a people who are sitting in the dark of night. What a marvellous image.
That fact that John's name was given to him before his birth shows that God has a purpose for the child. The words of Isaiah in the first reading apply equally to John: "The lord called me before I was born, while I was in my mother's womb he named me. …… he formed me in the womb to be his servant (Isaiah 49:1, 5). In John we see that God already has a purpose for each child before they come into this world, and so the challenge of life is for them to discover their purpose and to follow it.
John's purpose meant that he had to adopt some pretty strange ways. He lived in the wilderness. He dressed strangely and had a very peculiar diet. I don't imagine that he was number one on polite society's guest list. But he remained true to his name. He had to live a frugal and desert lifestyle so that he could be free to be the one announcing a highway through the wilderness: a highway for our God.
I think we need to develop something of the wilderness in our lives to discern what our path is as well. We need to, as God says, "be still and know that I am God." We need to listen to the still small voice of God and to be able to hear what our name really is - what is God's name for us?
John the Baptist's neighbours thought that everyone's name had to be tied to the accidents of birth. You must be the same as your parents, you must follow in the footsteps of your father, or your mother. You must conform to the society in which you were born. As they said when Elizabeth announced that the child would be named John, "None of your relatives has this name."
God has a purpose for us that goes beyond any human rules or customs. God has a name for each of us. We need to discover that name and to live up to it.
What is God's name for you? Perhaps it is faithful, or compassionate or courageous. Perhaps it is giver, or guide, healer, consoler or friend. Maybe it is advocate or servant or peace-maker. Listen to God's voice: listen for your true name. Come to worship, receive the Holy Communion, listen to your brothers and sisters in Christ, read the scriptures, listen to the sermon! Find some time every day to be still and to listen and to open yourself in prayer. And, as did John, live out God's name for you. Amen.
