Keeping up appearances
Commentary
Object:
One of my favorite British situation comedies is Keeping Up Appearances. It
chronicles the attempts of Hyacinth Bucket, pronounced "bouquet" on the show, to
appear to have entered the British upper class by maintaining the manners and mores of
that social set. The nearby presence of her sisters, Daisy and Rose, serve as a constant
reminder that she has not gotten far from her origins in anything but the upper class.
At first I was quite put off by the show's title with an instant dislike for Hyacinth, and a fondness for Daisy, Onslow, and Rose who are what you see as vulnerable and with no capability of putting on airs. Certainly, Rose has a dream of finding perfect love and Daisy has a dream of making a passionate lover out of her oafish husband, Onslow. Yet, all of them clearly work within the confines of who they are. However, as my viewing of this show has gone along, I have grown more sympathetic to Hyacinth. Certainly, I have grown sympathetic to Hyacinth's husband, Richard, whose capacity to keep up the appearance of being the ever-ready dutiful husband maintains the only level of sanity in their relationship.
I have also grown more aware of how much of my life revolves around keeping up my own appearances. As pastor, it might be wise to keep up appearances that Saturday's death did not get to you as much as you are letting on at Sunday morning's baptism. Keeping up with the sense of humor of a six-year-old may require the stretching of appearances beyond reality. While I may want to be a non-anxious presence the appearance may come long before the reality is within my grasp. In the midst of crises, airline stewards and hospital emergency room personnel must put on the best face they can find in order to enable others to overcome their anxiety.
Keeping up appearances might not be an entirely bad thing after all. Certainly, at times it is the best that I can muster until something better can settle in. The measure of the trustworthiness of this is that Epiphany is the season of appearance. In Christian terms keeping up appearances makes no sense and carries no worth unless it centers on the attempt to keep up with the appearance of the God who made the fullest appearance we know in the life of Jesus Christ.
The Hebrew text reveals the prophet as one who feels that there is a great distance between what God has called him to be and the way things are -- "But I said, 'I have labored in vain, I have spent my strength for nothing and vanity; yet surely my cause is with the Lord, and my reward with my God.' " The Corinthian text "proclaims in every way you have been enriched in him, in speech and knowledge of every kind." As we join in the uncertainty of church life, does it feel that way? The John text reflects a refutation of the way things must have appeared to the many that followed John the Baptist, even thinking that he might be the Messiah. John says he is not the one. The future does not lie, contrary to all appearances, with repentance for sin but with the one who can take away the sin of the world. This is the one whose appearance we are called to keep up with even on those days when it is hard to keep up appearances.
Isaiah 49:1-7
Several recent national stories remind me of how hard it can be to keep up appearances in trying circumstances. A national story on the second anniversary of the Katrina Hurricane reports how hard the trauma has been on clergy as they seek to care for their parishioners as well as themselves. The Episcopal diocese reports that every one of their clergy is in counseling. The bishop, the caretaker of those who take care, has been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress syndrome. The prophet says, "He made my mouth like a sharp sword, in the shadow of his hand he hid me; he made me a polished arrow, in his quiver he hid me away. And he said to me, 'You are my servant, Israel, in whom I will be glorified.' But I said, 'I have labored in vain, I have spent my strength for nothing and vanity.' " Hard to keep up appearances in the face of that until keeping up appearances can lead to the more genuine thing.
A story from the Associated Baptist Press reports that more and more seminary students are choosing to enter forms of ministry other than the traditional role of the pastorate. They have seen too much heartache, conflict, and wounded pastors to be attracted into parish ministry. They are attracted into chaplaincies, youth work, and the mission field. The trend is toward those fields where seminary graduates can experience being the sharp sword and polished arrow that one can feel like in ministries other than the parish.
All those who have not, at one time or the other, felt like they have labored in vain or spent their strength for nothing in the parish please raise your hand. There are going to be plenty of days when at best the parish will feel like it is about keeping up appearance in the face of vanity of all sorts, spending your strength in ways that leaves sleepless nights. A recent visit with interim clergy produced bobbing heads of approval when one said the chief difference between interim and settled ministry is the amount of sleep you get.
Keeping up appearances in such a context seems senselessly beyond the pale. Isaiah must have had similar feelings in the face of the challenges of rebuilding the nation following exile. Things certainly did not appear hopeful yet the patriarch Abraham is remembered as one: who "hoped against hope." He kept up with the appearance of a heavenly messenger and a vision that contrary to all, evident appearance would be fulfilled. The church is called to keep up with this appearance as it is fulfilled in the life and teaching of Jesus.
Sometimes this means investing in people who, contrary to all appearances, need to have people see more in them than they or others see in themselves. Keeping up with appearances means giving the appearance of a warm supporting environment even on days when you feel it is all vanity and all you can say is "yet surely my cause is with the Lord, and my reward with God." Keeping up with appearances of God in our lives comes when we recall how conflict can be used to create the kind of growth that brings people together at a deep level. The report on the clergy caught up in the aftermath of Katrina recounts that for those clergy who take care of themselves, there is the opportunity for more satisfying ministry than they have ever experienced before. Precisely because many clergy have been with people in a variety of contexts that the parish offers, they are better able to minister when crisis comes.
Certainly, there are many times, no doubt, when church feels like being in vain. We often long for congregations that can talk about the big issues and major concerns. Yet getting to the big talk is often contingent on engaging in the small talk that helps people feel they belong, are loved, and have worth. Such talk probably does as much to prepare people to faithfully face crisis as anything else we engage in.
Keeping up appearances has to do with keeping up with the one who has appeared among us, for surely our cause is with our Lord.
1 Corinthians 1:1-9
This doesn't appear exactly right. "For in every way you have been enriched in him, in speech and knowledge of every kind just as the testimony of Christ has been strengthened among you so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ." Does it feel like that among you or does it feel like that somewhere along the way the church has lost the gifts it once possessed? If anything it often seems that the church operates more out of a sense of depletion rather than abundance. This is further complicated because Paul is not merely describing the Corinthians but his words are meant to apply to the church wherever it is found, "To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, together with all those who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours."
So the first letter to the Corinthians is a good case in point with lessons for the whole church. For a community that has been heavily, if not heavenly, endowed with gifts they do seem to find a way of getting into a lot of difficulties in Paul's eyes: Divisions and parties arise over worship, liturgical practices such as speaking in tongues, conflicts between haves and have-nots as to the timing of communion, the idealizing of individual leadership at the expense of the mission of the whole church, and a theological vigorousness that results in some extraordinary if not devious interpretations of scripture.
These gifted people seem to have run into some serious problems. What seems to have happened is that it is not the lack of gifts but the Corinthians use of the abundance of gifts that has gotten them into trouble. A rich past privileges a few; diversity creates barriers rather than bridges. Clear-eyed truth in one area blots out seeing the truth in others from another place. Charismatic leadership becomes a quick fix rather than the product of working at finding and celebrating the gifts of all.
To all appearances, an organization plagued by such problems would seem to have very little future ahead of it. Yet, keeping up with the one who has appeared among us has a way of running contrary to the way things may appear to be headed. Dietrich Bonhoeffer put it this way in Life Together: "What may appear weak and trifling to us may be great and glorious to God ... The more thankfully we daily receive what is given to us, the more surely and steadily will fellowship increase and grow from day to day as God pleases."
Over the years, I have had the opportunity to look over several church profiles as they went about the process of choosing a new pastor. My overall impression is that, for the most part, the impression that they wish to convey is not exactly what Dietrich Bonhoeffer had in mind as he described life in the church. I suspect that the average reader of this journal can name the number one phrase that most churches use to describe themselves: "We are a friendly church."
No one would want to be part of a church that was not friendly. However, the understanding of friendship that lays behind the phrase is that the church should keep up the appearance of being harmoniously conflict free. While the church can appear conflict free, much of the normal tensions that come along with being human beings go underground. I do not recall Paul ever writing that the churches should be friendlier. He is saying that we are equipped with every spiritual gift necessary to learn from differences, work through those wounds that come when we are a genuine community, and appreciate each other's truths.
A congregation that had that on its profile would capture my attention as it sought to give up keeping up with what appears the thing to say and chooses to follow the one whose appearance we celebrate in Epiphany.
John 1:29-42
Clearly scripture puts a lot of effort into interpreting the role of John the Baptist. He is rather hard to ignore. He makes quite an appearance -- we are given detailed accounts of his dress, his mission, and his background. Scholars suggest that a certain rivalry arose between Jesus' and John's disciples. For a moment, let us make the case for John and explore just why scripture devotes so much premium space to John's story.
John comes with a cogent message and a clear plan. The crowds asked him, "What then should we do?" In reply, he said to them, "Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none; and whoever has food must do likewise." Even tax collectors came to be baptized, and they asked him, "Teacher, what should we do?" He said to them, "Collect no more than the amount prescribed for you." Soldiers also asked him, "And we, what should we do?" He said to them, "Do not extort money from anyone by threats or false accusation, and be satisfied with your wages." As the people were filled with expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Messiah, is it any wonder that some of John's hearers speculate as to whether John might be the Messiah? Not only does John have a clear brand as the one preaching a baptism of repentance but he also has a very clear detailed program. In Jungian terms, John has an appeal both to intuitive and sensate folks. Furthermore, his denunciation of the morality of those in high places shows his courage and willingness to apply his teaching to many levels. He had the knack of preaching a stern message that met with great success at least in terms of the numbers that went out to hear him. Clearly this is a voice that cannot be ignored.
One can imagine a church in search of a leader running across the profile of somebody like John the Baptist. Surely this must be the Messiah. High energy, able to attract a crowd, clear in his message, and willing to stand up to the powers that be: John has clearly got a future. Yet that is not the entire story. "This is he of whom I said, 'After me comes a man who ranks ahead of me because he was before me.' " John knows that he is not the Messiah, which is part of his message. Actually, such modesty makes John all the more attractive. I have known too many clergy and leaders that needed a reminder that they were not the Messiah.
The crucial thing to be noted here is that behind the modesty is the recognition that there is a significant difference between Jesus' and John's ministry. "I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water said to me, 'He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.' " Jesus has the Spirit and can distribute it in a way that John cannot. Jesus has the Spirit that can take away the sin of the world, "Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! This is he of whom I said, 'After me comes a man who ranks ahead of me because he was before me.' "
It is one thing to lay out the sins of the world and denounce them. It is another to take away the sin. It is one thing to gather a crowd, another to take away its sins when people begin to jockey for position and place in the hierarchy. It is one thing to be able to denounce sin and it is quite another to have the spirit that, in taking time and taking care, can help to take away the sin. It is one thing to have a clear plan and it is another to have the spirit to deal with peoples' failures.
John recognizes that contrary to appearances he is not the Messiah but he can point to the one who is.
Application
The prophet Isaiah struggles with the gap between being made to be a sharp sword and a polished arrow yet meeting with a sense of laboring in vain having spent his strength for nothing and vanity. Given his feeling it is hard to imagine the mission of Israel to be as a light to the nations being fulfilled. We know the feeling.
The danger for the church is that we often try to fill this gap with our own resources. We fall prey to elevating leaders like John the Baptist because they can bring the crowds or they rescue us from any uncertainty by their definitive plans. Too often we take more pleasure in denouncing sin than in taking away the sin and the conditions that lead people to sin. We forget that, as Paul puts it, we are not lacking in any spiritual gift.
Yes, there will be times when we will feel the vanity of it all. There will be times when we cannot imagine the church as a vehicle of being a light to the nations. Certainly, there will be days when we go after the quick fix. However, contrary to appearances there will be enough spiritual gifts for, "From now on there is reserved for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have longed for his appearing."
Alternative Application
John 1:29-42. What was it that moved Andrew and the other disciple to go beyond John's teaching and follow Jesus? The text indicates as much the conclusion they reached it was John's permission that helped them cross this threshold. "The next day John again was standing with two of his disciples, and as he watched Jesus walk by, he exclaimed, 'Look, here is the Lamb of God!' The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus."
John is remembered as somewhat stern and demanding as a preacher. On the one hand, the Christian scripture seems to find no inherent conflict between John's morality and the teaching and message of Jesus. One should not find in Jesus a reason to dismiss ethical and justice issues.
Secondly, while John is stern and steadfast, the story is moved along by John's willingness to grant permission for his disciples to follow Jesus in a new direction. This raises the question for me: Are there places where we need to grant permission to move in new directions in order to move the story along? Do we need to grant permission to ourselves to dwell with others of different faiths in order to see how God might have spoken to them? Who needs our permission to grow and change because we are holding them back? Do we need to grant permission to ourselves to rest and renew ourselves?
The scripture, above all, understands John the Baptist as one who did not make it hard for his disciples to follow Jesus -- a standard worth emulating in our lives and churches.
Preaching The Psalm
Psalm 40:1-11
There is an unwritten law in lines at the local supermarket. The law states that if you change lines you will wait longer. No matter how carefully you check it out to see which line is shorter or how many things your neighbor has in their shopping cart, if you break ranks, if you step out of the line you're in and move to another line, it is decreed from somewhere that you will have a longer wait than if you had stayed in the line you first chose.
It's about patience -- and it's no secret to anyone reading this that patience is in short supply in contemporary culture. Think about it. Wait just one second after the stoplight changes and someone behind you honks the horn. Walk down most any urban sidewalk and smell the rush and crush of getting wherever it is that has to be gotten in less time than is humanly reasonable. Hurry hurry, push push, and God help anyone who makes us wait. Patience is indeed in short supply in our daily lives.
And yet, patience is one of the magic elixirs that propels life forward with greater ease and joy. It is the patient person who usually succeeds with troublesome children. It is the patient person who wins the confidence of others who are caught up in the stress of the moment. It is the patient person who awaits the right opportunities for a host of things in this life. Whether it's the right job or the right relationship, patience is a universal assistant.
The benefits of patience are no less present in our fumbling attempts to reach for the holy. The spiritually impatient -- a description which fits many -- fire off a quick prayer and wonder why God hasn't answered. The too-often operative expectation is that God will morph God's self to meet our expectations. How does that old Janis Joplin song go? "Oh, Lord, won't you buy me a Mercedes Benz...." If the new car doesn't come, and quick, faith is shaken.
But "waiting patiently for the Lord" offers a thousand different benefits. Primary among them is that waiting usually requires quietude. We may not like it much, but there you are, waiting. And quietude makes it possible to hear things not usually audible in the daily rush of doing what we think is important.
What is it that patience brings? What comes when patience attends prayer? Perhaps it is patience that will provide; patience that will give space for God to "incline God's ear."
At first I was quite put off by the show's title with an instant dislike for Hyacinth, and a fondness for Daisy, Onslow, and Rose who are what you see as vulnerable and with no capability of putting on airs. Certainly, Rose has a dream of finding perfect love and Daisy has a dream of making a passionate lover out of her oafish husband, Onslow. Yet, all of them clearly work within the confines of who they are. However, as my viewing of this show has gone along, I have grown more sympathetic to Hyacinth. Certainly, I have grown sympathetic to Hyacinth's husband, Richard, whose capacity to keep up the appearance of being the ever-ready dutiful husband maintains the only level of sanity in their relationship.
I have also grown more aware of how much of my life revolves around keeping up my own appearances. As pastor, it might be wise to keep up appearances that Saturday's death did not get to you as much as you are letting on at Sunday morning's baptism. Keeping up with the sense of humor of a six-year-old may require the stretching of appearances beyond reality. While I may want to be a non-anxious presence the appearance may come long before the reality is within my grasp. In the midst of crises, airline stewards and hospital emergency room personnel must put on the best face they can find in order to enable others to overcome their anxiety.
Keeping up appearances might not be an entirely bad thing after all. Certainly, at times it is the best that I can muster until something better can settle in. The measure of the trustworthiness of this is that Epiphany is the season of appearance. In Christian terms keeping up appearances makes no sense and carries no worth unless it centers on the attempt to keep up with the appearance of the God who made the fullest appearance we know in the life of Jesus Christ.
The Hebrew text reveals the prophet as one who feels that there is a great distance between what God has called him to be and the way things are -- "But I said, 'I have labored in vain, I have spent my strength for nothing and vanity; yet surely my cause is with the Lord, and my reward with my God.' " The Corinthian text "proclaims in every way you have been enriched in him, in speech and knowledge of every kind." As we join in the uncertainty of church life, does it feel that way? The John text reflects a refutation of the way things must have appeared to the many that followed John the Baptist, even thinking that he might be the Messiah. John says he is not the one. The future does not lie, contrary to all appearances, with repentance for sin but with the one who can take away the sin of the world. This is the one whose appearance we are called to keep up with even on those days when it is hard to keep up appearances.
Isaiah 49:1-7
Several recent national stories remind me of how hard it can be to keep up appearances in trying circumstances. A national story on the second anniversary of the Katrina Hurricane reports how hard the trauma has been on clergy as they seek to care for their parishioners as well as themselves. The Episcopal diocese reports that every one of their clergy is in counseling. The bishop, the caretaker of those who take care, has been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress syndrome. The prophet says, "He made my mouth like a sharp sword, in the shadow of his hand he hid me; he made me a polished arrow, in his quiver he hid me away. And he said to me, 'You are my servant, Israel, in whom I will be glorified.' But I said, 'I have labored in vain, I have spent my strength for nothing and vanity.' " Hard to keep up appearances in the face of that until keeping up appearances can lead to the more genuine thing.
A story from the Associated Baptist Press reports that more and more seminary students are choosing to enter forms of ministry other than the traditional role of the pastorate. They have seen too much heartache, conflict, and wounded pastors to be attracted into parish ministry. They are attracted into chaplaincies, youth work, and the mission field. The trend is toward those fields where seminary graduates can experience being the sharp sword and polished arrow that one can feel like in ministries other than the parish.
All those who have not, at one time or the other, felt like they have labored in vain or spent their strength for nothing in the parish please raise your hand. There are going to be plenty of days when at best the parish will feel like it is about keeping up appearance in the face of vanity of all sorts, spending your strength in ways that leaves sleepless nights. A recent visit with interim clergy produced bobbing heads of approval when one said the chief difference between interim and settled ministry is the amount of sleep you get.
Keeping up appearances in such a context seems senselessly beyond the pale. Isaiah must have had similar feelings in the face of the challenges of rebuilding the nation following exile. Things certainly did not appear hopeful yet the patriarch Abraham is remembered as one: who "hoped against hope." He kept up with the appearance of a heavenly messenger and a vision that contrary to all, evident appearance would be fulfilled. The church is called to keep up with this appearance as it is fulfilled in the life and teaching of Jesus.
Sometimes this means investing in people who, contrary to all appearances, need to have people see more in them than they or others see in themselves. Keeping up with appearances means giving the appearance of a warm supporting environment even on days when you feel it is all vanity and all you can say is "yet surely my cause is with the Lord, and my reward with God." Keeping up with appearances of God in our lives comes when we recall how conflict can be used to create the kind of growth that brings people together at a deep level. The report on the clergy caught up in the aftermath of Katrina recounts that for those clergy who take care of themselves, there is the opportunity for more satisfying ministry than they have ever experienced before. Precisely because many clergy have been with people in a variety of contexts that the parish offers, they are better able to minister when crisis comes.
Certainly, there are many times, no doubt, when church feels like being in vain. We often long for congregations that can talk about the big issues and major concerns. Yet getting to the big talk is often contingent on engaging in the small talk that helps people feel they belong, are loved, and have worth. Such talk probably does as much to prepare people to faithfully face crisis as anything else we engage in.
Keeping up appearances has to do with keeping up with the one who has appeared among us, for surely our cause is with our Lord.
1 Corinthians 1:1-9
This doesn't appear exactly right. "For in every way you have been enriched in him, in speech and knowledge of every kind just as the testimony of Christ has been strengthened among you so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ." Does it feel like that among you or does it feel like that somewhere along the way the church has lost the gifts it once possessed? If anything it often seems that the church operates more out of a sense of depletion rather than abundance. This is further complicated because Paul is not merely describing the Corinthians but his words are meant to apply to the church wherever it is found, "To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, together with all those who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours."
So the first letter to the Corinthians is a good case in point with lessons for the whole church. For a community that has been heavily, if not heavenly, endowed with gifts they do seem to find a way of getting into a lot of difficulties in Paul's eyes: Divisions and parties arise over worship, liturgical practices such as speaking in tongues, conflicts between haves and have-nots as to the timing of communion, the idealizing of individual leadership at the expense of the mission of the whole church, and a theological vigorousness that results in some extraordinary if not devious interpretations of scripture.
These gifted people seem to have run into some serious problems. What seems to have happened is that it is not the lack of gifts but the Corinthians use of the abundance of gifts that has gotten them into trouble. A rich past privileges a few; diversity creates barriers rather than bridges. Clear-eyed truth in one area blots out seeing the truth in others from another place. Charismatic leadership becomes a quick fix rather than the product of working at finding and celebrating the gifts of all.
To all appearances, an organization plagued by such problems would seem to have very little future ahead of it. Yet, keeping up with the one who has appeared among us has a way of running contrary to the way things may appear to be headed. Dietrich Bonhoeffer put it this way in Life Together: "What may appear weak and trifling to us may be great and glorious to God ... The more thankfully we daily receive what is given to us, the more surely and steadily will fellowship increase and grow from day to day as God pleases."
Over the years, I have had the opportunity to look over several church profiles as they went about the process of choosing a new pastor. My overall impression is that, for the most part, the impression that they wish to convey is not exactly what Dietrich Bonhoeffer had in mind as he described life in the church. I suspect that the average reader of this journal can name the number one phrase that most churches use to describe themselves: "We are a friendly church."
No one would want to be part of a church that was not friendly. However, the understanding of friendship that lays behind the phrase is that the church should keep up the appearance of being harmoniously conflict free. While the church can appear conflict free, much of the normal tensions that come along with being human beings go underground. I do not recall Paul ever writing that the churches should be friendlier. He is saying that we are equipped with every spiritual gift necessary to learn from differences, work through those wounds that come when we are a genuine community, and appreciate each other's truths.
A congregation that had that on its profile would capture my attention as it sought to give up keeping up with what appears the thing to say and chooses to follow the one whose appearance we celebrate in Epiphany.
John 1:29-42
Clearly scripture puts a lot of effort into interpreting the role of John the Baptist. He is rather hard to ignore. He makes quite an appearance -- we are given detailed accounts of his dress, his mission, and his background. Scholars suggest that a certain rivalry arose between Jesus' and John's disciples. For a moment, let us make the case for John and explore just why scripture devotes so much premium space to John's story.
John comes with a cogent message and a clear plan. The crowds asked him, "What then should we do?" In reply, he said to them, "Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none; and whoever has food must do likewise." Even tax collectors came to be baptized, and they asked him, "Teacher, what should we do?" He said to them, "Collect no more than the amount prescribed for you." Soldiers also asked him, "And we, what should we do?" He said to them, "Do not extort money from anyone by threats or false accusation, and be satisfied with your wages." As the people were filled with expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Messiah, is it any wonder that some of John's hearers speculate as to whether John might be the Messiah? Not only does John have a clear brand as the one preaching a baptism of repentance but he also has a very clear detailed program. In Jungian terms, John has an appeal both to intuitive and sensate folks. Furthermore, his denunciation of the morality of those in high places shows his courage and willingness to apply his teaching to many levels. He had the knack of preaching a stern message that met with great success at least in terms of the numbers that went out to hear him. Clearly this is a voice that cannot be ignored.
One can imagine a church in search of a leader running across the profile of somebody like John the Baptist. Surely this must be the Messiah. High energy, able to attract a crowd, clear in his message, and willing to stand up to the powers that be: John has clearly got a future. Yet that is not the entire story. "This is he of whom I said, 'After me comes a man who ranks ahead of me because he was before me.' " John knows that he is not the Messiah, which is part of his message. Actually, such modesty makes John all the more attractive. I have known too many clergy and leaders that needed a reminder that they were not the Messiah.
The crucial thing to be noted here is that behind the modesty is the recognition that there is a significant difference between Jesus' and John's ministry. "I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water said to me, 'He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.' " Jesus has the Spirit and can distribute it in a way that John cannot. Jesus has the Spirit that can take away the sin of the world, "Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! This is he of whom I said, 'After me comes a man who ranks ahead of me because he was before me.' "
It is one thing to lay out the sins of the world and denounce them. It is another to take away the sin. It is one thing to gather a crowd, another to take away its sins when people begin to jockey for position and place in the hierarchy. It is one thing to be able to denounce sin and it is quite another to have the spirit that, in taking time and taking care, can help to take away the sin. It is one thing to have a clear plan and it is another to have the spirit to deal with peoples' failures.
John recognizes that contrary to appearances he is not the Messiah but he can point to the one who is.
Application
The prophet Isaiah struggles with the gap between being made to be a sharp sword and a polished arrow yet meeting with a sense of laboring in vain having spent his strength for nothing and vanity. Given his feeling it is hard to imagine the mission of Israel to be as a light to the nations being fulfilled. We know the feeling.
The danger for the church is that we often try to fill this gap with our own resources. We fall prey to elevating leaders like John the Baptist because they can bring the crowds or they rescue us from any uncertainty by their definitive plans. Too often we take more pleasure in denouncing sin than in taking away the sin and the conditions that lead people to sin. We forget that, as Paul puts it, we are not lacking in any spiritual gift.
Yes, there will be times when we will feel the vanity of it all. There will be times when we cannot imagine the church as a vehicle of being a light to the nations. Certainly, there will be days when we go after the quick fix. However, contrary to appearances there will be enough spiritual gifts for, "From now on there is reserved for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have longed for his appearing."
Alternative Application
John 1:29-42. What was it that moved Andrew and the other disciple to go beyond John's teaching and follow Jesus? The text indicates as much the conclusion they reached it was John's permission that helped them cross this threshold. "The next day John again was standing with two of his disciples, and as he watched Jesus walk by, he exclaimed, 'Look, here is the Lamb of God!' The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus."
John is remembered as somewhat stern and demanding as a preacher. On the one hand, the Christian scripture seems to find no inherent conflict between John's morality and the teaching and message of Jesus. One should not find in Jesus a reason to dismiss ethical and justice issues.
Secondly, while John is stern and steadfast, the story is moved along by John's willingness to grant permission for his disciples to follow Jesus in a new direction. This raises the question for me: Are there places where we need to grant permission to move in new directions in order to move the story along? Do we need to grant permission to ourselves to dwell with others of different faiths in order to see how God might have spoken to them? Who needs our permission to grow and change because we are holding them back? Do we need to grant permission to ourselves to rest and renew ourselves?
The scripture, above all, understands John the Baptist as one who did not make it hard for his disciples to follow Jesus -- a standard worth emulating in our lives and churches.
Preaching The Psalm
Psalm 40:1-11
There is an unwritten law in lines at the local supermarket. The law states that if you change lines you will wait longer. No matter how carefully you check it out to see which line is shorter or how many things your neighbor has in their shopping cart, if you break ranks, if you step out of the line you're in and move to another line, it is decreed from somewhere that you will have a longer wait than if you had stayed in the line you first chose.
It's about patience -- and it's no secret to anyone reading this that patience is in short supply in contemporary culture. Think about it. Wait just one second after the stoplight changes and someone behind you honks the horn. Walk down most any urban sidewalk and smell the rush and crush of getting wherever it is that has to be gotten in less time than is humanly reasonable. Hurry hurry, push push, and God help anyone who makes us wait. Patience is indeed in short supply in our daily lives.
And yet, patience is one of the magic elixirs that propels life forward with greater ease and joy. It is the patient person who usually succeeds with troublesome children. It is the patient person who wins the confidence of others who are caught up in the stress of the moment. It is the patient person who awaits the right opportunities for a host of things in this life. Whether it's the right job or the right relationship, patience is a universal assistant.
The benefits of patience are no less present in our fumbling attempts to reach for the holy. The spiritually impatient -- a description which fits many -- fire off a quick prayer and wonder why God hasn't answered. The too-often operative expectation is that God will morph God's self to meet our expectations. How does that old Janis Joplin song go? "Oh, Lord, won't you buy me a Mercedes Benz...." If the new car doesn't come, and quick, faith is shaken.
But "waiting patiently for the Lord" offers a thousand different benefits. Primary among them is that waiting usually requires quietude. We may not like it much, but there you are, waiting. And quietude makes it possible to hear things not usually audible in the daily rush of doing what we think is important.
What is it that patience brings? What comes when patience attends prayer? Perhaps it is patience that will provide; patience that will give space for God to "incline God's ear."
