Churches With Heart

Moody-Leon United Methodist Church

John 1:6-8, 19-28

There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.

This is the testimony given by John when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” He confessed and did not deny it, but confessed, “I am not the Messiah.” And they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the prophet?” He answered, “No.” Then they said to him, “Who are you? Let us have an answer for those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?” He said, “I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’ “as the prophet Isaiah said. Now they had been sent from the Pharisees. They asked him, “Why then are you baptizing if you are neither the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the prophet?” John answered them, “I baptize with water. Among you stands one whom you do not know, the one who is coming after me; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandal.” This took place in Bethany across the Jordan where John was baptizing.

Who are you? That is the question the priests and Levites asked of John the Baptist. They had been sent by the Pharisees and wanted to know, “Who are you?”

That’s the question I asked you this morning. Who are you?

Diana and I went to the Waco Civic Theater Friday evening with friends. We went to see “It’s a Wonderful Life.” The angel, Clarence, was played by Danny Tenney, the United Methodist pastor in McGregor. His two children were also in this production.

Many of you know the story. George has a crisis in his life, prays for help, and Clarence is sent to be George’s guardian angel. George thinks the crisis is a money crisis. The crisis was actually an identity crisis. George really didn’t know who he was. To help George out of his crisis Clarence gives George a wonderful gift. Clarence allows George to see what the world of Bedford Falls would have been like without him.

Our lives are full of crises. I believe that often the crisis is made worse by forgetting who we are. We tend to think too little of ourselves. We loose our vision of hope in the midst of crisis. We forget the message of John the Baptist.

Who are you? Our fingerprints identify us. We have I.D. cards, a Driver’s License, a Social Security number, Credit Card numbers, and mothers. Yes, mothers. Many people now want to know your mother’s maiden name as a way of identifying you. You have heard of people who have their identity stolen. A crook gets their address, social security number, and some how get a Driver’s License with their picture, and they steal that person’s identity.

Who are you? Are you a butcher, a baker, a candlestick maker? Are you a president, mayor, congressman, steel worker or roughneck? Are you an engineer, preacher, teacher or banker? Are you a musician, beautician, politician, or physician? Is our job our identity?

Who are you? Are you filled with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control?(1) Does the fruit of the spirit manifested in our lives provide our identity? Or the lack of them?

Does John’s gospel give us any information about our identity? I think so. He says John the Baptist was not the light. It’s safe to say that you and I are NOT the light.

John says The Baptist confessed that he was NOT the Messiah. How many times have we thought that we are the savior? Have you ever thought you were the savior? … How many times have you beat yourself up because you couldn’t save someone from something? Most of us have been there. We can’t save others from themselves or their sins. Our identity is not found in saving others, but in trusting our Savior to do that.

John the Baptist came as a witness to testify to the light. He proclaimed, “The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.” We are told that a man whose name was John was sent from God. Jesus said to his disciples following his resurrection, “As the Father has sent me, so I send you.”(2) That message is for us as well.

Who are we? Like John the Baptist, Jesus, and the disciples, we are those whom God has sent. In Matthew’s gospel we hear Jesus telling the disciples, telling us, to go and make disciples, baptizing and teaching them.(3) Sounds a lot like one sent by God to testify to the Light, so that all might believe. Who are we? We are one’s sent by God to testify to the light, so that all might believe. At least that is the identity that God would have for us.

The Little Girl Who Didn’t Like Christmas Presents

Once upon a time there was a little girl who didn’t like to get Christmas presents. Her name was Marcie. Every year when it came time to open the presents under the Christmas tree, Marcie would go to her room and stay there until all of the presents were unwrapped and put away.

One year for Christmas Santa Claus brought Marcie a doll buggy and a baby doll that said, “I love you,” when you squeezed it. It was a wonderful gift, but of course Marcie didn’t want it. She wouldn’t even pick it up. She just went to her room and left the poor baby doll lying all alone under the tree.

Everyone in Marcie’s family was getting pretty tired of her attitude toward presents. So finally, on Christmas Day after dinner, her grandmother took her aside for a heart to heart talk. She said, “Marcie, come here and sit on my lap.” Marcie’s grandmother had a big comfortable lap. “Now Marcie,” she said, “tell me why you don’t like to get presents.”

Marcie didn’t say anything at first. She just snuggled in close to her grandmother until she was warm and cozy. Then she said, “Because I’m not good enough.”

Marcie’s grandmother was surprised. “What ever made you think a thing like that?”

“Well,” Marcie said, “people are always telling me to be good so that Santa Claus will come. And you know Grandma, as hard as I try, I can’t always be good. So I don’t deserve any presents.”

Marcie’s grandmother smiled and gave her a big hug. And then she told her something that Marcie would never forget. “Marcie, people don’t give you presents because you’ve been good. They give you presents because they love you. We all love you, Marcie, and we would give you presents no matter how good or bad you might have been.”

Marcie smiled and gave her grandmother a big kiss. Then she climbed down from her grandmother’s comfortable lap, went straight to the Christmas tree, picked up her baby doll and gave it a squeeze. And do you know what the baby doll said?(4)

On that first Christmas, long, long ago, God sent John to testify to the coming of the Light, the light of Jesus Christ. God loved the world so much, God gave his only Son, that we might not perish, but have eternal life.

Who are you? You are one to whom God said in Jesus, “I love you.” There is nothing you can do to keep God from loving you. There is nothing those you love can do to keep God from loving them.

Did you know that sunlight is a antidote for depression? Better yet, did you know that son light is an antidote for despair, a sense of hopelessness. Yes, God loves you so much that Jesus came to bring us hope. So when you see the Christmas lights remember, lights are a symbol of hope.

1. Galatians 5:22-23

4. John E. Sumwalt, “The Little Girl Who Didn’t Like Christmas Presents,” Lectionary Stories: Forty Tellable Tales for Cycle B, C.S.S. Publishing Co., Lima, Ohio, 1990, 24-25.