10 December 2023 Advent 3

John’s gospel starts with an ‘out of this world’, ‘beyond time and space’ cosmic birth story, and then moves straight to John, but we are only told who he is not.  He is not the light, he came to testify to the light; and when specifically asked who he is, John’s only response is to tell us who he is not, he is not the Messiah, nor is he Elijah, nor is he a prophet;.  Yet in all these negatives, John identifies himself in, through and by, his relationship with Jesus.

But John is also pointing to someone they already knew, yet ‘did not know’.  Someone they had already seen yet did not recognise.  He was witnessing to the light, so that all may see the light.  And while John’s reference to the light is clearly to Jesus, he is also pointing out that this light is the life of all people, or for want of a better term, John is speaking about ‘life force’.  He is witnessing to this light, to life, to Jesus the Christ who came to give us life, and life more abundantly.  Advent gives us a light that cannot go out.  Jesus is the light that the darkness of death cannot extinguish.

So if I asked you, who do you say that you are.  If you have ever applied for a job, written an application for a grant or bursary, this is the type of question that you needed to answer.  But this morning the question we are posed has a deeper meaning.  Who am I?  And before I can answer that, I have to do what John has done, I have to work out who I am not.  I am not Jesus.  I am not infallible.  I am not omniscient.  And I need to avoid doing what some in the historic Church have done when they claimed identities, powers, and privileges, that didn’t belong to them.  John starts his ministry from a standpoint of humility.  He does not allow his calling to inflate his ego, he doesn’t let it ‘go to his head’.  He does not claim an identity that does not belong to him.  And he does not promise an easy life for his listeners; he simply asks them to prepare themselves for the One who is greater than himself.  I am not the Messiah.

So, we need to begin by understanding who we are not.  But that is not as easy as it may sound.  As Christians we cannot just define ourselves in the negative.  The question ‘Who are you’ is a big question.  It demands something more than just a list of negatives or rejections.  It asks us to do some deep work.  It asks us to interrogate what it is we hold dear, what do we trust, what do we love – and why.  And then when we have peeled away everything we are not as followers of Jesus, what do we find.  After we have explored and decided what we don’t believe, support, espouse, or love, what version of faith remains.  What vibrant, living, core are we able to offer to the world in Jesus’ name.

John’s answer points away from himself – ‘I am the voice of one calling in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord.’   John chooses humility – I am a voice pointing away from where I am standing.  I am making a path for other feet to walk on.  I am a witness speaking on behalf of someone other than myself.  And when you consider John’s background, this is a big statement.  His conception was told through an angelic visit.  He leapt in his mother’s womb at the very presence of a pregnant Mary.  His fiery preaching has drawn large crowds to repentance.  He will see the heavens open up and the Spirit of God descend on the newly baptised Jesus.  He has grown up with huge expectations ringing in his ears.  Before he is even 30, he has the religious authorities feeling threatened by the size of the crowds he is attracting.  Yet this man chooses to define himself as a ‘voice in the wilderness’.  A man ‘unworthy’ to untie the straps of Jesus’ sandals.  As a ‘forerunner’, a mere witness to Mystery.

On this third Sunday of Advent, this ‘Gaudette’ Sunday, this ‘Rejoice’ Sunday where the candle we have lit is pink not purple, our lectionary readings emphasise celebration, anticipation, and joy.  And when we understand who we are in the kingdom and economy of God, we can tap into joy.  New life, fresh joy well up when we align our understanding of God’s calling, and recognise that we, like John, are called to point away from ourselves, toward Jesus.  Joy will follow us as we forge paths in the wilderness, as we make way in the difficult places for someone greater than ourselves.  Joy will multiply when we can level oppression, injustice, and suffering, so that all people can see God together.

So how will you answer the question of identity.  Who are you during this sacred season of preparation.  Are you a voice?  A witness?  A path maker?  Do you dwell in the wilderness?  Soon, the one we are waiting for this Advent will come, and the question on his lips will demand a whole-hearted answer: “Who do you say that I am”.  These are linked questions because who you are shapes who he becomes in your life.  The self you cultivate is the self who will receive the Christ; and make him known to a world that needs him.  So again.  Who are you?