1. Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Heavenly Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. The message from God’s Word on this 3rd Sunday in Advent is taken from John 1:6-8, 19-20 and is entitled, “A Witness to the Light,” dear brothers and sisters in Christ.
2. Whatever else may come, however worse it may get, the light has come and will come again. As you were listening to our Gospel reading today from John 1, maybe you considered how this week’s Gospel differs from last week’s reading from Mark 1. Both Mark and John draw attention to John the Baptist. But what they do with him differs. Mark identifies the Baptizer as the voice foretold by Isaiah. The Fourth Gospel speaks of John as a witness. He came as a witness to the light.
3. John was sent from God to give testimony, which is all that a witness is good for. A witness for the Lord testifies to what he has seen and heard from the Lord. His testimony is so that others will believe through him. Note that! Through him, that is, through John’s testimony, not in him. John was an instrument, not an object. John’s testimony wasn’t so that people would believe in John, but that through John all people would believe in Christ. His message was not “follow me,” but “follow him.” “He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.” John wasn’t the light that gives life to the world. Nor are we, though we sometimes think we’re brighter bulbs than most in the world.
4. The problem is that we tend to confuse the witness with his testimony, the message with the messenger. We often pay more attention to the person than to the Office of the Pastor. “We do not preach ourselves,” wrote the apostle Paul to the Corinthians, “but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake” (2 Cor 4:5). That was how St. Paul distinguished the Lord’s ministry from that of the so-called “super-apostles,” those high-octane preachers who came blasting through Corinth to separate people from the Gospel—not to mention their wallets and each other.
5. The light metaphor is strong in the Fourth Gospel. It’s mentioned in John 3, John 8 & 9, John 11, and John 12. (John 3:18-21, 8:12, 9:5, 11:9-10, 12:34-46). Jesus says in John 8:12, 12… “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” And, Jesus says in John 9:5, 5As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” Again, Jesus says in John 11:9–10, 9… “Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. 10But if anyone walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.”
6. It’s also fitting for our hemisphere that, this time of year, is growing darker each day. We long for the light when it gets dark at 4:15 at night. That’s why it’s great to hear today that John bears witness to the light, who is Jesus Christ our Lord. The counterpart to the light, of course, is darkness (John 1:5). We can all think of the wickedness that takes place in the dark. “People loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil” (John 3:19) Ephesians 6:12 says, “12For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” We all know of the evil that lurks in the shadows, the wicked things that are done under the cover of the night—drug dealing, robbing someone’s house or store, participating in drunkenness and the like. But, we can also reflect on the danger of walking in the darkness. C.S. Lewis’ The Silver Chair comes to mind. As Eustace and Jill journeyed with the Marshwiggle through the darkness of Underland, they found themselves in constant peril. As the old hymn puts it, “I walk in danger all the way” (Lutheran Service Book, 716).
7. A third way that we can reflect on darkness is in the uncertainty it creates. At times we say the future is dark, and not only until the winter solstice. The future is inscrutable, unpredictable, and uncertain. Virginia Woolf seems to have had this in mind in her January 1915 diary entry: “The future is dark, which is on the whole, the best thing the future can be, I think.” We always live in this type of darkness. But the extent of our uncertainty has gained ground this year of 2020. Consider all the unknowns which occupy our thinking these days. When will the vaccine be available? Will it be effective? Will it be safe? What about Christmas plans? Will it be wise to gather with family? Will it be socially acceptable? What about the economy? Will my business make it? Will I still have a job after the holidays? Will we ever go back to school full-time? It’s like the blind leading the blind. The future is dark.
8. Into this uncertainty, John bears witness to the light. This light is eternal. Jesus is the one through whom all things were made. He’s one with the Father from all eternity. “Light from light,” as we say in the Creed. He illuminates creation by speaking what He hears from the Father. He reveals the depths of sin and death, but also the gracious will of God. This revelation didn’t sit well with the people of His day, so they snuffed Him out. But the light eternal wouldn’t remain in the darkness of death. Risen from the dead, Jesus shined forth to bring life to all humankind. John 1:9 says, “9The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.”
9. The church is that voice in today’s wilderness of sin, terror, and death—a voice to proclaim repentance and forgiveness in Jesus’ name. Like John the Baptist long ago, the Church today says, “Look There’s the One for you. There’s the light of the world giving you His gifts through His Word and Sacraments.” There’s your forgiveness, your life, your salvation. There is true light, a light that already shines on you and on all. There he is in the water of your Baptism. There he is in the mouth of the preacher absolving your sin, speaking the word of forgiveness. There he is in the bread that is his body, in the wine that is his blood. That’s what being a witness to Jesus means. Not pointing to ourselves and saying, “Be religious like me.” But pointing to Jesus in the Word, the water, the bread and the wine, and testifying on his behalf: “Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world. Your sin. He died bearing your sin. He rose holding your life in his life. He reigns and in him you reign too. That’s the church’s testimony, her witness, and her martyrdom.”
10. One word of warning. The word for witness is the same word from which we get “martyr.” A witness is a martyr who testifies to his or her death. You might lose your head, as John did. But not to worry. You’ve already died in Jesus, you’ve been baptismally buried into his death. You are in the ultimate witness protection program, embraced by the death of the Son of God who loved you and gave himself up for you. You are clothed with Christ, covered from head to toe with his righteousness. You are already dead to the world, dead to sin and death. And your life is hidden in Christ, tucked away where no one can take it. You’ve got nothing to lose. That’s the beauty of being dead in yourself, but alive to God in Christ. The dead have nothing to lose.
11. We don’t have to hide under false identities, like some frightened witness with a death threat over our head. We don’t have to put on the fake nose and glasses of phony piety and religion. We can be ourselves, telling the truth about our sin, and even more about our Savior Jesus. Pointing people to Jesus. Look! There’s the light who shines on you!
12. As He did 2000 years ago, Jesus, the light of the world and the life of humankind, comes into our dark and uncertain times. There is so much we don’t know and so much we can’t see. But we do, by faith, see Jesus. We see the crucified and resurrected Lord who has split the darkness of death for us. With Him and His gracious promise of deliverance in view we can endure the darkness ahead. Not even the darkness of our sin or the terrors of death can overcome this glorious light who is Jesus. He’s been shining on the creation from the beginning, since day one as the creative Word who redeemed the world with his death on a dark Friday. And you and I have the privilege to speak of him and point to him. Whatever else may come, however worse it may get, the light of Christ has come and will come again. This promise sustains us as we move forward in faith. Amen. Now the peace of God that passes all understanding guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus until life everlasting. Amen.
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