First Sunday of Advent

John the Baptist: Superstar

As the people were filled with expectation and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Messiah, John answered all of them by saying, “I baptize you with water, but one who is more powerful than I is coming; I am not worthy to untie the strap of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his granary, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”

Luke 3:15-17

Imagine being John the Baptist. Unique. Set apart. A maverick. A leader. John is the one many believed might be the promised messiah. Everywhere John went, the people were stirred.

“John is preaching out in the desert.” The word would spread.

“Did you hear? John is coming.”

Folks would leave work sitting on the desk. Fields left untended. School would let out early. “John is coming.”

With kinky hair and honey scented breath, John, and his preaching, was a house aflame. John had what every Jew living under Roman occupation wanted, the ear and fear of the powers.

Oh, to be John. I imagine little Jewish boys hung posters of John on their bedroom walls. Wives wondered why their husbands lacked John’s courage. Not since the Maccabees, had anyone been like John.

I also imagine it was all pretty heady for John. He had it all. Yet, for John, part of having it all was knowing that he wasn’t it all. “One who is more powerful” is coming.

And there you have it. Right out of the gate, one of the first teachings of Advent has arrived. No matter our riches, blessings, gifting, social location, force of personality, and even our God-ordained calling, we are not God.

Here’s the twist: Our best powers are woefully small.

And for many of us, unlike John, this is the bad news we must embrace before the good news can be good.