December 14, 2008 - Stuart Smalley vs. John the Baptist

God Sent John to Witness to the Light
John 1:6-8, 19-28
Advent 3 – December 14, 2008

“I'm good enough, I'm smart enough, and doggone it, people like me!”

Back when I was in high school, this was the mantra of the fictional Stuart Smalley, who was played by comedian-turned- Minnesota-politician Al Franken on Saturday Night Live. In the skit, Stuart was the insecure host of a cable access show called Daily Affirmations with Stuart Smalley. Every show was a comedy of errors, but in Stuart's words, that was - “okay,” and he ended each program by looking at himself in the mirror and saying this affirmation, “I'm good enough, I'm smart enough, and doggone it, people like me,” as if trying to convince himself that it was really true.

Now John the baptizer doesn't appear to have any such problem with his self-confidence or self-esteem. The way the Gospel of John tells it, John the Baptist was filled with purpose; he knew what he was supposed to do with his life, and he got out there and did it. John was sent with a message for the people, “Repent & be baptized! Make straight the way of the Lord!” And we know from the last week's lesson from Mark, and indirectly from this one, that people came out in droves to hear him preach and to be baptized by him in the Jordan.

No, John was not what we would call insecure. He was so bold in following through with his mission that he caused quite a ruckus out there in the wilderness – so much so that the religious establishment of the day sent out the equivalent of investigative reporters, the priests and Levites, to find out what was going on! John was kind of stealing their sheep, you know. “Who are you?” they ask him. Are you the Messiah? Are you the famous prophet Elijah? (You remember him, he was the one who had not died, but was carried to heaven on a chariot of fire?) Are you the prophet? (That's the prophet “like Moses” who God had promised to raise up in Israel.) “Who are you?” they want to know. But they're asking about more than just his name, more than his identity. What they really want is for him to show them his credentials. “If you're not any of these famous figures, what are you doing out here causing such a stir? Why are you baptizing? Who gave you the right? Who do you think you are?”

“Who do you think you are? - Who are you?” Important questions for the followers of Jesus who dare to even think about witnessing to his Light in our dark world. And for most of us, I'd wager a guess that we hear those questions not so much from others, but in the sound of our own voices. The ones questioning our credentials to share the good news of God's love for us, revealed to us through Jesus, are not likely to be other people. Because most of us aren't out there catching their attention and causing a stir by sharing the message God has sent us with. No, we are kept silent by our inner investigative reporters, who come to us asking, “Who are you? Who do you think you are? What qualifies you for this job?”

They are the voices of our doubts and our fears,
voices that are loud and powerful -

because we know the reality of who we are,
and who we are not.

When we think about telling someone else about Jesus, we worry, because we know
that we are not good enough,
we are not smart enough;
and doggone it,
we are afraid that if we dare to open our mouths
people won't like us.

Witnessing to Jesus and who he is can be a scary thing – and most of us feel more like insecure Stuart Smalley than bold John the Baptist on any given day. “Who are we, who are so broken, so imperfect -” we wonder, “- who are we to carry this good news into the wilderness of our world?”

The question of what our credentials are can stop us in our tracks – but it did not stop John the Baptist. And we find out why right from the beginning of this passage. “There was a man sent from God...” His name was John, and he was a man sent from God. God sent John to be the voice in the wilderness. God sent John to be a witness to testify to the light. “What are your credentials?” the priests and the Levites asked him. “God sent me,” he might have answered. God sent John, and those are the only credentials he needs. John didn't need to memorize the Bible front to back; John didn't need to go to a special school to learn about religious doctrine and the “right” answers to tricky theological questions. God sent him. And John knew that this mission wasn't about him. His job was always to point beyond himself, to the one who was coming after him, to the light coming into the world, to Jesus, the true Messiah who would fulfill what the prophet Isaiah declared in our first lesson -

– the one who was coming
to bring good news to the oppressed,
to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives and release to the prisoners,
to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor,
to comfort all who mourn.

This was John's mission, to point Jesus out, for he knew what others did not. John knew that Jesus was among them, and yet he was unknown to so many. The good news of his presence was what they had all been waiting for, but they could not see it on their own! This was good news that had to be shared, so when God sent John, John went!

But John is not the only one God sent. God sends each of us too, with a message to share! After he is raised from the dead, Jesus comes to his disciples and says to them, and through them, to us,

“As the Father has sent me, so I send you” (John 20:21).
And again: “Go therefore and make disciples...” (Mt. 28:19).
And again!: “Go into all the world and proclaim the good news to the whole creation...”
(Mark 16:15)

We who are followers of Jesus have been called, chosen, and sent by God to witness, to testify to the light of the world. And we don't have to have the whole Bible memorized, we don't have to go to a special school and get special training or a degree in theology. Those can be good and useful things, but they are not necessary; we don't need them to prove our credentials. All we need is to know that we have been sent by God to share the ways that Christ's light has shone in the darkness of our lives, to tell the stories of how that light has healed us and transformed us.

There are people in our lives who have never met Jesus, who have never known his love, his peace, his joy. He stands among us as one whom they do not know, and they need someone to point him out. That someone is you! God is sending you!

If somehow you missed the memo, I want to remind you that Christmas is coming (duh!). It's a time when people, even in the midst of their shopping and decorating and baking, might be willing to look beyond those things to the story that inspires the celebration, might be willing to consider this man Jesus in a new way. What better time to share the Good News!? To invite a friend or co-worker or neighbor to come and see the truth that “God is with us” in Jesus? To silence our inner questioners by pulling out the credentials that God has given us?

And if you're still not sure about your qualifications - if you still question those credentials, go ahead and take a page from Stuart Smalley's book... Stand in front of the mirror and tell yourself this:

“You're good enough,
“You're smart enough,
And doggone it, God sent you!”