The Word of God

Helen Keller once described what it was like to be both blind and deaf and to not have language. She described her existence as living in darkness. Before language, there was nothing for her. She felt totally alone and was unable to express her isolation. It was almost as if she did not exist. All was darkness.

Then, one day, Helen’s teacher thrust her hand under an open faucet while signing the word for water into the palm of her hand. Helen recalled the one word that she had learned as a toddler before she fell ill and lost her sight and hearing. That one word was wawa, for water. At that moment, Helen had a moment of truth. She was able to connect the letters being signed into her hand with the water which was pouring over her skin. In that holy moment, the Word came to her, the Logos, the presence of God. She awoke to language. She was no longer alone. And her life began.

Before Jesus came to us, we lived in darkness. We did not understand God and we felt that God was angry and dissatisfied with us. We were lost, alone, isolated. We could not seem to communicate with God, to understand what was asked of us. We kept trying to please God, but felt that we were unsuccessful and continually punished. We were waiting for God to come and guide us, to teach us what it means to be human.

And then Jesus came, that tiny baby. He came into the midst of our chaotic world to be for us the living Word of God, to show us what it means to be loved unconditionally by our Maker. He came to us in one of the most violent parts of the world, to a homeless couple. He came right into the midst of our dirty, chaotic world.

In many ways, life begins for us in Jesus. We find in Him a reason for our existence, a reason why we are here. He is a guide for us, showing us a way for us to be human and to be loved by God. He is the Word of God incarnate.

Let us give thanks for this tiny baby who came into the world to be with us.

May God bless you in this holy season.

John the Baptist

I am struck by John the Baptist, struck by his honesty, his brutal truth-telling. I am so afraid of angering people, I find myself softening John’s own message. It is difficult to convey his urgency in this world of comfort and convenience.

In Luke’s gospel, John warns us of the coming of Christ and urges us to be ready. When the people around him asked how they were to get ready, he told them what to do with their money and possessions. He did not mention prayer or worship or laughter or art, all he spoke of was our stuff, our wealth.

“If you have two coats, give one away. Do the same with any extra food that you have.”

I am struck by his words. They hit me like a punch in the stomach. Every morning, as I walk into work, I am surrounded by homeless men and women who come to the Cathedral for a hot cup of coffee. Every morning, I say hello. Sometimes we pray together. But I have not given them my coat or my car or my home or my checkbook. Sure, I make donations, I tithe to the church. Max and I have brought them cookies, breakfast goodies. But I wonder if John the Baptist would be satisfied with me or with any of us who give but not enough.

Tim Keller, in his wonderful new book Counterfeit Gods speaks poignantly about how our money has become an idol. We believe it makes us happy, keeps us well, fulfills our dreams. Americans are surrounded by idols: pagan gods of prosperity and beauty who lure us to believe that we will be happy if we just get more stuff.

This economic downturn has given us an immense opportunity to reevaluate our lifestyles, our priorities. Do we really need everything that we have? Could we live more simply, giving more and taking less? It is as if we are waking from a long sleep, from being under the spell of prosperity. It is time for us to wake up and lighten our loads.

Our idols are falling. Look at poor Tiger Woods. Handsome and possessing a skill as a golfer that has left the world in awe, Tiger had everything that Americans long for. But he was not happy. He could not even be satisfied with one of the most beautiful women in the world. So he took what he should not have taken, and now his life is a mess of tabloids. His fame and his wealth were not enough. They are never enough. That is what an idol is, something that you begin to worship, something that leads you away from God. If we hold onto idols, they will bring us down.

John the Baptist screams at us across the centuries, begging us to wake up and get ready. This is not the time to amass more stuff! Getting ready means giving. Give like crazy, until it hurts and beyond. If you do not need something, give it away.

This is not the season of buying. This is the season of giving.

The Courage of John the Baptist

My son Jacob has decided who he is going to marry. He is nine years old.

Her name is Sarah. They have their whole lives mapped out, Jacob and Sarah. They are going to attend University together, then open a lizard and reptile store. They are going to have four kids, two boys and two girls. Since they both adore lizards, they should live happily ever after. At least, that is the plan for the moment.

Funny how we map our whole lives out, as if we are in control of it all. It makes us feel less frightened, I think, to know the way that we are to travel through time. But it is nonsense. No one that I know has ever been able to execute every detail of their lives just as they planned. And if there was someone like that, wouldn't they be awfully bored?

John the Baptist kept screaming these words, "Make His Path Straight!" His path, not ours. I think John knew that we were meant to focus on God's way for our lives not our own.

Back in John's day, when a great man was traveling, his followers would go ahead of him. Using branches or sometimes even their hands, they would clear a path for him to travel. There were no roads back then, so they would make a road, carve out a path for the great one to walk.

John the Baptist had a path laid out before him from birth. As the son of the High Priest, Zechariah, he had everything that a young Jewish boy could want. He was destined to follow in his father's footsteps. He would have been highly educated, even pampered as a child. Everyone would have known the path that he was expected to travel, the ladder of success that he was expected to climb. The question was only how high would he rise in the order of the priesthood.

Somewhere along the way, John decided to leave his chosen path and listen to God instead. He left everything: his wealth, his family, his education, his reputation and he walked out into the desert. For God, he became a fool, a homeless man who hollered a lot and ate bugs. People came just to see the spectacle. I'm sure that they talked about John. What great material for gossip! The tabloids would have a field day today! "Son of the High Priest, Now Homeless and Crazy!" I can just hear the gossip now. But John knew that it was not important, trying to please everybody else. What was important was pleasing God. And he did that.

And because he followed God's path and no other, it is John's voice that echoes accross the centuries, while the well-respected priests of his day have all disappeared from the records of history.

God's way is always more true, more fully your own, than anything that you can devise. So why do we try so hard? Why do we plan and chart, calculate and arrange? Why not admit that God has a better way and listen instead?

May you find the time to listen to God's way for your life during this Advent season.