Business Cards
RCL Year B • Sermon • Submitted
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Recently in the Bible study that meets on Wednesday we have been studying the book of Romans, and one of the topics that has come up a couple of times by someone in the group is that we almost always talk to one another and relate to one another by telling people what we do. It is always interesting talking to people because it is true that one of the first things that you are asked is what you do for a living. For me personally, this happened just this last week when someone asked me what I did for a living and I told them that I was a pastor. She simply replied with, “oh that’s interesting”. And then the conversation was over. Sometimes that is how the conversation goes or there are other times when the person then takes the opportunity to tell me 1 of 2 things:
1. First, they tell me that they used to go to church but they don’t anymore and then begin to rattle off all the reasons why they don’t go to church. It’s hard to find the time or they moved and never looked, etc.
2. Second they start to tell me their whole life story and begin to pick my brain on all my thoughts about life and theology and the state of the world, etc.
Now there is some slight variation in what they say and what they ask, but that has been my experience of the general categories of people who find out that I am a pastor.
Now I’m not sure why people ask about what you do as one of the opening questions. It might be because they tried to find a topic of conversation or commonality, but it then becomes the “thing” that we sometimes then define people as. This whole idea of defining people based on what they do came to a head for me when I saw the show “All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten”. One of the vignettes in the show is a song all about the topic of defining people based on what they do and what is printed on a person’s business card. It then asks the question, isn’t there more to a person’s life and their being than simply what they do for a living.
Just because a person is a lawyer doesn’t mean that the person is just about the law. The person may love to golf, or they may love to play poker. That lawyer might be a great father who loves to coach his kids sports team and that is more about who the person is than the fact that he is a lawyer. Just because she is a teacher doesn’t mean that her whole life revolves around teaching. Maybe she is a fantastic photographer and devoted daughter who takes care of her mother who needs a lot of care and attention.
Who people are is more than a business card of what they do for a living, and that is exactly what the priests and the Levites try to do to John the Baptist when they ask him, “who are you?” They want to know who he is, they want to know what he is doing ,and by what authority he is doing by baptizing all these people in the Jordan River. Now there must have been rumors going around about him being the Messiah because John answers them without being asked directly that he is in fact not the Messiah. So then they ask him if he is Elijah or if he is a prophet and he answers no to both of the questions also.
They have been sent to find out who he is and they need to bring back an answer to those who have sent them to find out so they ask John to tell them who he is, if he isn’t these other people. John then quotes Isaiah and tells them that he is the one who cries out in the wilderness to prepare the way of the Lord. They then become frustrated because he is teaching people and baptizing people and if he isn’t the Messiah, or Elijah, or a prophet then why is he doing the things that he is doing. John was doing what he had been told to do and that he was only baptizing with water and that someone would come and baptize that would be even greater than he was.
The priests and Levites want John’s business card to bring back to the leaders of the temple so they can properly explain why John is doing someone that only certain people should be doing. They want to define John by a certain title or name to fit him in a box and understand the ways to handle him and deal with him.
What is interesting is that John the Baptist mostly states what he is not. The gospel writer John says in verses 6-8 that John testifies to the light but that he is not the light. Then as I talked about already John mostly denies being anybody that they think he is: he’s not the messiah, Elijah, or a prophet. When he does give them an answer it is more vague than anything else. He simply says about himself that he is one who is crying out in the wilderness and that he baptizes with water.
This whole dialogue with John is very fascinating because he mostly talks about who is not and tries not to become defined by what he does or who he really is. What else is interesting is that the gospel of John is famous for his “I am” statements of Jesus which is in stark contrast to John the Baptist constantly telling people who he is not. Are you this person? I am not. In fact, we have 7 famous sayings by Jesus in the gospel about who he is and what his ministry and life is about, and many other times when he also says “I am”. I wonder if the gospel writer intentionally contrasts John the Baptist saying “I am not” with Jesus saying, “I am”.
If that whole idea of “I am” vs. “I am not” is intentional then what does that mean for you and I? It very much means that we are also not the messiah, and that we, more specifically, are not Jesus. So what then, is our role? What is our business card supposed to look like as Christians? What should our business card say during this season of Advent as we await the one who is coming after us; when we aren’t worthy to untie the thong of his sandal?
Should our focus this season to be the voices joined as one crying out in the wildernesses and the dark places of this life declaring that the messiah is coming and that this messiah, this Christ-child is the light that will scatter the dark places? Should we spend less time trying to define things by a business card and focus more on living out the gospel that has been shared with us?
I also wonder what person is coming that is greater than someone who people thought was the Messiah, or Elijah, or a prophet from the days of old. What incredible and unbelievable person is coming that this person is unworthy to even act as a slave to this person by untying his sandals? I marvel at that person and the precious gifts that he will bring to the world. I wonder what might be on his business card… no more importantly I hope in that person and I have faith that that person can change lives and can change this world for the better. That the person who is coming will be the messiah. The one who bring about justice and peace and rule in our lives and our hearts from now until eternity. The one who brings light and scatters the darkness. The true light that will bring everyone closer to God. All that in an infant born to us this Christmas season. Put that on a business card and see what people say. See if they can truly define and understand the profound impact that has for them and the world.
Blessings to you this Advent as you ponder the light that is about to come into our world and change it for the better this Christmas season and beyond.
Amen.