Strident Commitment
Dear friends and members of St. Matt's,
Tomorrow (Friday) is the Feast of the Nativity of John the Baptist. John is one of the most well known characters in our story. We hear from him a lot in Advent as he prepares the way for the coming of Jesus. You might remember that his birth, like that of Jesus', is also a little miraculous and hard to believe. And I often think that John is one of the characters we can picture best, one of the people who seems easier to imagine because we get more regular description of him. It's important to the Gospel writers to tell us that he is wild, wears camel hair, eats locusts and wild honey, and makes his home in the wilderness. So, even though we might be able to picture him better than some other people, there's still quite a lot about him that is mysterious and elusive.
One of the things that I find most intriguing about John is that he always seems to maintain his purpose. If you read the Gospel passage for the day (at the link above), you'll be reminded that John's purpose was laid out well before he was born. He was gifted with a vocation, with clarity, with a real sense of who he would be and the work he must do. That's not always true for all of us. And even when it is, even when we feel a sense of clarity, it's often harder to hold to than we think. John makes it look easy - even though we know it couldn't have been. He was risking his life to cling to his purpose. And in the end, he loses his earthly life in order to be true to himself and his God.
I'd like to believe that in that last exchange John has with Jesus (via messenger, actually), he's able to hear the good news that his work has come to fruition. That the One he's waiting for has come. And that before his death he was able to find peace in the fact that he had done his work. He had fought the good fight. He had lived his purpose. What an extraordinary thing to be able to say at the end of your life. To end up in that place of peace with yourself, with God, and with the people you love because you have lived with intention, loved the people around you, and focused on what God intended to be your work, your gifts, your purpose.
I think John can help us focus on that. He can help us put it in perspective. I've had the privilege of accompanying quite a few people through those last moments as Priest. And it's easy to see whether someone comes to that place in peace or not. It makes a really important difference. And it's all about what we do now. Today. And every day. Take a look at the prayer below for John. Consider your life and your purpose, your relationship with God, your relationship with those around you. What can you learn from him this week and his strident commitment to the Gospel and to the work he was given to do? What can we learn as a community?
Lots going on in these next few weeks. I look forward to seeing you soon. Until then, God loves you. And so do I.
Faithfully,
--Marissa +
Almighty God, by whose providence your servant John the Baptist was wonderfully born, and sent to prepare the way of your Son our Savior by preaching repentance: Make us so to follow his teaching and holy life, that we may truly repent according to his preaching; and, following his example, constantly speak the truth, boldly rebuke vice, and patiently suffer for the truth's sake; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.