Nota Bene: This is a bit of a catechetical sermon on Confession and
Absolution, the 5th chief part of Luther's Small Catechism. It is a
light treatment, in that it focuses on one aspect of the Christian's
heart--that of being honest with ourselves concerning our sinful
condition. We must be well aware of our sinful capabilities in order
that we may be on guard and ready to confess in order that the love
and forgiveness of Christ may spread over us. +ceadda
St. John 1:6-8, 19-28
Dearly beloved,
Today we gather for the 3rd Sunday in Advent, represented by the pink
Advent candle, symbolizing a break in the fast of Advent. It is a
time to rejoice. The pink candle represents just that. "Now the Lord
is nigh! Come let us adore Him." The pink pause in Advent encourages
the church to rejoice is the midway point of Advent. The celebration
of the birth of Christ is close at hand. Soon, we shall find
ourselves around the altar, adorned in the white of the resurrection
and heaven.
Some people may find it strange to rejoice at all during the Advent
season itself, because it is historically understood to be a season of
penitence, reflection and contemplation. It is true that Advent was
historically understood to be a time of fasting and abstinence.
Advent even pre-dates the festival of Christmas in the church, as
strange as this may sound. It began with the church fasting.
But we hear a wonderful truth today in the gospel lection. Today we
ponder the Baptist's words, as we continue with another sermon based
on the catechism. The first week we pondered parts of the 2nd Article
of the Nicene Creed. Last week we meditated upon what it means to
hear the Law and the Gospel in preaching. Today we ponder the 5th
chief part of the catechism, that of Confession and Absolution.
John the Baptist was out in the wilderness baptizing people and
urging them to repent. John was simply urging them to go and confess
their sins and believe. Many people were following his advice and
exhortations. He created quite a stir. He drew a lot of attention
because of the numbers of people coming to him. So much so, that the
Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask John who he was.
The Jews sent the top-ranking Jewish teachers of the Law.
Perhaps this was flattery on their part. The priests and Levites
were not asking in a dumb fashion. They were trying to see if John
was the Christ. John would have been more what the Jews were looking
for in the Messiah. He was staunch in his faith and devotion. He was
not swayed by the world. He was the son of Zechariah, a Jewish
priest. John's mother, Elizabeth, was a descendant of Aaron. John
was from a very respectable family.
John was also what we refer to as "an ascetic." He lived in the
desert, ate locusts and dressed in camel's hair. John the Baptist
would have been a great Messiah as judged by worldly standards. It
would have been very flattering if a group of the top Jewish teachers
were to come to you and ask if you were the Christ. It would have
been difficult not to play that card a little bit. We all like to be
flattered. We also like to think we are better and more than we
really are, too.
This is where confession and absolution comes in. Now, John the
Baptist, being a holy and reverent man, says quickly, "I am not the
Christ." He isn't going to give himself the sinful opportunity to
even gloat from this flattery for even a moment. Now at this point
John the Baptist isn't confessing sins, he is confessing faith. But
this exchange with the Levites highlights a few things for us that go
hand in hand with confession and absolution.
As you know through catechesis, when you go to the pastor to confess
your sins, publically or privately, it is God who really hears your
confession. Likewise, the pastor pronounces holy absolution upon you
clearing you and saving you from the penalties of your sins, yet it is
God who uses the pastor as His representative to pronounce the love
and forgiveness. It is God who really forgives you, and He simply
uses the pastor as the vehicle and the means.
But in the whole dynamic of confession and absolution there is
something fundamental that must be present along with a sincere heart:
you must know who you are, and you must know who you are not. You
must know what you are capable of. You have to be honest with
yourself. Luther asks in the catechism: "What sins should we confess?
Before God we should plead guilty of all sins, even those we are not
aware of, as we do in the Lord's Prayer."
In the Christian is an utter honesty: we have a sinful problem that
can cause a whole host of other problems. Sin is like a tree that
spreads itself out over time. If I lie to myself, telling myself that
I something that I am not, then more problems are soon to come.
Luther makes the great statement in the Lutheran Confessions that
"when I urge you to go to confession I am only urging you to be a
Christian", and he is right. But there is a reason that he says that.
The Christian is distinguished from the unbeliever, in that, in a
general way he is always preparing himself to confess to God. In John
the Baptist's case, the approach of the Levites with flattery was a
potential snare, but because John was honest with himself and in
frequent communication with God, he just knew how he had to answer
that question, "who are you?" Living the life of repentance will do
that.
Godliness isn't what the world thinks it is. Yes, John the Baptist
was most definitely a godly and humble man. He was, after all, a
prophet. But he had to constantly remind himself who and what he was,
lest he let the world and the sinful flesh deceive him. The priests
and the Levites didn't get it.
After the flattery of the Levites fails, they begin to get a little
curt with John: "then why are you baptizing if you are not the
Christ?" So, we hear in the gospel the statement of the day, which
extends itself from Confession and Absolution to the Creed. "I
baptize with water, but there stands One among you whom you do not
know." We skim over that statement so quickly, that we scarcely
ponder its meaning and depth. It's a riddle for the priests and
Levites. There is One who is so meek and humble that you don't know
He's even here.
Imagine the looks that the priests and Levites must have given each
other. And it is for this that we rejoice like we do today with the
pink candle giving forth its light. Jesus in the flesh was so real
and so like us that He was indistinguishable from us at first. But,
Jesus, the Holy One, came into this world to take on flesh and take
our places. He exchanged your sins for His holiness through the
cross. He knows your weaknesses, your sins, your being subject to the
world's flattery, your desire to be what you are not, while attempting
to hide what you really are.
This is the only way, the only possible solution to your being able
to stand before the world and confess your faith and say that you are
indeed holy and something more than what meets the eye--because you
are bathed, clothed, and covered with the holiness of Jesus. His
holiness comes unto you as pure gift, and you can confess that you are
something more than what is seen at first glance thanks to the cross
of Jesus Christ. Rejoice all you Christians, for the Lord is nigh!
Come let us adore Him. Amen.
--
Rev. Chad Kendall
www.frchadius.blogspot.com
Trinity Lutheran Church
Lowell, Indiana
www.trinitylowell.org
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