"Light"
John 1:6-18
Yonce Shelton, Westmoreland United Church of Christ
Jan. 5, 2025
Was anyone here back in December when we talked about baptism of fire? Remember John the Baptist’s vivid language about Jesus coming? “I baptize you with water, but one who is more powerful than I is coming; I am not worthy to untie the strap of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire” (Luke 3:16).
It's been a few weeks. We’ve come through Christmas and into a new year. What has that journey meant to you? Did you arrive? Are you any different now? I ask because today’s passage has a different tone, and another invitation to journey. John is still involved, but instead of the rhetoric and fire, we have a gentle introduction to the light; to Jesus. We have more hints about God becoming flesh, and how that brings fullness, glory, grace, and truth.
“There was a man sent from God whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.”
Just like a few weeks ago, John is still preparing us to follow. But this is less about acting in the heat of the moment, and more about believing and being for the long haul. Although this approach is different, it's still about transformation. Yep, my first mention in 2025. Who filled a bingo space?!
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Repetition can be helpful. In our culture, our attention can be short and scattered. God's timeless messages and invitations - if they break through to us - aren't easy to accept, much less understand sometimes! It can be easy to miss something and move on if we don’t have an intentional focus. That's partly why I keep talking about transformation, and why most of my sermons seek to empower you. Trusting enough to follow is central to our faith. John tries to help us understand that again today.
There are many ways to prepare to follow. Along with today’s focus on light, we observe Three Kings Day with this annual presentation of stars. In that story, the wise men followed the star and were led to King Herod and the baby Jesus. He attempts to use their search to keep power and control, but they were overwhelmed with joy and had a prophetic dream that led them to choose another way. Transformation?
Whereas John screaming about a baptism of fire and repentance is about quick change, the wise men represent a longer journey with twists and turns. They invite us to consider how we are sent, how we follow, and how we react to God’s guidance.
Preparing. Following. The light. The star. God. How do we do that? How do we commit? How do we place ourselves in relationships and spaces that allow God to transform us?
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We often ask how to be like Jesus. Remember WWJD? But I think a good question to begin this year is: how can we be like John? Especially the John in today’s reading. He is trying to catalyze a journey that will be long and with many unknowns - but also full of glory, grace, and truth. It's not just about following the light - it's about us learning how we grow because of that light; how we lead; how we shine too.
How can we focus on such a journey? A star in a new year can be a great place to start. Remember, repetition is good, and once again it's a new year!
The stars today are from Bethlehem. The Westmorelanders who gave them are affirming that you are a beloved child of God. They are also sharing an important truth about Jesus, who came for the sake of the world. That mystery is hard to understand and is sometimes best represented by light or star. It is the Jesus who cares as much for you as He does people in that part of the world today who are having a very hard time. The star that you hold connects you to God’s people all around the world. Just like you, they are children of God. And people are also helping them learn to be the hands and feet of God in the world.
Our children have stars to guide them into this year. How about the rest of you? Have you been given anything to help you follow? If not, no need to worry. Remember today’s reading:
“But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God.”
Believe and know you are a child of God.
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Believe in the light of God. Now, I admit that light can be abstract and hard to hold onto, especially coming out of Christmas with very tangible shepherds, angels, and more. Barbara Brown Taylor says that light becoming more practical is believers acting out of the conviction that we are children of God: “In other words, Jesus is not alone in this word-made-flesh business.” She says that until we act upon our favorite words - like compassion, justice, patience - “they remain abstract concepts - very good ideas that few people have ever seen. The moment someone acts on them, the words become flesh. They live among us, so we can see their glory” (Feasting on the Word, Year C, Volume 4).
Damien Doyle recently shared with me that he doesn’t make new year’s resolutions, but he does choose a word for the year to ground him. That really grabbed me. It made me think of something similar a colleague said long ago about scripture. We were talking about a short Gospel reading and she said that she would need to spend time with that to understand it better. I asked what that would be like - maybe reading it each day for a week? She said no - that she’d focus on these words for a year, and that probably still wouldn’t be enough time to truly grasp the meaning.
She was preparing to follow something she might not ever fully understand. But she knew the journey was important. She was acting in a way that, knowing her, would eventually lead to more action in the world.
Light. Star. Favorite word. A question. A hope. A prayer. What will orient your following this year? How can you - a believing child of God - be light and flesh for others?
Amen.
