As Matthew quotes the prophecy of Isaiah, so John is described as “A voice of one calling in the desert.” You can’t help but picture a big, booming Moses-like voice crying out at the top of his lungs: “Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.” Can you even for a moment John sounding like actor Gilbert Gottfried? I certainly can’t. I don’t know who’s voice you hear that voice in your head when you imagine John crying, but I can tell you about the voice I hear in my head. (This is different than hearing voices in your head by the way). That voice sounds a lot like Pastor Ed.
Pastor Ed is a pastor I had the privilege of working with back in my Nashville days. He was a retired pastor who had moved into the area with his lovely wife and he ended up being a member of our church there. He also ended up being a mentor to me. When you’re a young pastor with a lot of passion for ministry, but little patience (and maybe a deficiency in common sense at times), a mentor pastor is pretty well a must (unless you enjoy the hot water you place yourself in with a seeming weekly regularity). Ed has one of those voices. It has a definite bass tone and can reverberate to the back wall of any sanctuary.
Since Ed helped with our traditional service, I would look forward to hearing him read this Gospel lesson each Advent. When he read those words of John the Baptizer, it always grabbed my attention. And that’s a real good thing, considering how many voices are vying for our awareness at this time of the year.
There are the voices of the relentless stream of advertisements thrown at us. There are the voices of over-stuffed schedules with things we should have said, “No” to, but we didn’t. There are the voices of those who are spewing out their complaints about the season, as well as the voices asking for one thing after another from you. There is even the voice in your own head telling you such helpful things as: “I thought this year was going to be different.”
With all these voices around us, how much more important is it have the prophetic voice of John, calling us back to understand the real meaning of the coming of Christ. When we give our ears over to the voice of John, we have a chance to move past the other voices that seek to pull away from the manger, and instead, lift up our own voices in the wilderness we find ourselves in today. While describing the coming of the Christ to save God’s people, Isaiah calls out:
Let the desert and its towns raise their voices; let the settlements where Kedar lives rejoice.
Let the people of Sela sing for joy; let them shout from the mountaintops. (42:11)
So raise your voice. The Lord has come. In the middle of this holiday wilderness that has so cluttered this season, that the Christ child is hard to see, let’s have a “John the Baptist” Christmas and announce it to the world. Everyone needs to kneel beside that manger in wonder.
Pastor Ed is a pastor I had the privilege of working with back in my Nashville days. He was a retired pastor who had moved into the area with his lovely wife and he ended up being a member of our church there. He also ended up being a mentor to me. When you’re a young pastor with a lot of passion for ministry, but little patience (and maybe a deficiency in common sense at times), a mentor pastor is pretty well a must (unless you enjoy the hot water you place yourself in with a seeming weekly regularity). Ed has one of those voices. It has a definite bass tone and can reverberate to the back wall of any sanctuary.
Since Ed helped with our traditional service, I would look forward to hearing him read this Gospel lesson each Advent. When he read those words of John the Baptizer, it always grabbed my attention. And that’s a real good thing, considering how many voices are vying for our awareness at this time of the year.
There are the voices of the relentless stream of advertisements thrown at us. There are the voices of over-stuffed schedules with things we should have said, “No” to, but we didn’t. There are the voices of those who are spewing out their complaints about the season, as well as the voices asking for one thing after another from you. There is even the voice in your own head telling you such helpful things as: “I thought this year was going to be different.”
With all these voices around us, how much more important is it have the prophetic voice of John, calling us back to understand the real meaning of the coming of Christ. When we give our ears over to the voice of John, we have a chance to move past the other voices that seek to pull away from the manger, and instead, lift up our own voices in the wilderness we find ourselves in today. While describing the coming of the Christ to save God’s people, Isaiah calls out:
Let the desert and its towns raise their voices; let the settlements where Kedar lives rejoice.
Let the people of Sela sing for joy; let them shout from the mountaintops. (42:11)
So raise your voice. The Lord has come. In the middle of this holiday wilderness that has so cluttered this season, that the Christ child is hard to see, let’s have a “John the Baptist” Christmas and announce it to the world. Everyone needs to kneel beside that manger in wonder.
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