Advent 3: Who Are You?

This week we hear about John, a man sent by God. When asked who he is, he first lists people he is not: not the Messiah, not a prophet, not Elijah returned. When pressed for an answer, he finally explains that he is the one sent to prepare the way, to get people ready for the promised savior. (We heard last week this guy was coming!)

In the story, John said who he was not before explaining who he was. I’ve been in those situations before: “No, I don’t work here.” “No, I’m not the pastor.” “No, I am not your maid.”  Just like John, too, our congregations need to say what we are not. More than once I have heard my daughter say to a friend, “My church isn’t like that.” If the following are true for your congregation like they are for mine, then let’s make sure the message gets out: We are not judging you—not for your clothes or your past or your doubts.  We are not insisting that you look like us or talk like us or have the same family arrangement as we do. We do not think God or grace is limited by human imagination.

Sometimes you have to say who you aren’t before people will listen to who you are.

But then we need to make it known who we are, because the power of those first “we are not” answers are lost if we don’t go on to state who we are. At my congregation, we are a church that welcomes you and struggles with you.  We are not unique in that, but sometimes the voices claiming that real churches are a certain way are loud and make it hard to hear all the voices saying, “Come in, dry off, sit down, and have a warm meal. We have good news to share, and you are welcome to join us.”

Really, you are. This good news is for everyone.