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| Alberto Giacometti, Pointing Man (detail) |
Hello and welcome to this week’s Start:Stop reflection from St Stephen Walbrook, my name is Phillip Dawson. Reminding us that change is a natural part of God’s creation, Midsummer’s Day falls this week in the northern hemisphere, the point at which the days start to decrease and the nights start to increase in length. Six months before Christmas, Midsummer’s Day also marks the Feast of the Nativity of John the Baptist. Jesus himself said of John that “among those born of women there has arisen no one greater”. So it should come as no surprise that alongside that of Jesus and the Blessed Virgin Mary, John the Baptist is the only saint whose birth is celebrated in the calendar of the church.
Our bible reading this week describes the birth and naming of John the Baptist and is from the first chapter of the Gospel of Luke.
Our bible reading this week describes the birth and naming of John the Baptist and is from the first chapter of the Gospel of Luke.
Bible Reading: Luke 1.57-66, 80
The time came for Elizabeth to give birth, and she bore a son. Her neighbours and relatives heard that the Lord had shown his great mercy to her, and they rejoiced with her. On the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to name him Zechariah after his father. But his mother said, "No; he is to be called John." They said to her, "None of your relatives has this name." Then they began motioning to his father to find out what name he wanted to give him. He asked for a writing tablet and wrote, "His name is John." And all of them were amazed. Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue freed, and he began to speak, praising God. Fear came over all their neighbours, and all these things were talked about throughout the entire hill country of Judea. All who heard them pondered them and said, "What then will this child become?" For, indeed, the hand of the Lord was with him.
The child grew and became strong in spirit, and he was in the wilderness until the day he appeared publicly to Israel.
Reflection
Luke’s gospel is renowned for the prominence it gives to the voices of women. In the passage we have just heard, Elizabeth’s voice appears to be resolutely ignored. When she tells the crowd of neighbours and relatives who have arrived for the naming ceremony that her son is to be called John, they think she has lost her mind – John isn’t a traditional family name – what could she be thinking? So, they turn to her husband and ask him for his view. Zechariah was unable to speak. He had been struck dumb since he challenged Gabriel who came to foretell John’s birth. Since the appearance of the archangel, Zechariah, a priest, seems to have rediscovered his faithfulness. As soon as he writes that his son is to be called John – the name given to him by God – his tongue is loosened and his voice can be heard. Only then does the crowd seem to get the message.
St Augustine explains that the differences between Elizabeth and her cousin Mary provide a clue as to the role of John the Baptist in God’s divine plan. John marks the “boundary between the Old and New Testaments.” As a representative of the past and a herald of the new, Augustine finds it fitting that he should have been born of the elderly, barren Elizabeth, while Christ’s mother was a young virgin. Augustine reminds us that even before he was born, John heralds the coming of Christ. Whilst still in Elizabeth’s womb, he leaps for joy on the arrival of the pregnant Mary.
John is much more than a ‘messenger’. His whole being is so intricately bound up with the divine word he has been called to proclaim, that there is no distinction between ‘man’ and ‘message’. John becomes a “voice crying in the wilderness.” Herein lies a great challenge for us all – and one which is especially hard to achieve in a society in which individuality is idolised – are we willing to set aside our own, selfish, desires to allow the voice of God to speak through us?
In his latest book ‘On Priesthood’, Archbishop of York Designate Stephen Cottrell, explains that while being a messenger is an important part of being a priest, the Good News is for all and is meant to be shared. Like John the Baptist, we are all called to be living signposts, whose lives direct others to the way of Christ. Living is the operative word; to point others to the Good News we must first live it for ourselves:
“The message of the Christian faith [the Archbishop explains] is the invitation to enjoy the fullness of life with God..secured for us through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ…But it is never just a message for someone else….all of us need to receive it and make it our own.”
What does the message of the gospel mean for you?
How has it transformed your life?
These might seem daunting questions – but they are questions that each of us need to be able to answer in our own way, if we are to fulfil our calling.
If we find the answers hard to come by, help is at hand! As Stephen Cottrell reminds us, “God has already done everything we need to enjoy fullness of life with him – this is why it’s called Good News not Good Advice!” We have the example of Christ in the treasury of the scriptures and the traditions of Christian prayer and spirituality to guide us - helping us to learn how to notice, the transforming power of the gospel in our own lives and the lives of those around us and how to see this afresh each day.
As living signposts we must take care not to point to ourselves – signalling our own virtue – or point to others who we see as different. Nor must we be disheartened if our voice seems to be ignored – as the crowd ignored Elizabeth when they didn’t like what she told them. “Conversion is the work of the spirit.” They got the message in the end.
St Augustine explains that the differences between Elizabeth and her cousin Mary provide a clue as to the role of John the Baptist in God’s divine plan. John marks the “boundary between the Old and New Testaments.” As a representative of the past and a herald of the new, Augustine finds it fitting that he should have been born of the elderly, barren Elizabeth, while Christ’s mother was a young virgin. Augustine reminds us that even before he was born, John heralds the coming of Christ. Whilst still in Elizabeth’s womb, he leaps for joy on the arrival of the pregnant Mary.
John is much more than a ‘messenger’. His whole being is so intricately bound up with the divine word he has been called to proclaim, that there is no distinction between ‘man’ and ‘message’. John becomes a “voice crying in the wilderness.” Herein lies a great challenge for us all – and one which is especially hard to achieve in a society in which individuality is idolised – are we willing to set aside our own, selfish, desires to allow the voice of God to speak through us?
In his latest book ‘On Priesthood’, Archbishop of York Designate Stephen Cottrell, explains that while being a messenger is an important part of being a priest, the Good News is for all and is meant to be shared. Like John the Baptist, we are all called to be living signposts, whose lives direct others to the way of Christ. Living is the operative word; to point others to the Good News we must first live it for ourselves:
“The message of the Christian faith [the Archbishop explains] is the invitation to enjoy the fullness of life with God..secured for us through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ…But it is never just a message for someone else….all of us need to receive it and make it our own.”
What does the message of the gospel mean for you?
How has it transformed your life?
These might seem daunting questions – but they are questions that each of us need to be able to answer in our own way, if we are to fulfil our calling.
If we find the answers hard to come by, help is at hand! As Stephen Cottrell reminds us, “God has already done everything we need to enjoy fullness of life with him – this is why it’s called Good News not Good Advice!” We have the example of Christ in the treasury of the scriptures and the traditions of Christian prayer and spirituality to guide us - helping us to learn how to notice, the transforming power of the gospel in our own lives and the lives of those around us and how to see this afresh each day.
As living signposts we must take care not to point to ourselves – signalling our own virtue – or point to others who we see as different. Nor must we be disheartened if our voice seems to be ignored – as the crowd ignored Elizabeth when they didn’t like what she told them. “Conversion is the work of the spirit.” They got the message in the end.
A Sonnet for St Johns Eve by Malcolm Guite
Midsummer night, and bonfires on the hill
Burn for the man who makes way for the Light:
‘He must increase and I diminish still,
Until his sun illuminates my night.’
So John the Baptist pioneers our path,
Unfolds the essence of the life of prayer,
Unlatches the last doorway into faith,
And makes one inner space an everywhere.
Least of the new and greatest of the old,
Orpheus on the threshold with his lyre,
He sets himself aside, and cries “Behold
The One who stands amongst you comes with fire!”
So keep his fires burning through this night,
Beacons and gateways for the child of light.
Prayer
Let us pray.
May we be inspired by John the Baptist, the voice crying in the wilderness.
Lord, we thank you for sharing with us the Good News of Jesus Christ.
The invitation to enjoy life in all its fulness with you.
A life of peace, truth and love.
Thank you for those times today when we have noticed the message of the gospel and its transforming power at work in our lives and in the world around us.
The sunshine. The dappled shade. The beauty of your creation.
The love between people. A smile. A kiss.
Forgive us for those moments today when we have pointed at others;
or pointed to ourselves.
Lord, help us to make our lives signposts, pointing always to you.
Amen.
Thank you for joining us for our reflection this week. The church has re-opened for private prayer on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 10.30am until 3.00pm. Worship must continue online or by telephone. Do join us for Morning Prayer by telephone conference call every Wednesday morning at 9am. Start:Stop returns next Tuesday. I hope you have a wonderful week.
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