Readings for today: Numbers 19-20, Luke 1:1-25, Psalms 56, Proverbs 11:8
"Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, for he will be great before the Lord. And he must not drink wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb. And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God, and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared." (Luke 1:13-17)
John the Baptist is one of the most remarkable figures in all the Bible. Miraculously conceived. Filled by the Holy Spirit while he was still in the womb. Nazarite from birth. From the beginning, John was destined for greatness. It was his special calling to prepare the way for the Lord. To make ready the people for Jesus. To turn the hearts of the children of Israel back to Yahweh. John was Elijah reborn. He had the same spirit. The same power. He spoke with the same authority. And the people came to him in droves.
John was very popular in his day. His fame grew to the point where he caught the eye of Herod and the other ruling elite. The crowds he drew were large. The message he preached strong. At the height of his influence, John baptizes even Jesus Himself. This represents the turning point in his ministry. From this point forward he would decrease while Jesus increased. His own disciples would leave him to follow Jesus. One might think John would grow jealous or anxious or frustrated. Not so. John knew his role. John understood his place. It would be his particular glory to build up a ministry so that he might hand it off to Jesus.
John’s story is a powerful one for us preachers. We spend our lives ministering to the congregations God places under our care. We pour our hearts into growing our churches deep and wide. We reach the lost. We disciple believers. We engage in God’s mission both domestically and abroad. However, as our ministry influence grows so does our pride. We start to believe our own hype. We start to believe we play some kind of indispensable role in God’s Kingdom. And when called to hand our ministries off to someone else - be it another leader or successor - we often struggle. Our pride gets in the way. I’ve seen it happen time and time again. I’ve experienced it in my own heart as well.
Reflecting on John the Baptist is good for me. I know my gifts pale in comparison to him. I know my calling is to the ordinary whereas his was to the extraordinary. Certainly, no one would ever mistake me for Elijah! ;-) Many years ago, God spoke three words to me very clearly in a time of prayer. These three words have become the foundation of my life and ministry. They are three words I repeat to myself almost every day as I serve the Lord.
Obscurity. Anonymity. Insignificance. First, God wants me to labor in obscurity. To be content in the field where He’s planted me. To not seek greener pastures than the ones He’s provided. Second, God wants me to embrace anonymity. At the end of the day I want Jesus’ name to be famous. As the arc of my career comes to a close, I hope to retire as the church janitor. That would be a truly glorious end to my ministry. Third, pursue insignificance. The true measure of a pastor is not in the crowds she can draw. It’s not the influence he wields. It’s not the buildings she builds or the number of ministries he launches. It’s her deep love and devotion to God. It’s his willingness to perform the most menial of tasks in service to Christ. This is my heart. This is my calling. This is what I learn from John the Baptist.
Readings for tomorrow: Numbers 21:1-22:20, Luke 1:26-56, Psalms 57:1-11, Proverbs 11:9-11