Who are you? John the Baptist is asked that a number of times today. This is a good question for us! This is a good question at any time of the year, but in particular, during the Advent Season, this season of hope and waiting and expectation and wonder and self-evaluation, this is a great question to use as a leaping off point in Advent: Who are you?

In our Gospel selection from John today, we are given an introduction to John the Baptist. This is part of the great Prologue in this Gospel and we hear: 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 ( as a witness) to testify to the light.  John the Baptist is asked who he is, yet we are told, before he is asked who he is, we are told who he is. He testifies as a witness to the light. John the Baptist is to witness and testify and confess.  These words, witness, testify and confess have become such loaded words in our lexicon, and loaded in a way that takes away from their purpose in this Gospel, from their purpose in our lives and can inhibit our answering the question: Who are you?

I know if, ten years ago, I was asked to go out to the street corner and to witness to Christ, witness to my church, witness to my religion, I probably would have run away screaming. For that loaded word, witness, has so many ramifications based on its being co-opted by the more self-styled "orthodox" or "conservative" factions in church-land, that this word witness has an unpleasant taint surrounding it.  This is not the response I should have to this word. No one with a more progressive and open understanding of church, religion, of Christ, should have to be repelled by this word witness.

There are numerous ways to witness, to testify to Christ's light in the world. To testify of Christ's light coming into the world eleven days from now.  One of the first ways to witness is to reclaim the word from those who have abused it: by confronting those who want to narrowly define God's love, who narrow the breadth of that broad spectrum of light down to a pin prick of light barely visible. We can confront these folks by showing, by our words and by our deeds and by our faithfulness a broader spectrum of light and thereby we are reclaiming that word witness. A simple way to witness is by showing up, being here and worshipping with us on a regular basis. Another way is to tithe your pledge of support to this place. Still another is acting on what we believe we should do as Christians in the world. There are plenty of ways for us to put flesh on this last method.

One of those choices in how to act, for me, is by making regular visits to a nursing home. There is a long time parishioner in a nursing home out in Maryland, about 20 to 25 minutes away from here. Her name is Emily. Emily was a long time parishioner of this place, many years ago. Very few people know or remember Emily anymore here, but those that do have told me tales of the fierceness that was Emily. She was not only one of those fierce church ladies but also very devoted to this church that she loved.