“Laying the Foundations”
The Rev. Cathlin Baker
December 5, 2021
Luke 1:5-25; 57-80

In my preaching preparations this Advent, I have been reading a book recommended by other clergy who are using the “Close to Home” Advent resources. The Advent study book is called “Christmas in the Four Gospel Homes” by Cynthia M. Campbell. This study drew upon a preaching series by Jon Walton at First Presbyterian Church in NYC who developed an idea by Tom Long. Long, a distinguished professor of preaching once said that each year of the three-year lectionary cycle is like visiting a different home (Matthew, Mark and Luke). Adding that the Gospel of John’s home is the one we visit on special occasions.

 Accompanying this Advent study are drawings by Kevin Burns, an architect, who attempts to capture the spirit of the four gospels in different architectural styles. Mark’s Gospel is a simple white washed, one room cottage. Matthew’s Gospel is depicted as Gothic Revival, ornate and full of tradition. John’s Gospel is reflected as a very modern home, far out in the woods, with lots of glass windows.

 This Advent, we find ourselves in the Gospel of Luke. This gospel is drawn as a ranch house, a busy family home with kids and pets and animals in the yard. I keep thinking of it more like a classic Cape, Vineyard-style, with chickens in the yard, an enclosed vegetable garden to keep out the bunnies, a trampoline and a dilapidated treehouse. Wait, that sounds like my house!

 The family spirit of the Gospel of Luke shines forth in these opening chapters focused on the birth stories of both John the Baptist and Jesus the Christ. As we hear these birth narratives, we cannot help but feel like a fly on the wall. In today’s scripture readings, we are at first eavesdropping on a scene in the inner room or sanctum of the Temple, and then we are in Zechariah and Elizabeth’s home, attending John’s circumcision along with all the neighbors. We very much sense the power of place and can visualize distinct settings.

 The Gospel of Luke reveals to us that God’s faithful ones are everyday people with real life struggles. We get this message strongly through the braided opening stories of John and Jesus.

 Today, Marc Carver and I read you John’s birth narrative and two weeks from now, you will hear Jesus’ birth story. It is interesting to see the similarities and differences between the two narratives. In both cases, the angel Gabriel appears to announce the coming of a baby. In both cases, there is surprise – Zechariah and Elizabeth are beyond child-bearing age – how can this be? Mary, is a virgin – how is this possible? In the case of Zechariah and Elizabeth, Zechariah’s surprised response leads Gabriel to punish him. Zechariah is made mute for Elizabeth’s entire pregnancy. While Mary’s question, how can this be, garners no punishment, only further explanation and comfort. It’s as if Zechariah is the older sibling who paves the way for the younger one, receiving the harsher punishments and the stricter curfew.

 Despite being cousins, John and Jesus are born into different circumstances. Of course, there is the age difference between John’s parents and Jesus’ parents. In addition, John’s parents are more closely tied to the established religion. Zechariah himself is a priest and Elizabeth is a descendant of Aaron. One would think that John would grow up to be the ultimate temple insider. After all, Zechariah is alone inside the temple, conducting an incense offering, when the angel Gabriel appears and John the Baptist is prophesied. But as it turns out, John couldn’t be more of a temple outsider. The text tells us: The child grew and became strong in spirit, and he was in the wilderness until the day he appeared publicly to Israel.

 In her Advent study about the gospel homes, Campbell speaks of the Gospel of Luke as a home of faithful people. When we see life through the faithful perspective of Zechariah and Mary, we understand a faith that is rooted in the promises of God revealed through biblical stories – the promise of descendants to Abraham and Sarah, the promise of liberation to those in the wilderness. There is a layering and a legacy of faith that undergirds both Zechariah and Mary.

 Zechariah and Elizabeth’s son, John, will now be part of the story of faith, the foundational structure beneath the ministry of Jesus. Just as Zechariah lays a foundation for John, John lays a foundation for Jesus. Can you visualize this genealogical, traditional and theological brickwork? For those who identify as Christian, we are invited to claim Jesus as the Cornerstone, but it is essential to understand the brickwork around that cornerstone.

 These birth stories take us into the intimacy of homes and the sacredness of everyday moments. Luke’s gospel offers songs that lift off from these everyday sacred moments. Mary’s song, the Magnificat, contains the joy of pregnancy, even as it expresses the history-making, table-turning power of the Incarnation. Zechariah’s song, known as the Benedictus, offers the tenderness of a birth blessing, even as the mantle placed upon baby John’s shoulders is a heavy one. Both Mary and Zechariah sing blessings upon their children, and in doing so, they instruct us to pay attention to what is sacred in our own lives. Such birth blessings are necessary and foundational.

 The question for us is about our own role in upholding the foundation of our faith story. This gospel asks: whether and how we are sharing God’s promises of abundance and liberation with the next generation? how are we blessing others? And blessing is not always about bestowing, one passing down to another what was given to them. In the case of John, he was given his own name rather than his father’s, which revealed how John was going to chart his own path. Zechariah shows us that blessing our children also involves stepping out of their way so that they can lead in a new direction.

 Our texts invite us to step out of our own particular life journey and remember the life journeys of all those whom we impact – our children, siblings, and parents, our friends, neighbors and fellow parishioners. Each of us, in our living, is part of the ongoing story of humanity. Our parents sang over each of us, in their own way, “And you child will…(fill in the blank).” And we sing over others by extending welcome and affirmation, love and encouragement, challenge and correction. When those we love are wounded by the world, we are stand-ins for God’s unconditional love.

 Ultimately, it is God’s unconditional love which is most foundational. The love of God granted to us and expressed through us in our very birth. The love of God, a gift to be shared. Are you ready to believe again that you are a child of God? Are you ready to receive the Christmas promises of birth, a new life and a new world? And then, are you ready to join forces with a little baby, Jesus Emmanuel, and participate in ushering forth God’s promises of care and liberation for all?

 Let us enter into the lives and homes of our biblical friends. Let us listen to the songs of our ancestors and the songs of the angels and join them in proclaiming the promise of peace to a broken world. Amen.