Have You Seen God?

Christ is born!

“To Make the Invisible Visible.” These were the words of a catechist to a catechumen when he was asked why would God become a man? The Christian Faith is unique among all world religions in this mystery of God in the Flesh. Oh, to be sure some religions have gods they can see, and other religions insist their god can never be seen, even going so far as to insist even seen things can’t be seen. But Orthodox Christianity insists that God is both Beyond us always AND is Intimately accessible to us immediately! And that is possible because God knew we could not go to Him, so He came to us. And now OUR Calling is to continue His work in Making the Invisible Visible!

Look at our Gospel Lesson today in John 1:18-28:

No one has ever seen God; the only-begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he has made him known.

And this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” He confessed, he did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Christ.” And they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the prophet?” And he answered, “No.” They said to him then, “Who are you? let us have an answer for those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?” He said, ” I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’ as the prophet Isaiah said.”

Now they had been sent from the Pharisees. They asked him, “Then why are you baptizing, if you are neither the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the prophet?” John answered them, “I baptize with water; but among you stands one whom you do not know, even he who comes after me, the thong of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie.” This took place in Bethany beyond the Jordon, where John was baptizing.

The Gospel writer makes the provocative statement about the Son making the invisible Father known and he follows up that insight by telling us about St. John the Baptist and how that great prophet handled both the limelight of his ministry and the challenge of not forgetting his purpose. And The Blessed Forerunner accomplished this narrow path by the energetic practice of the twin spiritual virtues of honesty and humility.

Notice how The Forerunner handles the questions of the religious leaders of his day. He never claims to be more than he is. “Are you the Christ?” “No.” St. John doesn’t embellish his answers and he doesn’t say more than is necessary. He is asked “Are you Elijah” and St. John tells them “no.” Of course, we know that he did come in the spirit and power of Elijah, but the Jews of his day were expecting Elijah himself to precede the Messiah, having misunderstood the prophecy. And John doesn’t leave them in their misunderstanding but practices an honesty that risks his ministry. He refuses to take his eye off his purpose. He is to “make straight the way of the Lord.”

But he also practices the virtue of humility in always remembering and practicing his ministry knowing full well that there will come a day when his temporary “popularity” will disappear. There will be a day when St. John will decrease and the Lord Jesus will increase. It’s that humility that allows John to become invisible so that Christ can be visible! In fact, John testifies that he isn’t even worthy to untie the shoes of the One for Whom he is preparing the Way! Even though this One was in the midst of them and they did not know Him, they soon would see what St. John sees: “The Lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the World!”

Today, as we move into a new year and toward the celebration of the Lord’s Baptism by John in the Jordan, let’s all of us understand that our calling is to make His Gospel known, to make Him Visible to our world. Not with the ever tempting “marketing strategies” of manipulation, but with the power of honesty and humility, focusing all our gifts into making known the Lord Jesus Who then makes known the Father. It’s that radical honesty and humility that will protect us from the crass promotion that demeans and toward the life-giving “evangelismos” that is normal Orthodoxy and makes you Orthodox on Purpose!

P.S. Be ready, Zabulon; prepare yourself, O Nephthalim. River Jordan, stay your course and skip for gladness to receive the Sovereign Master, Who comes now to be baptized. O Adam, be glad with our first mother, Eve; hide not as you did of old in Paradise. Seeing you naked, He has appeared now to clothe you in the first robe again. Christ has appeared, for He truly wills to renew all creation. Amen

Also, please pray for Fr. Barnabas today. He is having a small surgical procedure and will be in the hospital overnight! Thank you.