Homily for the Solemnity of the Nativity of John The Baptist, Year B Isaiah 49:1-6/ Psalm 139/Acts 13:22-26/Luke 1:57-66, 80 THEME: God is gracious

Dearest in the Lord, today, the Church celebrates the birth of John the Baptist, the forerunner of Jesus Christ whom we usually encounter in the season of Advent. As a rule, the Church celebrates the feast of a saint once a year, usually on the anniversary of the saint’s death. But in the case of John the Baptist, we celebrate his birth as well as his death. He is the only saint after our Lord Jesus Christ whose birth we celebrate with a solemn feast. Do you know why? Because “Of all those born of women, none is greater than John,” Jesus says in Luke 7:28. The Church is only affirming the Lord’s declaration. The first reading tells us of a faithful Servant of God, who will be the light of all peoples. There were those who thought that the Baptist was the light, but John the evangelist clarifies this immediately: “He was not the light, but came to testify to the light”; “the true light who enlightens everyone is Christ only” (John 1:8-9). It is only Luke who describes the birth of the Baptist, while the other evangelists mention him only at the beginning of the public life of Jesus. Luke does so in order to show that with John a new era has dawned: the old order has ended; the time of the promises has ended, there is to be no more waiting, the time has begun for such promises to be fulfilled. God has kept His word. The first reading forms part of the book of the Prophet Isaiah called The book of Consolation written while the people of Israel were in exile in Babylon. This section focuses on the Servant’s mission God’s people. The prophet says, “The Lord called me before I was born, while I was in my mother’s womb he named me. He made my mouth like a sharp sword; in the shadow of his hand he hid me” (Isaiah 49:1-2a). This means that the great Author of redemption shows the authority for his work. Thus to compare his mouth to a sword is to show that the Word of God is powerful to plant and to uproot. The sword of his word slays the lusts of his people, and all at enmity with them. Again, the author says, “He made me a polished arrow, in his quiver he hid me away” (Isaiah 49:2b). His sharp arrows wounds lax consciences; but all these wounds will be healed, when the sinner prays to him for mercy. But even the Redeemer in his personal ministry, often seemed to labour in vain. And if Jacob will not be brought back to God, and Israel will not be gathered, still Christ will be glorious. This promise is in part fulfilled in the calling of the Gentiles. Men perish in darkness. But Christ enlightens men, and so makes them holy and happy. Beloved in Christ, in John in the Gospel reading, we see that before we were born, God already had a purpose for us. This is what the first Reading emphasises, the Prophet himself said, “Hear me O coastlands, listen, O distant peoples. The Lord called me from birth; from my mother’s womb he gave me my name” (Isaiah 49:1). And in Jeremiah 1:5, God said to Jeremiah, “Before you were formed in your mother’s womb, I knew you, before you were born I have set you apart and appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” Before we were born into this world, God already had a purpose for us. Now, part of our calling is discovering our purpose in life and being faithful to its requirement. Probably, the reason why we are still living is because we are yet to accomplish our purpose in life. Any day the purpose and mission are accomplished, God may call us home. John the Baptist is being remembered today not simply because God called him to a special vocation but because he faithfully walked on the path that God had called him to tread on. Again, the Gospel reading focuses chiefly on the naming ceremony of the new born child. But why does the Gospel show such an interest in the naming of the child? What is in a name? In biblical times, and still today in many African cultures, names are not mere appellations. They are not just titles with no relevance to life. Children are not just given names simply because such names sound beautiful. Personal names convey what the bearer of the name stands for. Personal names can convey one’s faith; it can describe an event or an experience. It can also give a hint of someone’s mission on earth. In the Gospel, when Simon demonstrated that he could be relied upon as the leader of the Lord’s Apostles, Jesus gave him the name Peter which means “Rock.” When the sons of Zebedee, James and John, asked Jesus to call down fire from heaven to consume the inhabitants of a Samaritan village that refused to welcome Jesus, they were given a new name “Sons of Thunder.” In the Bible, names reveal an essential character or destiny of the bearer. What then is the meaning of the name John? The name John means “God is gracious.” This means that John’s birth points to a new beginning, a new era, an era that will be marked not by punishment but by grace, love and forgiveness. The birth of John is the threshold of God’s grace. Let us not forget that the mission of John the Baptist is closely bound to the mission of Jesus Christ. Through his preaching of repentance and conversion, he prepared people to hear and accept Jesus and his message. The name John means “God is gracious.” John was not the source of grace, but he pointed to the presence of God’s grace among God’s people. John was simply a threshold, that is, a point of entry. Jesus is the grace. The meaning of the name John was only an announcement to the people that the era of grace is coming, in fact, it is already here. And in John 1:29, St. John the Baptist declared, “Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world. This is the one I meant when I said ‘A man who comes after me is greater than me because he was before me.” The people of Israel believed in a punitive and vengeful God. They believed in a God that acts like police officers (who hide in a corner of the road just to catch those over-speeding and ticket them). But the name of John conveyed that the people’s notion of God was wrong, that God is gracious. And God’s graciousness was ultimately demonstrated in the sending of his only begotten Son. And what did God’s Son tell us about God? “God loved the world so much that he gave his only begotten Son so that whoever believes will not perish, but will have everlasting life” (John 3:16). How privileged we are to live in an era of fulfilled promises and yet we behave as if God has only made promises without fulfilling them. He has fulfilled those promises in your life already. Claim it; possess your possession. What has the naming ceremony of John got to do with us? The psalmist is overwhelmed at the way God’s knowledge of us penetrates into the womb. The histories of Jesus and John teach us that truly God’s purposes for us begin in the womb, before birth: “My soul also you knew full well; nor was my frame unknown to You when I was made in secret, when I was fashioned in the depths of the earth” (Psalm 139:15). This very personal knowledge God has of us is a comfort to the psalmist, as it should be to us, too. When we understand that “my journeys and my rest you scrutinize, with all my ways You are familiar,” then we will sing with the psalmist: “I praise You, for I am wonderfully made.” On one of his missionary journeys, St. Paul preached this message, recorded in Acts, to his fellow Jews. He outlined for them the human history through which God accomplished His purpose of redemption and reconciliation for mankind. First through David, by establishing a throne, then through John, by “preaching a baptism of repentance,” God kept His promise to send “Israel a savior, Jesus.” Because we are thinking specifically about John the Baptist today, we want to note the purpose of his work in particular. It was to prepare the people to receive a Savior. To do that, they would need to be shaken up a bit, stirred out of their lethargy or indifference toward God. They would need to believe they really needed saving, and they needed to be assured that the One Who was coming was way beyond their imaginations. As obviously devout as John the Baptist was to the people who flocked to him, he declared that he was not to be compared to the one coming after him; for he declares “I am not worthy to unfasten the sandals of His feet.” In sum, as we celebrate the birth of St. John the Baptist and read the beautiful story of how he got his name which was given to him by God. I want to ask each of us: If we are to receive a new name, a name which represents our mission, our purpose, our identity and our calling in life, what would that name be? The name John means “God is gracious” and through his work on earth, John announced this God to his people. What name would you choose? What message and mission would such a name convey? There is something in every name. At birth, my parents named me Agbeshie which means literally “I have life.” According to your mission, goal, and purpose in life, what name would you choose?