John the Baptist: a homily delivered on the Sunday after Theophany
By Brother Luke Malachi 3:20-4; Ephesians 5:8-20; John 1:19-34 Who left the coffee cup on the window sill? What? Not me! Who left the dog poop out on the lawn? What? Not me! Who left the light on in the mud room? What? Not me! Who left the light on in the dog run? What? Not me! Who took the library book out without checking it out? What? Not me! Anybody know where the car keys are? What? Not me! Now these are all very small matters. And the answers may all be true. We joke about this in our house and sometimes say: “Well, it must be the 13th monk!” Of course, there is no 13th monk. In the Gospel of John, the story of Jesus Christ does not begin with the birth in a manger but rather with John the Baptist and the baptism of Jesus in the Jordan. And as we heard in this morning’s gospel passage, John the Baptist is busy denying many things more weighty than those I just mentioned.