Advent 3 Year B

Advent 3 Year B John 1:6-8, 19-28

Ok, I have a very deep and profound truth to share with you. If I had heard this truth earlier in my life, it could have literally saved me hundreds of dollars! Are you ready? Ok, here it is: Owning an instrument does not automatically mean you can play it. If this were so, then I would almost be able to be my own orchestra. I would be able to play the drum, the piano, the hammered dulcimer, the harmonica, the penny whistle, the fife, the Jew’s harp, and, oh yeah, the recorder.
That is a list of the instruments that I either own or have owned. My piano is currently trapped in a house in suburban Chicago, something to do with a remodeling project that went wrong. But the others I have somewhere. The problem is that although I have the instruments, I am not really able to play them. Granted, I can hammer, toot, or pluck out something on most of them, but as far as really playing them, I’m not so hot. I guess if I buckled down and really practiced, I may actually be able to play something. But as long as I just let the various instruments sit there, I will not get any better.
Then, of course, there was my attempt to sidetrack the whole process of learning. I was trying to figure out what it was that people did when they did something like playing the piano. I wanted to know what was going through the head of the person playing, what were they thinking. My one piano teacher said, “I don’t know. My fingers just go to where they need to be. It is not like I actively think about it.”
So, why is it that my piano teacher does not have to think about playing the piano, but for me it is an almost painful endeavor? The simple answer is practice. The more I would practice, the better I would get. The more I would practice, the more automatic the playing became. I didn’t become better by just owning a piano, or a dulcimer, or a recorder, I had to pick up the instrument and practice it. And it could not just be some kind of haphazard kind of practicing; I had to put a concerted effort into the practice.
Now I guess the one instrument that makes me feel the most guilty is my dulcimer. A member of one of my former congregations made this instrument especially for me. It is a beautiful instrument. The person who strung the dulcimer told me that it should be around for generations. But even though it was beautiful gift that was made for me and given to me, it really does me no good unless I take it out and intentionally practice.
I have spent this time talking about my various instruments neither to show off nor to air my personal shortcomings; I did it as a metaphor for our faith. We have been given the gift of salvation through Our Savior Christ through his death and resurrection. Like the dulcimer, it is a gift that has been made special for each of us. And like the dulcimer, this gift of salvation will last for generations. The salvation we find in Christ is ours no matter what we do with it, but how we, quite literally, “practice” our faith makes a lot of difference.
I am sure the person who gave me the dulcimer would be saddened to know that I am not making full use of the wonderful gift I had been given. It was given so I could make music with it and get the most enjoyment out of it. In the same way, I am sure it saddens God when we do not make the most of our faith and salvation. Making the most of our faith is what we are told to do in today’s epistle reading.
When we first look at this reading, it looks like some kind of “pie in the sky” sort of thing. Be joyful always? Pray continually? Give thanks in ALL circumstances? This has got to be a joke, right? How can we possibly always be joyful? How can we possibly pray continually? It has got to be impossible to give thanks in all circumstance. But that is what we are told to do! So if we are told to do it, there must be some way we can, in fact, aspire to this which seems impossible.
Well, just like we can practice an instrument, we can, and should, practice our faith. We need to work on building a strong, secure faith. A faith that can be joyful in the midst of troubles. A faith that can pray even when prayer is difficult. A faith that will allow us to give thanks in ALL circumstances. A faith that has a strong and sure foundation. We have the gift and the promise of salvation, but just like an instrument, unless we practice using this salvation, we will not be able to get the full benefit.
How we get the full benefit out of our faith is by practicing joy, prayer, and giving thanks. It is really that easy. All we need to do is do it! We need to practice being mindful of the blessings that we have and practice being joyful. Like learning an instrument, at first it will seem odd and feel a bit uncomfortable. But as it become more and more of a habit, it will suddenly become second nature.
Our lives actually are made up of a series of habits. It is these habits that allow us to go through the day without having to think about every little thing. It’s our habits that help us to get out the door on time in the morning. It is our habits that help us to not fall flat on our face. As we practice something, as in an instrument, we learn to make it a habit. It is in learning the habit of prayer, joyfulness, and thankfulness that these things become something that happens at all times. And in having these happen all the time, our outlook on life and the world will change.
You may have seen done this before, if so, I am asking you to try it again. What it is is an experiment in awareness. The ushers will be passing out some dot stickers. What I am asking you to do is to place these stickers in places where you will see them and notice them. Each time you see a dot, take a brief moment and briefly look around you. Thank God for those things you see in the world. Thank God for the house, car, building you are in. Thank God for the life you have.
Not only will this help you to develop an attitude of prayer and thankfulness, it will also help you to develop a disposition of Joy. Joy is not the same as happiness. Happiness is something that can change depending on if you find a parking spot close by or they have the sale item in stock. Happiness is a transitory state. Joy is a way of viewing the world as something that is wonderful. Joy is a filter through which we look at life. When we develop an attitude of prayer and thankfulness, joy will naturally find its place in our life.
As with my dulcimer, our salvation is a free gift that was made especially for each of us and is given to us. But also as with my dulcimer, salvation doesn’t do much for us if we don’t practice it and then go out and use it. God has given us the gift of salvation not so it can sit on a shelf and look pretty, it was given so that we could use it and enjoy it. And the more we use it, the more it becomes a part of who we are. John spread the word in the wilderness, not because he wanted to make a scene; he spread the word because faith that was within him just had to let it out.
As we approach the celebration of Christmas, let us consciously work toward an attitude of prayer and thankfulness. And as we approach the celebration of Christmas, let us watch how the spirit of joy builds in our life. And as we make prayer, thankfulness, and joy a habit in our lives, watch how ways that God brings new life into our existence.