The Baptist could tell it

By Greg Jones

Maya Angelou tells a funny story about a woman in a call-and-response style African-American church service, who had an interesting response to the Word of God – if only I could remember in which book she does. I’m getting older. But as I remember the story, one Sunday a large woman with a flower hat and a big white purse sat up front in church. As the preacher got going, she began to respond to his words with “Mmm-Hmm’s,” and by saying out loud: “Tell it!” As the sermon progressed her “Tell Its” got louder. Pretty soon, she was standing up, waving her hands, and crying out, “Tell It!” When she got so worked up she could no longer stay in place, for she was so connected to the sermon, she approached the preacher, and with a final “Tell It” she swung her arms wildly, and knocked him over.

Well there is something about John the Baptist which just “Tells It” too. Here was a man who took his work for the Lord one-hundred percent seriously. A prophet whose whole being was like a trumpet that the News of the Kingdom came blowing right through. A man who cared neither for his appearance nor his diet. A man who said what he was called to say, no matter what the consequence. A man who was loud and raw, and without interest in personal wealth or honor.

The Bible says that John the Baptist prepared the Way of the Lord in the Wilderness. He’s the one Isaiah said would come and would identify the Messiah. John the Baptist was the great pointer to Jesus, the one who baptized him and said, “you are the One.”

Here was a man who preached the Truth, and made even his enemies say, “Tell It.” What he told was that God was coming into the World as the savior.

What about us? Can we ever “Tell it”? Do we ever even try? Part of Advent is waiting and watching, but I believe another part is trying to tell the Good News of the coming of the Lord.

The Rev. Samuel Gregory Jones (‘Greg’) is rector of St. Michael’s in Raleigh, N.C. and the bass player in indie-rock band The Balsa Gliders – whose fourth studio release is available on iTunes. He blogs at fatherjones.com.

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