May the preachers of our day follow on coattails of John and continue to preach repentance for the forgiveness of sins, that your ears and heart are prepared to receive Christ now and always. BY: Fr. He comported himself in accordance with the gift of God in him and the life of grace. Think of this: Mary still there and Zechariah breaks out in song: Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has visited and redeemed his people and has raised up for us a horn of salvation for us in the house of the servant David. Homily for the feast of Saint John the Baptist - Lk. Jesus would do that as the one who would do the work of our redemption by his cross, by being the very Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world and grants us His holiness and His righteousness. Be like John and show humility, gentleness, truthfulness and hard work. John’ preaching of repentance is the preaching of the forgiveness of sins. Zechariah does not answer the question directly but first goes to Jesus, who comes after John but ranks before John because He was before John and there in the beginning. Tags: Fr. He is the preacher proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. He was the son of Zechariah and Elizabeth. Homily for the Nativity of the Prophet, Forerunner, and Baptist John in the Orthodox Church; Today we celebrate the birthday of one of the most unusual and important people in the history of our faith: St. John the Baptist. He has redeemed you just as we swore he would do, giving you the forgiveness of sins which He won for you by his cross, now by giving you His body and blood in the Sacrament, the Covenant/Testament of His body and blood. Nativity of Saint John the Baptist Homily. He could speak. Jesus is the oath sworn to Father Abraham, that we would be delivered from the hand of our enemies and serve him (the Lord God) without fear in holiness and righteousness. Like John the Baptist, we must know that God has made our mouth like a sharp sword and a polished arrow and so he has hidden us in his quiver and in the shadow of his hands and so, we have nothing to fear but to go on faithfully executing the divine task allotted to us as John did even in the face of persecution and death. But John’s preaching is really the preaching of Christ! And her neighbors and kinsfolk heard that the Lord had shown great mercy to her, and they rejoiced with her. Bringing comfort to a people burdened by their sin, giving light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, guiding our feet into the way of peace. Permission granted to copy, share and display freely for non-commercial purposes. And so on June 24th the Church celebrates and remembers the birth of the Baptist. First Reading: Isaiah 49:1-6; Responsorial Psalm: Psalms 139:1-3, 13-14, 14-15; Second Reading: Acts 13:22-26; … That is not about John, but about Jesus. For with his coming into the world, the Sun of Righteousness also would arrive. You my child will be the prophet of the Most High, going before him to prepare his ways, giving knowledge of salvation to his people in the forgiveness of their sins. He was the one that was addressed in the “Benedictus”: As for you little child, you shall be called a prophet of God the most High; you shall go ahead of the Lord to prepare his ways before him; To make known to his people their salvation through forgiveness of their sins. The preaching of repentance, puts you to death but not only that: it raises you to life. To this Jesus John would bear witness as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. The first reading addressed his person so well: The Lord called me from the womb; from the body of my mother he named me. If we read the earlier verses of St. Luke’s Gospel, we learn that the angel Gabriel visited Mary and told her that she would bear the Son of the Most High, and in that conversation Gabriel tells Mary that its not just her who has been visited and remembered by the Lord, for Mary’s cousin Elizabeth, the one who had been called barren was now in her sixth month. HOMILY THEME: THE PRECURSOR’S GREATNESS. Mike Lagrimas . On every 24th June the Church celebrates the solemnity of the birth of John the Baptist. A man died and appeared at the pearly gates. Direct all other rights and permissions inquiries to cosmithb@gmail.com, Athanasian Creed Section Two – Three Distinct Persons, The Guarding of Your Heart and Mind (Thanksgiving Eve/Day), the plan from of old as far back as Adam’s fall, Jesus is the oath sworn to Father Abraham. Before the birth of any good and true child of God, God has a plan for him and a mission that he and no other must perform. Jacob Hercamp St. Peter’s Lutheran Church La Grange, MO, ©2020 Jacob Hercamp. He first prophesies of the one that his own son would point to as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. And if Mary was there carrying the Lord Jesus in her womb, the song Zechariah sings takes on quite a bit more theological weight. He was the last of the Old Testament prophets and experienced “martyrdom” while witnessing for the Truth. The celebration of John the Baptist is such a solemnity that is immovable and can be celebrated even when it falls on Sunday and so can replace the Day of the Lord on Sunday as it has happened this year. Zechariah when he was confronted by Gabriel, was confused and a bit unbelieving of the news that he and Elizabeth would have a son. Tell people who Jesus is, decrease that he may increase in you and through you to the world. Rev. That you may be led in the way of peace forever. And thus by John’s preaching you are not just prepared for Jesus’ coming but it is by this way and means that Christ comes to you in love and visits you with tender compassion. Preparing the hearts of those who listen for the coming of the One whose sandals John himself is not worthy to even untie. He is a man that was divinely planned and arranged miraculously. He gathered people for him and gave his own disciples to him since he must increase while he John will decrease. Some think John’s preaching is fire and brimstone, and it might be on that side, but how else to rattle and crack the hearts of stone of a dead people? 139, Acts 13: 22-26, Luke 1: 57-66, 80. Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. John’s preaching causes the Light of the Lord’s mercy to shine upon you. May we thank the Lord for the wonders of our being and act accordingly to his glory as lights, Amen. The preacher of the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. John the Baptist like Mary also said a fiat in the spirit since all his works showed a convincing “Yes” and conscientious discipleship in the work of salvation and heralding of the mission of Christ. May the preachers of our day follow on coattails of John and continue to preach repentance for the forgiveness of sins, that your ears and heart are prepared to receive Christ now and always. Amen. No wonder then Jesus said that among all born of women none is greater than John.