Sandal Straps: The Third Sunday of Advent
Homily for the Third Sunday of Advent
Second Draft and Comments on Revisions:
If you compare this draft to the preliminary one (posted directly below the revised homily), you'll find an improved introduction, one which gets to the heart of the matter with the use of dramatic voice. The second improvement lies in the conclusion. I eliminated an bifocation by excising the reference to axes and trees (not included in the actual passage), and focused instead on Peter, Jesus and sandal straps.
I hope this brief analysis is of some help to you. The audio version of this homily will posted on the Parish Page of St. Al's web site on Thursday, 12/21/06.
Fr. Jim
Homily for the Third Sunday of Advent
“I’m not worthy,” cries John the Baptist,
that desert prophet dressed in camel skin.
“I’m not worthy to touch his sandal straps!”
Let’s think about that line a minute.
Unworthiness is not a notion that plays well in our heads
at this time of year.
In the midst of Christmas shopping and gift wrapping
and all the parties we go to,
the closest anybody gets to feeling unworthy
might be a five-year-old who refuses to eat his or her vegetables
and gets threatened with the words, “Santa’s watching.”
Yet, in hundreds of thousands of churches today,
the great prophet John the Baptist,
later described by Jesus as “the greatest man ever born of woman,”
considers himself unworthy…
unworthy to even touch the dust-covered sandals on Jesus’ feet.
In other words,
when it comes to being in the awesome presence
of the powerful Savior,
John the Prophet’s not good enough.
Not deserving.
Not worth the trouble to be noticed.
Now, as I said, most Americans won’t relate to this.
That line “I’m not worthy” flies in the face
of what most of us consider good mental health
and a positive self-esteem.
Spiritually speaking, it even goes against the grain
of much of what Jesus himself conveyed
by his words and actions…
reaching out to sinners
and referring to his disciples as his friends.
So, is there any value in what John the Baptist says?
Is there anything we can learn from him
when it comes to our attitude and our approach to God?
“I am not worthy to touch the strap of his sandal.”
What’s that mean for us here today?
I’m not sure but,
if you’ve been reading the Advent readings,
it does have a familiar ring.
John’s line echoes the words of the pregnant Elizabeth
as she greets the pregnant Mary
on the doorstep of her house:
“Who am I,” exclaims Elizabeth, “that the mother of my Lord
should come to me?”
John’s statement resonates with the words that Peter mumbled
as he fell to his knees in his boat at the feet of Jesus
after an incredible catch of fish.
Remember that scene?
Suddenly aware that Jesus was no ordinary man,
Peter hits the deck and says,
“Leave me, Lord, for I am a sinful man.”
And, finally, John’s cry of unworthiness
is almost identical to the words of the Roman centurion
who sought out Jesus the day his child grew sick,
“Lord, I am not worthy that you should come under the roof of my house….”
Now, if you put all these phrases together,
the issue of unworthiness takes on a different color.
In other words,
it’s no longer a mental health issue.
It’s not longer an issue of self-esteem
or positive self-regard.
Rather, it’s about God.
And it’s about God coming into your life!
“Who am I that I should have such a privilege?”
“Who are I that I dare shake your hand, Lord, much less
look you in the eye and
hear you speak my name?”
This, you see, is the experience that John the Baptist
is referring to.
It that bounce of joy that Elizabeth felt in her womb
when Mary’s voice reached her ears…
It’s the hope that the centurion dared not hope for!
It’s the forgiveness Peter felt fall like rain upon his shoulders
that day he hunched down in the boat in front of Jesus and said,
“Leave me, Lord, get out of here.
It’s too much! Your strength, your power!
It’s too much to take in!”
Now, just picture that scene for a minute.
Even though John proclaimed himself unworthy to touch the strap of Jesus’ sandal,
I can’t help but picture Peter’s hands clamped around Jesus’ ankles
that day he told him to step off his boat.
Yes, Peter told the Lord to leave
but there was something deep inside him that wanted him to stay
and needed him to stay.
For my money, the words, “Lord, I am not worthy”
is another way of saying:
“Am I dreaming?
Someone wake me up!
This is too good to be true!”
_______
That’s what today’s gospel means to me.
What does it mean to you?
When was the last time you experience a power-surge of grace in your life?
When was the last time—outside of church—that you were brought to your knees?
When was the last time your eyes teared up?
Did it happen when the pretty girl in the class
said she’s go to the prom with you?
Was at the baptism of a grandchild,
when the water fell across that smooth skin
and you felt God’s love fall like rain upon that child
and upon your family, your own family?
Did it happen at your daughter’s wedding
as you danced with her
and felt the rhythm of grace
move in your feet?
Or maybe it was simple the sight
of a winter sunset.
Just when was the last time you felt unworthy
to touch the strap of his sandal?
“Leave me, Lord, I don’t deserve this.”
We’ve all said that at one time or another.
But keep this in mind:
The man Peter told to step off his boat
turned out to be the Savior who washed his feet.
That same Savior who has come into your life
and, as did for Peter,
he kneels before you with a basin of water.
What’s that mean?
It means you don’t worry about the sandals he’s wearing…
it’s time to unstrap your own.
First Draft:
Unworthiness is not a popular topic at this time of year.
In the midst of Christmas shopping and gift wrapping,
the closest anybody gets to feeling unworthy
might be a five-year-old who refuses to eat his or her vegetables
and gets threatened with the words, “Santa’s watching.”
Yet, in hundreds of thousands of churches today,
the great prophet John the Baptist,
later described by Jesus as “the greatest man ever born of woman,”
considers himself unworthy…
unworthy to even touch the dust-covered sandals on Jesus’ feet.
Not good enough.
Not deserving.
Not worth the trouble to be noticed.
This flies in the face of what most of us consider good mental health
and a positive self-esteem.
It goes against the grain of much of what Jesus himself conveyed
by his words and actions…
reaching out to sinners
and referring to his disciples as his friends.
So, is there any value in what John the Baptist says?
Is there anything we can learn from him
when it comes to our attitude and our approach to God?
“I am not worthy to touch the strap of his sandal.”
What’s that mean for us here today?
I’m not sure,
but it has a familiar ring.
It echoes the words of the pregnant Elizabeth
as she greets the pregnant Mary
on the doorstep of her house:
“Who am I,” exclaims Elizabeth, “that the mother of my Lord
should come to me?”
It resonates with the words that Peter mumbled
as he fell to his knees at the feet of Jesus
after an unbelievable, incredible catch of fish:
Suddenly aware that Jesus was no ordinary man,
Peter hits the deck and says,
“Leave me, Lord, for I am a sinful man.”
And, finally, it’s almost identical to the words of the Roman centurion
whose child was sick,
“Lord, I am not worthy that you should come under the roof of my house….”
You put all these phrases together and I’m not so sure
that the question of worthiness no longer seems very important.
In other words,
this is not a mental health issue.
This is not about self-esteem
or positive self-regard.
Rather, it’s about God.
And it’s about God coming into your life.
“Who am I that I should have such a privilege?”
“Who am I that I should have such an honor?”
“Who are I that I dare shake your hand, Lord, much less
look you in the eye and
hear you speak my name?”
Yet, this is the encounter that John the Baptist claims is about to happen…
This is the bounce of joy that Elizabeth felt in her womb
when Mary’s voice reached her ears…
This is the hope that the centurion dared not hope for
and the forgiveness Peter could not imagine would ever wash across his shoulders
as he hunched down in the boat in front of Jesus:
“Leave me, Lord, get out of here.
It’s too much, your strength, your power, your love, your compassion
it’s too much, it too much to take in!”
Now, just picture that scene for a minute.
I know John proclaimed that he was unworthy to touch the strap of Jesus’ sandal,
but when Peter is hunched down in the boat that day
telling Jesus to get away,
I can’t help but picture Peter’s hands clamped around Jesus’ ankles.
For my money, the words, “Lord, I am not worthy”
is another way of saying:
“Am I dreaming?
Someone wake me up!
This is too good to be true!”
That’s what today’s gospel really means.
But what does it mean, really mean, to you?
When was the last time you experience a power-surge of grace in your life?
When was the last time—outside of church—that you were brought to your knees?
When was the last time your eyes teared up?
When was the last time your mind entertained the thought
of touching the hem of Jesus’ garment
or the strap of his sandal?
When was the last time you prayed with enough courage to look him in the eye?
Might it be that you’re having trouble drawing close to him these days?
Too many trees in your forest?
Too many things on your plate?
It’s time to put to the axe to those trees
and grub out the roots.
The man Peter told to get off his boat
turned out to be the Savior who washed his feet.
The Savior who has come into your life.
He kneels before you with a basin of water.
Don’t worry about the sandals he’s wearing.
It’s time to unstrap your own.
Second Draft and Comments on Revisions:
If you compare this draft to the preliminary one (posted directly below the revised homily), you'll find an improved introduction, one which gets to the heart of the matter with the use of dramatic voice. The second improvement lies in the conclusion. I eliminated an bifocation by excising the reference to axes and trees (not included in the actual passage), and focused instead on Peter, Jesus and sandal straps.
I hope this brief analysis is of some help to you. The audio version of this homily will posted on the Parish Page of St. Al's web site on Thursday, 12/21/06.
Fr. Jim
Homily for the Third Sunday of Advent
“I’m not worthy,” cries John the Baptist,
that desert prophet dressed in camel skin.
“I’m not worthy to touch his sandal straps!”
Let’s think about that line a minute.
Unworthiness is not a notion that plays well in our heads
at this time of year.
In the midst of Christmas shopping and gift wrapping
and all the parties we go to,
the closest anybody gets to feeling unworthy
might be a five-year-old who refuses to eat his or her vegetables
and gets threatened with the words, “Santa’s watching.”
Yet, in hundreds of thousands of churches today,
the great prophet John the Baptist,
later described by Jesus as “the greatest man ever born of woman,”
considers himself unworthy…
unworthy to even touch the dust-covered sandals on Jesus’ feet.
In other words,
when it comes to being in the awesome presence
of the powerful Savior,
John the Prophet’s not good enough.
Not deserving.
Not worth the trouble to be noticed.
Now, as I said, most Americans won’t relate to this.
That line “I’m not worthy” flies in the face
of what most of us consider good mental health
and a positive self-esteem.
Spiritually speaking, it even goes against the grain
of much of what Jesus himself conveyed
by his words and actions…
reaching out to sinners
and referring to his disciples as his friends.
So, is there any value in what John the Baptist says?
Is there anything we can learn from him
when it comes to our attitude and our approach to God?
“I am not worthy to touch the strap of his sandal.”
What’s that mean for us here today?
I’m not sure but,
if you’ve been reading the Advent readings,
it does have a familiar ring.
John’s line echoes the words of the pregnant Elizabeth
as she greets the pregnant Mary
on the doorstep of her house:
“Who am I,” exclaims Elizabeth, “that the mother of my Lord
should come to me?”
John’s statement resonates with the words that Peter mumbled
as he fell to his knees in his boat at the feet of Jesus
after an incredible catch of fish.
Remember that scene?
Suddenly aware that Jesus was no ordinary man,
Peter hits the deck and says,
“Leave me, Lord, for I am a sinful man.”
And, finally, John’s cry of unworthiness
is almost identical to the words of the Roman centurion
who sought out Jesus the day his child grew sick,
“Lord, I am not worthy that you should come under the roof of my house….”
Now, if you put all these phrases together,
the issue of unworthiness takes on a different color.
In other words,
it’s no longer a mental health issue.
It’s not longer an issue of self-esteem
or positive self-regard.
Rather, it’s about God.
And it’s about God coming into your life!
“Who am I that I should have such a privilege?”
“Who are I that I dare shake your hand, Lord, much less
look you in the eye and
hear you speak my name?”
This, you see, is the experience that John the Baptist
is referring to.
It that bounce of joy that Elizabeth felt in her womb
when Mary’s voice reached her ears…
It’s the hope that the centurion dared not hope for!
It’s the forgiveness Peter felt fall like rain upon his shoulders
that day he hunched down in the boat in front of Jesus and said,
“Leave me, Lord, get out of here.
It’s too much! Your strength, your power!
It’s too much to take in!”
Now, just picture that scene for a minute.
Even though John proclaimed himself unworthy to touch the strap of Jesus’ sandal,
I can’t help but picture Peter’s hands clamped around Jesus’ ankles
that day he told him to step off his boat.
Yes, Peter told the Lord to leave
but there was something deep inside him that wanted him to stay
and needed him to stay.
For my money, the words, “Lord, I am not worthy”
is another way of saying:
“Am I dreaming?
Someone wake me up!
This is too good to be true!”
_______
That’s what today’s gospel means to me.
What does it mean to you?
When was the last time you experience a power-surge of grace in your life?
When was the last time—outside of church—that you were brought to your knees?
When was the last time your eyes teared up?
Did it happen when the pretty girl in the class
said she’s go to the prom with you?
Was at the baptism of a grandchild,
when the water fell across that smooth skin
and you felt God’s love fall like rain upon that child
and upon your family, your own family?
Did it happen at your daughter’s wedding
as you danced with her
and felt the rhythm of grace
move in your feet?
Or maybe it was simple the sight
of a winter sunset.
Just when was the last time you felt unworthy
to touch the strap of his sandal?
“Leave me, Lord, I don’t deserve this.”
We’ve all said that at one time or another.
But keep this in mind:
The man Peter told to step off his boat
turned out to be the Savior who washed his feet.
That same Savior who has come into your life
and, as did for Peter,
he kneels before you with a basin of water.
What’s that mean?
It means you don’t worry about the sandals he’s wearing…
it’s time to unstrap your own.
First Draft:
Unworthiness is not a popular topic at this time of year.
In the midst of Christmas shopping and gift wrapping,
the closest anybody gets to feeling unworthy
might be a five-year-old who refuses to eat his or her vegetables
and gets threatened with the words, “Santa’s watching.”
Yet, in hundreds of thousands of churches today,
the great prophet John the Baptist,
later described by Jesus as “the greatest man ever born of woman,”
considers himself unworthy…
unworthy to even touch the dust-covered sandals on Jesus’ feet.
Not good enough.
Not deserving.
Not worth the trouble to be noticed.
This flies in the face of what most of us consider good mental health
and a positive self-esteem.
It goes against the grain of much of what Jesus himself conveyed
by his words and actions…
reaching out to sinners
and referring to his disciples as his friends.
So, is there any value in what John the Baptist says?
Is there anything we can learn from him
when it comes to our attitude and our approach to God?
“I am not worthy to touch the strap of his sandal.”
What’s that mean for us here today?
I’m not sure,
but it has a familiar ring.
It echoes the words of the pregnant Elizabeth
as she greets the pregnant Mary
on the doorstep of her house:
“Who am I,” exclaims Elizabeth, “that the mother of my Lord
should come to me?”
It resonates with the words that Peter mumbled
as he fell to his knees at the feet of Jesus
after an unbelievable, incredible catch of fish:
Suddenly aware that Jesus was no ordinary man,
Peter hits the deck and says,
“Leave me, Lord, for I am a sinful man.”
And, finally, it’s almost identical to the words of the Roman centurion
whose child was sick,
“Lord, I am not worthy that you should come under the roof of my house….”
You put all these phrases together and I’m not so sure
that the question of worthiness no longer seems very important.
In other words,
this is not a mental health issue.
This is not about self-esteem
or positive self-regard.
Rather, it’s about God.
And it’s about God coming into your life.
“Who am I that I should have such a privilege?”
“Who am I that I should have such an honor?”
“Who are I that I dare shake your hand, Lord, much less
look you in the eye and
hear you speak my name?”
Yet, this is the encounter that John the Baptist claims is about to happen…
This is the bounce of joy that Elizabeth felt in her womb
when Mary’s voice reached her ears…
This is the hope that the centurion dared not hope for
and the forgiveness Peter could not imagine would ever wash across his shoulders
as he hunched down in the boat in front of Jesus:
“Leave me, Lord, get out of here.
It’s too much, your strength, your power, your love, your compassion
it’s too much, it too much to take in!”
Now, just picture that scene for a minute.
I know John proclaimed that he was unworthy to touch the strap of Jesus’ sandal,
but when Peter is hunched down in the boat that day
telling Jesus to get away,
I can’t help but picture Peter’s hands clamped around Jesus’ ankles.
For my money, the words, “Lord, I am not worthy”
is another way of saying:
“Am I dreaming?
Someone wake me up!
This is too good to be true!”
That’s what today’s gospel really means.
But what does it mean, really mean, to you?
When was the last time you experience a power-surge of grace in your life?
When was the last time—outside of church—that you were brought to your knees?
When was the last time your eyes teared up?
When was the last time your mind entertained the thought
of touching the hem of Jesus’ garment
or the strap of his sandal?
When was the last time you prayed with enough courage to look him in the eye?
Might it be that you’re having trouble drawing close to him these days?
Too many trees in your forest?
Too many things on your plate?
It’s time to put to the axe to those trees
and grub out the roots.
The man Peter told to get off his boat
turned out to be the Savior who washed his feet.
The Savior who has come into your life.
He kneels before you with a basin of water.
Don’t worry about the sandals he’s wearing.
It’s time to unstrap your own.
posted by BlueCollarPreacher at 12:16 AM
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