When you go to a concert, before you hear the singers or band of your choice, you often get presented with something else first.
The support act…
When I was a young man all those years ago, I heard that The Eagles were coming to Glasgow on a European tour. (This was when they were at the height of their powers).
At this time I had discovered a guy called Dan Fogelberg who had come out with some good early albums and I liked him. I then found out he was to be the support act for The Eagles.
Thinking that there would be little attention paid to him I decided on the logical thing – I would get Fogelberg stitched onto the back of my denim jacket. (I may be the only human being who ever did that.)
So after about three days of trying to stitch the letter “F” my mum took over and did the job in about three minutes. Now I was all ready to show my support to the support act.
And what happened?
Dan Fogelberg took ill and didn’t come over for the tour and I was left stoating about Glasgow with Fogelberg on my back!
Everyone thought I was advertising a new German lager……
Unlikely support acts I have seen.
Donovan supporting Yes at the Apollo (both hippies).
Capercaillie supporting Dick Gaughan at Tarbert Music Festival (both Scottish folkies)
Lots of singers and bands – in fact let’s face it, probably nearly all, have to start out their careers as being the support act to someone else.
Some never get any further, others go on to become much bigger than the bands or singers they first supported.
But it’s not easy being the support act.
Everybody has come to see the main act. They haven’t come to see you.
A good support act needs to be entertaining, and fit in with (or at least complement) the general style of the main act.
If you are going to hear a heavy metal band the support act is unlikely to be a choir singing light opera classics.
If you are going to hear a country and western singer, the support act is unlikely to be an RnB rapper.
Not many support acts get wild and enthusiastic applause. And even if they are good and go down well, not many support acts get an encore.
It’s not easy being the support act.
It’s not easy being John the Baptist.
His job is to get people ready for Jesus.
His job is to set the scene and prepare the ground.
His job is to catch the attention and animate people’s minds.
His job is to generate a sense of excitement and anticipation.
His job is to create drama.
Now John and Jesus have certain things in common.
They both act out of conviction.
They both are charismatic people.
They both are able to draw a crowd.
They both have a group of followers.
They both want to highlight the importance of God.
They both fall foul of the powers that be – and…
they both are executed as a threat to the establishment.
But notice that John’s message and Jesus’ message are different.
In a way you expect that.
When you are a support act you can sing all kind of songs but you can’t sing the songs of the main act.
If the Rolling Stones invite your band to be their support act you can’t get up there and start playing Tumblin’ Dice or The Last Time.
If Springsteen gives you an invite you’d better not do your version of Thunder Road!
The main acts always have to be free to do their songs in their own way.
John the Baptist had a message but it wasn’t exactly the same as Jesus’. And that’s not really surprising. For if it was, then we wouldn’t need Jesus - we could make do with John.
At first glance these guys are both on the same hymn sheet.
The first words of John’s ministry “Turn away from your sins!” (Matt3:2)
The first words of Jesus’ ministry “Turn away from your sins!” (Mark 1:15)
Doesn’t that seem like the same message?
A couple of weeks ago we had a special event in the church. It was an introduction to the gospels and a wee look at other gospels that never made into the Bible.
There was a lot of material covered and at the end there were lots and lots of questions. One question was what version of the Bible can be recommended?
We spoke about different translations and I said that the GNB (which we have been using here in Langside in recent years) is still quite a good translation. It was originally intended to be a Bible for those for whom English was a second language so wherever possible it would eliminate complicated words.
Most of the time it is very good that way. But occasionally by simplifying the meaning gets a bit dumbed down.
An example I gave was the Sermon on the Mount, where Jesus lists a lot of different things and says “Happy are those who…”
Now the word Jesus actually used is best translated as blessed.
“Blessed are those who...”
Happy is simpler to understand than blessed,
But I think blessed has a depth to its meaning that happy misses.
In the same way, the GNB uses five words in place of one in our text today.
“Turn away from your sins” is the message from both John the Baptist and Jesus - but the word they really used was Repent.
Repent is an older word, and it is understood in different ways.
There is even a difference between John’s and Jesus’ emphases.
In our world today the word “Repent” is one of the most misunderstood words.
Negative – stop doing bad things. Cut it out.
It could be huge issues – or trivial ones.
Stop stealing from the firm.
Stop being so busy all the time.
Stop this affair that threatens your relationship with your wife and family.
Stop wasting your spare cash in the bookies.
Stop being so selfish in your outlook.
Stop being so grumpy towards your daughter.
Now even if we think well maybe its true enough – maybe its right to cut out bad stuff - repent is still a kind of a negative thing.
It’s about not doing stuff.
It’s about doing our duty.
It’s not very exciting.
But John and Jesus seemed to have a different emphases on “Repent.”
With John and his teaching it seems a very scary negative thing.
But when it gets to Jesus and his teaching it seems nothing of the kind.
Repentance basically means “turning around”, or “changing direction”.
And if you’re on your way to Spain for a dose of midwinter sunshine and heat and you have to turn around, that may not be too attractive, but if your life is empty and dull or you’re doing ninety mile an hour down a dead end street then turning around suddenly looks like a mighty fine idea.
“Repent, for the Kingdom of heaven has come near.”
As Australian minister Nathan Nettleton has written…
This is not “repent” as in “give up everything that’s good in life.”
This is “repent” as in “don’t miss the boat. Don’t miss the opportunity of a life time. The Kingdom of Heaven is near and you wouldn’t want to be left behind.”
John the Baptiser and Jesus in many ways have quite different messages. John is an old fashioned hellfire and brimstone man. You don’t find people queuing up to invite him to parties like you do with Jesus. But perhaps their messages can be seen as two sides of the same coin - John as the critique of the old, Jesus as the offer of the new.
John is criticising the old stuff that we must turn from.
Jesus is offering to us something altogether new.
Jesus showing us what to turn to.
Our image of repentance has often got more of John in it - its all giving up things, and discipline and abstinence. But at the end of the day, repentance doesn’t mean much unless there is also something to turn to, and it’s when we get a vision of what’s being offered that repentance starts to make sense and look very attractive indeed.
Imagine a woman in an abusive relationship. Her husband hits her and beats her regularly. Her friends and family all know the score. They know that she needs to leave him for her own good. But she doesn’t do it.
Why not?
Because she has got so used to what for her is “the way life is” that she can’t actually imagine how she could have a different life – she can’t picture how she could get away and stay away, and what life could be like if she began it anew.
She needs to change but in order for it to happen she needs a vision of another kind of life. When she gets that, then she will gain the courage and determination she needs to move her life on.
Imagine an alcoholic whose life with drink is out of control. He knows within himself he needs to change so why doesn’t he move? It’s because he needs to see what his life could be like – he needs to grasp a vision of a better future for himself. When he does that then he has the chance to take those steps.
The things that mar our own lives may be very different but the same truth applies.
If we need to turn and go in a new direction we need to know more than simply that our present life is not working as well as it could. We need to realise that what we are turning to is better and will be more fulfilling and purposeful and will steer us towards becoming the best versions of ourselves.
And that’s why Jesus’ approach was so much more effective than John the Baptist.
Jesus was brilliant at letting people see their potential – what they had it in them to become.
Jesus was great at pointing people to who they could be – how they could be the best version of themselves.
Spending time with Jesus was enough to change people’s minds about who they were and what they were capable of, and peoples’ lives changed for the better the more they spent time with him.
John seems to be saying “Stop doing bad things. Cut out things that are wrong in your life.”
It’s hard to argue with that.
But Jesus is saying something much more positive.
“Never mind this bad stuff – look at the alternative. Look at what you are missing . Look at what you could be. Look at who you could be!”
John seems to be saying – “You’re going to get what you deserve!”
And you can’t say fairer than that.
But Jesus is saying more controversially: “You’re going to get what you don’t deserve!”
You’re going to discover, (if you have eyes to see), a God who does not treat you as you deserve but who loves you despite your mistakes and your failings and let-downs.
A God who wants to break through to you with a love
that doesn’t depend on how we measure up,
that doesn’t count the cost,
that does not keep the score.
And ironically it’s becoming aware of that love
that gives us the motivation and the power to change ourselves
and to make more of our lives
through our thankfulness and gratitude to the God
whose love will never let us go.
This time of Advent is a time for us to look at our lives and consider where they should change – not out of dull duty – but so we can be the people God is calling us to be.