Advent 15…Whose Name?

I find the gospel of John rather hard to understand, but a line caught my eye in today's reading. Verse 43:

I have come in my Father's name, and you do not accept me; if another comes in his own name, you will accept him. 

And internet blogs weren't even around yet!

I have this image of the blogosphere, warranted mind you, that whoever wants to be an expert just writes a blog. (And yes, I see the irony.) The amount of garbage-in-the-name-of-news out there is striking to me, having grown up in an era when news outlets took great pride in never making a mistake, never giving opinion, always fact-checking until no doubt existed. That seems no longer the point. Ratings, destruction--or at least doubt-raising of the "other" side, or just the ability to say what you want with no apparent consequences creates the facade of news, but little that can be trusted.

And we are so eager to trust. If it agrees with our political bent, it's true. If it agrees with our religious opinion, it's true. If it comes from a source we know is not on "our side," it is malicious lies. So, I just need to figure out, dear readers, what label belongs on you, claim it, and off we go.

On. the. other. hand…

Let me express an opinion about who God is or what God asks of us, and, well, that's just delusional. No rational person can believe God exists. You certainly can't prove it. Get a grip. Tell me what you think…not what God thinks. You exist. You I can believe.

I have come in my Father's name, and you do not accept me; if another comes in his own name, you will accept him. 

I certainly don't know everything about what God thinks. I may get it wrong more than I get it right. But this testimony/witness from a man named Jesus should perhaps inspire pause to listen, to watch, to see what he is doing and what he says. You won't ever see him claiming it is all about him. He is always pointing back to God.

I don't want to write a great blog, I want to point to a great God. I don't want to preach a great sermon, I want to point to a great God. I don't want to do great mission, I want to point to a great God.

That is what Advent is all about.

The pointing.