Reading 1 1 Jn 2:29–3:6
If you consider that God is righteous,
you also know that everyone who acts in righteousness
is begotten by him.See what love the Father has bestowed on us
that we may be called the children of God.
Yet so we are.
The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.
Beloved, we are God’s children now;
what we shall be has not yet been revealed.
We do know that when it is revealed we shall be like him,
for we shall see him as he is.
Everyone who has this hope based on him makes himself pure,
as he is pure.Everyone who commits sin commits lawlessness,
for sin is lawlessness.
You know that he was revealed to take away sins,
and in him, there is no sin.
No one who remains in him sins;
no one who sins has seen him or known him.
Gospel Jn 1:29-34
John the Baptist saw Jesus coming toward him and said,
“Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.
He is the one of whom I said,
‘A man is coming after me who ranks ahead of me
because he existed before me.’
I did not know him,
but the reason why I came baptizing with water
was that he might be made known to Israel.”
John testified further, saying,
“I saw the Spirit come down like a dove from the sky
and remain upon him.
I did not know him,
but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me,
‘On whomever you see the Spirit come down and remain,
he is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’
Now I have seen and testified that he is the Son of God.”
The first reading of today is a very beautiful and heartwarming text. It gives us the reason to celebrate ourselves. It reminds us of our gracious identity. John said “think of the love that the Father has lavished on us, by letting us be called God’s children;” and then he adds “and that is what we are.”
Dear friends, let this sink into your head, blood and mind. That the most exalted title is affixed to your name… Emmanuel Okami, COG (Child of God).
This is both a mind-blowing honour and a massive responsibility. As a child of God, you must seek to live a life befitting of your status. You must have the integrity and righteousness that commensurate with your identity. You must deal with those vices and defects in character that are inconsistent with your dignity.
This morning, looking through the character of John, I invite us to focus especially on the weakness of character called envy, which you may call a spirit of competition.
As a child of God, loved by the Father and promised an inheritance with the Father when we see Him face to face, we have no cause to be envious of one another, to be threatened by the blessings, gifts, qualities, success and exaltation of others.
Even though the appearance of Jesus meant the decline of John’s popularity, yet, he rejoiced in the appearance of Jesus, he passionately revealed him to the world and proclaimed his superiority and he ended by saying “He is the chosen one of God” as if to add, “not me.”
No pride, no envy, no jealousy or rivalry. These are not attributes of God and children of God must not permit them or exhibit them at all. We are rather called to a life of self-acceptance, love for others, being joyful for and with others and simplicity.
May the Lord open our eyes to see what dignity we possess already by being children of God and to wage war against every tendency in us that is inconsistent with our status.
Sermon preached by Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Okami on Thursday, January 3, 2019