Break the Mold!

(This is an abridged version of the sermon preeched at Epworth Chapel, Baltimore on 7/31/11.)

"In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah: “A voice of one calling in the wilderness, 'Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.’” John’s clothes were made of camel’s hair, and he had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey. People went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region of the Jordan. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River." (Matthew 3:1-6)


In the Gospel of Matthew, we are introduced to the life of John the Baptist. Some of us might remember John the Baptist. He was born into a world of religious and social conformity. He was born to Jewish parents – Elizabeth and Zechariah who were devout in their faith. In fact, John’s father – Zechariah was not only religious - but he was a priest. So by all rights, John the Baptist had it made.

All John had to do is behave himself, not rock the boat, stay out of trouble, watch his mouth, fit in, and he would not have a care in the world.

It was supposed to be John’s lot in life to fit the mold, to dress right, and act right (he was a preachers kid), and all he had to do was fit into the mold. All he had to do was behave himself, conform to his orderly, elite religious roots, and he would be a priest in the line of his father. This was his birthright.

And yet, John the Baptist just couldn’t act like he was supposed to act. Here, we find John the Baptist, not in the synagogue, but in the wilderness. He’s not dressed in the fine garbs of the priesthood, but in camel’s hair. He’s not trying to maintain religious order but preaching a radical, prophetic word - a word of preparation for the coming of the Lord - a word that God was ready to shake things up, and make straight the crooked places and things in our midst.

As we look around, we can clearly see that conformity is the order of our day. People like to appear as though they fit in. It seems that we have this inherent need to conform. If the truth is told, none of us wants to be too far outside of the mainstream, too far outside what is considered to be normal. We want to fit in.

Conformity insinuates that we find ourselves in alignment with the status quo. To conform means that we are fitting in with what already exists, and that we are in accord with that which has already been formed. Thus, to conform is to find ourselves in the same shape as that which has already been shaped.

I’m always amazed at how much we seem to be in conformity, and often don’t seem to realize it. People seem to be attracted to those things and places which are most like how we perceive ourselves. We seek to live in the places, purchase the things, and even wear the clothes of those who we perceive as being the most successful and beautiful.

A few years ago, it seemed that every young boy sought to imitate Michael Jordan. Every young boy wanted to “be like Mike.” Well, the Nike Corporation capitalized on this yearning to conform, and created the Air Jordan Shoe. It appears that there was this notion among many young people that if they were just able to buy a pair of Air Jordans they would somehow find themselves being able to fly through the air and dunk a basketball like Mike. (If the truth is told, even some of us who are older thought that we could “be like Mike.”)

And so why is it that we seek to conform? Perhaps our propensity towards conformity is rooted in our fear of what would happen to us if we chose to stand alone. Maybe we tend to conform because of jealousy and covetousness. We want too much of what others have. We want to keep up with the “Jones.” Maybe we conform because our imagination - or lack thereof – does not allow us to see beyond what presently is in our lives – to what God wants us to become.

I believe that this matter of conformity has serious implications and applications for the church today. It was the Apostle Paul who warned us in Scripture against this proclivity. Paul cautioned the Roman Church and cautions us to “Be not conformed to the world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds.” (Romans 12:2)

Still many Christians and many churches find themselves moving towards the tendency to conform. Many churches find themselves mired and trapped in the rut of "same-old-ness." We find ourselves doing the same-old-thing…the same-old-way... and getting the same old results. We’re too often mired in “same-old-ness.”

We sing the same-old-song. We pray the same-old-prayer. We preach the same-old-sermon. And we get the same-old results. We’re stuck in a rut…stuck in a mold.

I believe that John the Baptist, in mant ways, serves as the anti-type for today’s Christian, and can teach us a few things about what it means for us to be holy and bold for Jesus. John broke the mold.

And it is incumbent on the church today to break the mold - to move out of our comfort zones - to move our message outside the walls of the church – into the (proverbial) wilderness (out into the streets). If we’re like John the Baptist, we might have to change our appearance and methods to reach some folk who may be very unfamiliar with the songs we sing and the sermons we preach. We need to break the mold.

This week, it was reported that 11 religious leaders were arrested in Washington, DC for refusing to move while praying on the steps of the U.S. Capitol. The group included at least two United Methodists – Jim Winkler and Bob Edgar – and was praying that the U.S. congress would act morally and justly in light of decisions around the current budget crisis and economic upheaval – especially in light of the millions of poor and moderate income people that will be affected by these decisions.

In John the Baptist, we find one who in his day broke the mold. John broke from religious and societal conformity. He dared to be different. He chose to move outside his comfort zone – outside the comfortable confines of religious establishment. John the Baptist was filled with faith in God which allowed him to prophetically and boldly proclaim the coming of the Lord and call people to repentance.

It’s time for us to break the mold! In what places in your life is God calling you to break the mold? How is God calling us as a church to break out of the molds that we may find ourselves in? The good news is that if we allow God in Christ to lead us, God will guide us every step of the way. “I want Jesus to walk with me…”