The Man in Black

 

SERMON

John 1:1-18

December 31, 2023 

Well, you wonder why I always dress in black

Why you never see bright colors on my back

And why does my appearance seem to have a somber tone

Well, there's a reason for the things that I have on 

… I wear the black for the poor and the beaten down

Livin' in the hopeless, hungry side of town

I wear it for the prisoner who has long paid for his crime

But is there because he's a victim of the times 

… I wear the black for those who've never read

Or listened to the words that Jesus said

About the road to happiness through love and charity

Why, you'd think He's talking straight to you and me 

… I wear it for the sick and lonely old

For the reckless ones whose bad trip left them cold

I wear the black in mournin' for the lives that could have been

Each week we lose a hundred fine young men 

… Well, there's things that never will be right, I know

And things need changin' everywhere you go

But 'til we start to make a move to make a few things right

You'll never see me wear a suit of white

“The Man in Black” was written and recorded by singer-songwriter Johnny Cash in 1971. The lyrics of the song were intended as a protest against the treatment of the poor by wealthy politicians, the mass incarceration of the marginalized, and the tragedy of the Vietnam War. Fifty-two years later Cash’s words are still filled with relevance in the face of a world that is beset by unending suffering of the poor and the oppressed, the detention and rejection of men, women, and children yearning to find refuge and a new home in places that offer safety and hope, and the increasing terror of violence and war.

The need for a “Man in Black” persists.

Of course, the man in black represents the Light of Christ. A light that embodies God’s message intended for all. A light brought to us through the incarnation, the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ. A light that proclaims an unending message of hope and peace. 

The light of Christ is an extraordinary light. And whether we know it or not it is also a light that shines in each and every one of our hearts. It is God’s gift of light given to us at birth.

If only we realized the stunning importance of that light that shines deep within us. If only we felt called to shine our gift of light brightly to all we encounter. If only through the gift of our light we could become angels, messengers, of hope and peace. If only we could use our light to be “the man in black.”

Thomas Merton powerfully recounts finding this light that shines within us all in his book “Conjectures of a Guilty Bystander.” In one of its many reflective passages he writes, “In Louisville, at the corner of Fourth and Walnut, in the center of the shopping district, I was suddenly overwhelmed with the realization that I loved all these people, that they were mine and I theirs, that we could not be alien to one another even though we were total strangers.”

Later in the same passage he writes, “Then it was as if I suddenly saw the secret beauty of their hearts…the person that each one is in God’s eyes…At the center of our being is a point of nothingness which is untouched by sin, by illusion, a point of pure truth, a point or spark which belongs entirely to God…this little point…is the pure glory of God in us…it is like a pure diamond, blazing with the invisible light of heaven…it is in everybody, and if we could see it we would see these billions of points of light coming together…that would make all the cruelty of life vanish completely.”

Merton’s point of nothingness, a pure diamond blazing with the invisible light of heaven, and Johnny Cash’s man in black embody an identical message. We are all called to bring the Light of Christ into a world that is torn asunder by poverty, violence, terrorism, and war. 

Both Merton and Cash, each brilliant in their own way, each gifted in a uniquely powerful medium, boldly express the power that Christ’s light can have as it shines from that little point in our hearts, from that pure glory of God, into the lives of those who are suffering and oppressed. Their message to us is clear; we are all called to bring forth from our hearts the light of Christ. We are all called to be the Man in Black. We are all called to be one among a billion points of light. We are all called to heal a hurting world. 

In today’s collect we pray: Almighty God, you have poured upon us the new light of your incarnate Word: Grant that this light enkindled in our hearts, may shine through in our lives.

And then, in the exquisite opening hymn of John’s gospel, we hear the words “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God, and the Word was God…What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.”

“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.” God’s promise that the darkness need not and indeed will not overcome because through the incarnation, the light created by God at the beginning of time will prevail.

In Genesis 1:3 God commanded, “Let there be light;” and “…there was light. And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness.” In John’s gospel Jesus proclaims, “He who follows me will not walk in the darkness but will have the light of life” (8:12). 

Thomas Merton writes, “this little point…is the pure glory of God in us…it is like a pure diamond, blazing with the invisible light of heaven…it is in everybody, and if we could see it, we would see these billions of points of light coming together…that would make all the cruelty of life vanish completely.”

As we approach Epiphany, we experience once again the sudden and amazing realization that in the birth of the baby Jesus God is made manifest to us.  The Christ child is God incarnate. The gift of the Christ child is the gift of God’s light made manifest to us. A light that we quickly come to realize as our light, as well. A light that has the power to separate the light from the darkness. A light that has the power to create a beam of hope that guides the world to a way of peace and love. 

Johnny Cash’s words are so important.

… Well, there's things that never will be right, I know
And things need changin' everywhere you go
But 'til we start to make a move to make a few things right

You'll never see me wear a suit of white. 

And so, this morning we pray:

Almighty God, you have poured upon us the new light of your incarnate Word: Grant that this light enkindled in our hearts, may shine through in our lives. AMEN