He must increase but I must decrease

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Created on Tuesday, 01 June 2010 01:00

Written by Christine Birkett

“He must increase but I must decrease.” John 3:30

By the time you read this it will be June, summer will be with us and we have lots to look forward to and enjoy: weddings, roses, Trooping the Colour, tennis at Wimbledon and strawberry teas. As I write this I have Rogers and Hammerstein’s ‘Carousel’ ringing in my ears.

March went out like a lion awaking up the water in the bay;
Then April cried and stepped aside, and along came pretty little May!
May was full of promises but she didn't keep 'em quickly enough for some.
And the crowd of doubting Thomases was predicting' that the summer'd never come.
But it's comin' by gum, we can feel it come,
You can feel it in your heart, you can see it in the ground
You can see it in the trees, you can smell it in the breeze
Look around! Look around! Look around!
June is bustin' out all over. All over the meadow and the hill!
Buds are bustin' out of bushes and the rompin' river pushes
every little wheel that wheels beside the mill!
June is bustin' out all over… The feelin' is gettin' so intense,
That the young Virginia creepers have been huggin' the bejeepers out of  all the mornin' glories on the fence!
Because it's June … June, June, June.

This is a song of love that celebrates the coming of summer and the days are the longest at this time of the year.
In fact on June 24th we celebrate Midsummer Day and the feast of John the Baptist. The church celebrates the birth of John six months before the birth of Christ, his cousin. John's birth is celebrated as the days begin to grow shorter, Christ's as they grow longer, because it is right that man's reputation should decrease and God's glory increase.

“He must increase but I must decrease.”

John was a prophet who followed the example of previous Hebrew prophets, living austerely, challenging sinful rulers, calling for repentance, and promising God's justice. He is the one who recognized Jesus as the Messiah, and on Jesus' request, baptised him. The baptism marked the beginning of Jesus' ministry.

“He must increase but I must decrease.”

Both were born to women in unusual circumstances: John's mother had been written off as barren and elderly, our Jesus’ mother was a virgin not yet living with her husband. The conception of each was announced by an angel. The two met and recognised each other while still in the womb, and the birth of each was greeted by a throng of confused well-wishers: in John's case the neighbours, in Jesus’ case some nearby shepherds.

He was sent ahead like a best man before the bridegroom. And though John is elder and he comes before, he who comes after will be the greater. John's voice lasted only for a time, but Jesus is the Word which lasts for eternity.

“He must increase but I must decrease.”

John calls us to prepare a way for the Lord who is to come into our hearts; to remove the obstacles of sin by confession and repentance, to straighten the paths of our life that lead us astray from the way of Lord. We, like John the Baptist are called to point to one greater than ourselves, the one by whom all things were made.

“He must increase but I must decrease.”

The above words were stated by John the Baptist when his disciples came to him and said that all men were going to Jesus and being baptised.  John recognised his position in relation to his cousin Jesus and after explaining to his followers what was happening he stated simply,

“He [Jesus] must increase but I must decrease.”

As we approach Midsummer’s day in this wonderful month of June, when the longest days begin to diminish, I would ask you to consider John’s famous statement and ask yourselves how that can apply to us? 

How can Jesus increase in us?  How can we decrease?