Sermon for December 12

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of our hearts be acceptable in your sight, O LORD, our strength and our redeemer. Amen

Don’t you just love those GPS systems in your car or truck. Just put in an address and it will calculate the way to get there. A voice comes on and it directs you to turn left here or in a mile down the road turn right. Depending on the system you might have, it will calculate the shortest route or the quickest route, depending on traffic at the time. It’s simply amazing. And every so often a voice will come from the system that tells me, “Repent!” Has yours done that? It’s the GPS telling me I’ve missed my turn. It actually says something like “In half a mile, make a lawful U-turn and make a left on Sand Hill Road.” It says I have to turn around if I’m going to get to my destination.

When I was seven or eight years old, when I did something wrong, I would always say “I’m sorry.” And after a while, my mother told me that she knew I was sorry, but when was I going to change my ways? Just being sorry without changing my ways just wasn’t going to cut it.

John the Baptist was a prophet; he came to announce that the Messiah was coming—his most important message. However, he also had another message—a message of preparation. “Repent. Repent.” And John baptized. The crowds came out to be baptized. His baptism represented a change of heart, which includes sorrow for sin and a determination to lead a holy life. It was a baptism of repentance—one that represented a change in one’s life or way of thinking and living. The baptism commanded by Christ is one in which the water is made holy by the Holy Spirit, and it gives eternal salvation to all who believe. It is declared such by the words and promise of God.
Today, the third Sunday of Advent, we lit the joy candle. Today in our Advent worship, we are to express joy and praise in our responses and song. But we read the gospel and we hear things like “You brood of vipers! Who told you to run from the rage and fury that is to come? Just because you are descendants of Abraham doesn’t make you anything. God can make descendants of Abraham from these very stones! Every tree that doesn’t produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire!

Now does that sound like joy and a reason for celebrating! But let’s take a few minutes to look at what Luke is really saying concerning John’s remarks. So to do that, let’s begin by looking at the closing statement and work backward to the beginning to make some sense of it. Something that would drive a GPS system nuts.

St. Luke writes: “So, with many other exhortations, he proclaimed the good news to the people.” John was letting them have it—fire and brimstone, judgement and hell. But Luke writes he proclaimed the good news. Where is the good news in this reading?

John gives an example of the thresher at the granary. The thresher (Jesus) is to separate the wheat from the chaff. The wheat he will kept and the chaff he will burn. I would imagine we would normally interpret that to mean the separation of good and bad people with the bad people going to heaven and the bad going to the fires of hell. I would challenge you to think that the kernel of wheat is us and we are wrapped with the chaff of sin and self-centeredness. Jesus, the thresher is attempting to separate us from the chaff. We have to change our ways, repent from our sinful ways and change our way of thinking, and therefore our ways of relating to and doing things for our neighbor. In our repentance, in our change, Jesus sheds the chaff—throws it away into the fire, so that we may have a right relationship with him and our neighbor.

He was not telling the tax collectors and soldiers that they should quit their jobs. He was simply telling the tax collectors they are not to collect any more than what was due. They received a salary for what they did. He was telling the soldiers not to intimidate the people into giving them money. They, too, received a salary for what they did. They only extorted money because of greed and sin, because they could.

John was telling all his hearers to do the same. Do not take from others what belongs to them. Treat your neighbor (and Jesus would later define who your neighbor is) with love and respect. Do not be greedy.

Most of you have burned a brush or trash pile. What happens shortly after it gets to burning good and the heat builds up? All of the critters that’s been making their homes in there start coming out. The snakes, rabbits, rats, they all make a beeline to somewhere they think is safe. It’s the vermin that run out when the fire gets hot.

The vermin, the vipers, the sinners were the ones that came out to be baptized by John. It was a baptism of repentance and forgiveness. It was for sinners. That’s us. Whether we like that or not we are the sinners who need to be repentant. We are the sinners, the vipers who need forgiveness; the vermin who need to repent. We can be and are sorry for our offenses, but as mama said what good does it do to be sorry if I don’t change?

So, what’s the good news in all this? God the Father sent his Son to us. He sent him to give us an example of the Godly life. He strips away the chaff if we let him. He gives us the opportunity to bear good fruit. All these things John was telling those that came to see him are just good advice on how to treat other people. It’s not bad news.

Paul wrote to the Philippians to rejoice always. The Lord is near. Pray. Pray to God; pray with thanksgiving and joy while letting him know your needs. God’s peace will guard you hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. That is not a promise. That is real. It is real at this time and place.

God wants us to be loving and repentant and respectful of our neighbor because he loves us and so do I! Amen.