Philippians
4:4-7
4 Rejoice in the Lord always;
again I will say, Rejoice. 5 Let your gentleness
be known to everyone. The Lord is near. 6 Do not worry about
anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let
your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of
God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds
in Christ Jesus.
Luke
3:7-18
7 John said to the crowds
that came out to be baptized by him, "You brood of vipers! Who warned you
to flee from the wrath to come? 8 Bear fruits worthy of
repentance. Do not begin to say to yourselves, "We have Abraham as our
ancestor'; for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children
to Abraham. 9 Even now the ax is lying at the root of the trees; every tree therefore
that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire." 10 And the crowds asked him,
"What then should we do?" 11 In reply he said to them,
"Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none; and whoever
has food must do likewise." 12 Even tax collectors came to
be baptized, and they asked him, "Teacher, what should we do?" 13 He said to them,
"Collect no more than the amount prescribed for you." 14 Soldiers also asked him,
"And we, what should we do?" He said to them, "Do not extort
money from anyone by threats or false accusation, and be satisfied with your
wages." 15 As the people were filled with expectation, and all were questioning in
their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Messiah, 16 John answered all of them
by saying, "I baptize you with water; but one who is more powerful than I
is coming; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandals. He will baptize
you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 17 His winnowing fork is in
his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his
granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire." 18 So, with many other exhortations,
he proclaimed the good news to the people.
And the crowds asked him, "What then should we do?"
·
Years ago, when I was a member of
another congregation, we went to the Christmas Eve service at the church. When
we went in and got seated, we noticed that the altar was not set, that the
candles were missing, that the big altar book was gone, and the pastor was not
vested.
·
The pastor began to ask if people
were ready for Christmas. Many said “Yes”, but one woman said “No”, and the
pastor responded with “That’s a good confession!” After some explanation of how
the church was not prepared for Christmas either, he gathered all the children
in the congregation and had them form a line from the pastor’s office to the
altar. While he vested, the children set the altar with the candles, the big
book, and the Communion vessels. Then the church was ready and the service
began.
·
I’m not going to ask if any of us are
ready for Christmas in the usual sense. I’d have to be the first to confess
that I’m nowhere near ready. But there’s “ready” and there’s “ready.” I’d
rather not discuss shopping, decorating, wrapping, cleaning, baking, and all
the other frenzied activities this season brings. I rather look at what John
the Baptizer is saying to the people who came to hear him preach.
·
John is not described in Luke’s
Gospel, but we can imagine him as he is described in Matthew and Mark: the wild
desert figure clothed in camel’s hair and a leather belt, eating grasshoppers
and honey, shouting his message of repentance and preparation. Still and all,
he is a very practical preacher. When asked "What then should we
do?", he responds with very down-to-earth prescriptions: give
your second coat to the one who needs it; share your lunch with a hungry
person; stay where you are and do your job without arrogance and selfishness.
Eminently practical advice, considering that the preacher is dressed like the
prophets of old and has been living on bugs and desert honey.
·
So here we are, almost half-way
through December and well into the season of Advent… and are we prepared?
·
Have we taken any notice of the
Scripture readings and their message? Are we willing to be “winnowed” and have
the wheat and the chaff within us separated?
·
It would do us good to remember that
there is both wheat and chaff in all of us. Our Lutheran tradition tells us
that we are both justified and sinful at the same time. A more recent writer, Aleksandr
Solzhenitsyn said this about human nature: “If only it were all so simple!
If only there were evil people somewhere insidiously committing evil deeds, and
it were necessary only to separate them from the rest of us and destroy them.
But the line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every human
being.”
·
John goes on to tell his listeners
that one is coming “who is more powerful than I” who will burn off the chaff
from everyone.
·
This sounds frightening, but it
really can be seen as good news. Purification will come to each person. The
evil in each of us will be burned away by the “unquenchable fire”
that John spoke of, which could be taken as a term for the sort of fire that
will not be put out until it has accomplished its purpose. And we all know that
fire can hurt.
·
Last week, we heard the words of the
prophet Isaiah telling us that “all flesh shall see the salvation of God”
once the rough ways are made smooth, the crooked way straight, and the
mountains and valleys taken care of. We’ve applied this to John the Baptizer
and his preaching. He is the one preparing the way for Jesus.
·
His words ring in our ears even
today, telling us not only prepare the way but even how to prepare the way. For
John, the time was short and he couldn’t pull any punches. He would offer
direction and advice and tell his listeners just what repentance would look
like in their own circumstances.
·
We can’t tell another person how to
repent, just as we can’t tell another how to prepare. We all have our own ways
and styles and situations in which we live. Yet, John the Baptizer’s word to
the penitent people are just as true for us. Hear the words of the prophets and
the good news; share what we can; continue to live in justice according to our
own life path; do what is ours to do in humility and gratitude.
·
On the church calendar, this Sunday
is called “Gaudate Sunday” or the
Sunday of Rejoicing. In times past, it
was an up-beat break from the fasting done in preparation for the celebration
of Christmas. Part of our own preparation might be joy as we anticipate and get
ready for the soon-to-be-upon-us festival. We’ve heard what John the Baptizer
has to say about preparation and repentance. Now hear what the Apostle Paul
says about our attitude as we prepare in prayer and hope for both the
celebration of Jesus’ birth and his eventual return.
·
Rejoice in the Lord
always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to everyone.
The Lord is near. Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and
supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the
peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and
your minds in Christ Jesus.
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