The Message
December 13, 2009
The Rev. Peg True
Zephaniah 3:14-20; Luke 3:7-18; (Luke 1:1-24)
We just heard and saw the story of John’s birth, and what fits this season better than such a new beginning? Today we will consider the story of John, known to us as John the Baptist, who was born a special child. An angel predicted his birth to a mother beyond child bearing age. Sound familiar? The same was true of Isaac born to Sarah and Abraham centuries before. So we know John was chosen from the start.
He was six months older than his cousin, Jesus, and his mother, Elizabeth, was the relative that Mary searched out when she found she was pregnant as a young teenager. So the lives of John and Jesus were intertwined from the beginning.
We don’t hear about John again until he is a man living in the wilderness. Then he is called to preach. And he did – preach. He knew how to get people’s attention. Listen to Luke Ch.3:7-18:
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? 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. 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.”
And the crowds asked him, “What then should we do?” In reply he said to them, “Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none; and whoever has food must do likewise.” Even tax collectors came to be baptized, and they asked him, “Teacher, what should we do?” He said to them, “Collect no more than the amount prescribed for you.” Soldiers also asked him, “And we, what should we do?’” He said to them, ”Do not extort money from anyone by threats, and be satisfied with your wages.”
As the people were filled with expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Messiah, 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. 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.”
So with many other exhortations, he proclaimed the good news to the people.
John the Baptist preached good news to the people – a gospel of repentance for the forgiveness of sins – in preparation for the Messiah, the one who was and is and is to come. It is like the message of Zephaniah that we heard, a message of salvation and joy, of a time when every evil will be abolished and God’s righteousness will be established. He talks about what happens when we truly live life with God here among us, with us, in us, a time of great peace - even if he began by calling the crowd a brood of vipers!
John’s message was one that was direct and simple – what you have been no longer matters. It’s what you are from now on that counts. It does not matter if you have been a solid person, a child of Abraham – your past goodness will not save you now. It does not matter if you have been a scoundrel – your past sinfulness will not bar you from salvation now. Actions tell who are people of God not bloodlines – children of Abraham are not automatically included – others not automatically excluded.
Repent now you who are both good and bad – and receive the harvest of God. Repent – turn around – refocus, reorient your life, acknowledging God’s goodness and your need – and the salvation of the Holy Spirit will be yours.
This kind of message always stirs people up – all but the hardest of heart – but then we are left with the question, like those who listened to John, we ask, “What then shall we do?” There is nothing to grasp, nothing to do with the phrase - repent and turn around. We can look inward and decide what we need to change but that is only half of turning around – actions are the other half.
Last week when David was talking about turning our lives around I immediately personalized looking inward, the first part of repentance, to my Niece. As some of you know Maria died the end of October, probably from drugs – the autopsy results aren’t back yet. She was 42, an adopted child whose birth mother was an alcoholic. Maria had Fetal Alcohol Effect, meaning she never understood the possible effects of her decisions. Cause and effect just weren’t there. She was influenced by drugs for over 20 years and managed to leave them behind twice – turned her life around. Both times were in extensive rehab programs. I don’t believe she ever really felt God’s presence in her life, or if so, it was brief – she could not maintain the actions necessary to really turn herself around. That’s what all our lives are like – except we don’t so obviously harm ourselves and others – As we work again and again to turn ourselves around we know we have God among us as we try to sustain our efforts to do as John asks.
John’s ethical injunctions to the crowd are notable in their modesty and their clarity – share what you have – play fair in your dealings with others – and don’t use your power unjustly. It is interesting that tax collectors, who were sinners by definition, and soldiers who were almost all gentiles were included as ones who could respond to the Gospel with true repentance, and change their lives in accord with their salvation. Everyone was included in John’s challenge.
But however modest John’s suggestions are – they certainly are not easy – sharing what we have with those who have nothing is not just doling out some money now and then. It means living simply enough, one coat instead of two, so that those who have none will be covered. Do you have two coats? Who here does not?
It’s hard to keep standards of simplicity in a society which considers number and quality of possessions a primary indictor of success. It’s hard to be aware that there is need around us and keep life simple as we make shopping lists, look online and in the mall for the latest and best to bestow on our friends and relatives. We are now deep into the bustle and rush of Christmas 2009, won’t writing a check be enough? Apparently not – it must be a lifelong commitment.
It is also hard to play fair, not cheat when we get a chance – especially if we won’t get caught. This is not just money but words, painting ourselves just a little better than we are – claiming a little more for ourselves than is our due. We’ve seen two extreme national examples of publicity seeking going to extremes this fall – the balloon incident in Co and the State Dinner crashing several weeks ago. It’s hard to be content with what we have – to be fair in our dealings with others – even when people aren’t watching – to help others get their fair share even if it means giving up the lion’s share for ourselves. It is difficult to give up our pride and power and, under God, to hold ourselves equal with our sisters and brothers – equal in our salvation. But this is what the message of the gospel is all about.
I had the equality of all brought home to me by a scruffy man who rang the doorbell early one Sunday morning at my church in downtown Baltimore. There were a lot of street people in that part of the city. It was a man who said he’d just gotten out of the hospital two blocks away and was diabetic and needed money for insulin. He showed me his card and prescriptions. My first inclination was to say no – but then I thought – what if he was telling the truth and my actions put him back in the hospital or worse. So I told him I’d walk to the drug store with him and buy him insulin if his card was legitimate. We walked down the street together and when we got to the Drug Store the druggist knew him and gave him insulin, I bought it. I learned that morning that that ragged man was equal to me in the sight of God – he helped me realize that I could do God’s work but must fight against society’s stigma of other people and my own erroneous perceptions.
The coming of Jesus means we are called to change out lives – John – that wild man from the wilderness who was reported to wear a camel hair coat and eat honey and locusts, asked those who came to hear him to play fair, take no more than is ones due, give to those without and begin today. This challenges the standards of the world. William Sloane Coffin says in all in two sentences, “We don’t have to be ‘successful,’ only valuable. We don’t have to make money, only a difference, and particularly in the lives society counts least and puts last.”
We are involved with AFAC, helping feed some people that society puts last. When food is given to those who are hungry all sorts of questions arise, questions that are insulting and degrading – Are they really hungry? Are they truly in need? Are they legal? Do they deserve our care? Are they lazy? In the standard of the gospel giving is the thing and hunger is its own justification. It is the standard of the world that judges those who are poor, homeless, hungry or sick.
Honesty and fairness - sharing and kindness, love and justice when lived out daily, challenge the principalities and power of the world – and they may react with anger and oppression and violence.
John was shut up in prison by Herod and later beheaded – an ominous precursor of Jesus’ fate. Goodness is always opposed by evil – and the good news is always met with ridicule or hostility in the world and even in ourselves. What then shall we do?
When we do as we are called we cannot expect reward in the world – but a life of goodness is its own reward – for it reflects the glory of the one who came to be with us, among us and in us. This is our challenge for Advent as we wait and make ready – this is the challenge of our lives – God walking with us as we turn around.
May it be so. Amen
The Rev. Peg True
Zephaniah 3:14-20; Luke 3:7-18; (Luke 1:1-24)
We just heard and saw the story of John’s birth, and what fits this season better than such a new beginning? Today we will consider the story of John, known to us as John the Baptist, who was born a special child. An angel predicted his birth to a mother beyond child bearing age. Sound familiar? The same was true of Isaac born to Sarah and Abraham centuries before. So we know John was chosen from the start.
He was six months older than his cousin, Jesus, and his mother, Elizabeth, was the relative that Mary searched out when she found she was pregnant as a young teenager. So the lives of John and Jesus were intertwined from the beginning.
We don’t hear about John again until he is a man living in the wilderness. Then he is called to preach. And he did – preach. He knew how to get people’s attention. Listen to Luke Ch.3:7-18:
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? 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. 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.”
And the crowds asked him, “What then should we do?” In reply he said to them, “Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none; and whoever has food must do likewise.” Even tax collectors came to be baptized, and they asked him, “Teacher, what should we do?” He said to them, “Collect no more than the amount prescribed for you.” Soldiers also asked him, “And we, what should we do?’” He said to them, ”Do not extort money from anyone by threats, and be satisfied with your wages.”
As the people were filled with expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Messiah, 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. 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.”
So with many other exhortations, he proclaimed the good news to the people.
John the Baptist preached good news to the people – a gospel of repentance for the forgiveness of sins – in preparation for the Messiah, the one who was and is and is to come. It is like the message of Zephaniah that we heard, a message of salvation and joy, of a time when every evil will be abolished and God’s righteousness will be established. He talks about what happens when we truly live life with God here among us, with us, in us, a time of great peace - even if he began by calling the crowd a brood of vipers!
John’s message was one that was direct and simple – what you have been no longer matters. It’s what you are from now on that counts. It does not matter if you have been a solid person, a child of Abraham – your past goodness will not save you now. It does not matter if you have been a scoundrel – your past sinfulness will not bar you from salvation now. Actions tell who are people of God not bloodlines – children of Abraham are not automatically included – others not automatically excluded.
Repent now you who are both good and bad – and receive the harvest of God. Repent – turn around – refocus, reorient your life, acknowledging God’s goodness and your need – and the salvation of the Holy Spirit will be yours.
This kind of message always stirs people up – all but the hardest of heart – but then we are left with the question, like those who listened to John, we ask, “What then shall we do?” There is nothing to grasp, nothing to do with the phrase - repent and turn around. We can look inward and decide what we need to change but that is only half of turning around – actions are the other half.
Last week when David was talking about turning our lives around I immediately personalized looking inward, the first part of repentance, to my Niece. As some of you know Maria died the end of October, probably from drugs – the autopsy results aren’t back yet. She was 42, an adopted child whose birth mother was an alcoholic. Maria had Fetal Alcohol Effect, meaning she never understood the possible effects of her decisions. Cause and effect just weren’t there. She was influenced by drugs for over 20 years and managed to leave them behind twice – turned her life around. Both times were in extensive rehab programs. I don’t believe she ever really felt God’s presence in her life, or if so, it was brief – she could not maintain the actions necessary to really turn herself around. That’s what all our lives are like – except we don’t so obviously harm ourselves and others – As we work again and again to turn ourselves around we know we have God among us as we try to sustain our efforts to do as John asks.
John’s ethical injunctions to the crowd are notable in their modesty and their clarity – share what you have – play fair in your dealings with others – and don’t use your power unjustly. It is interesting that tax collectors, who were sinners by definition, and soldiers who were almost all gentiles were included as ones who could respond to the Gospel with true repentance, and change their lives in accord with their salvation. Everyone was included in John’s challenge.
But however modest John’s suggestions are – they certainly are not easy – sharing what we have with those who have nothing is not just doling out some money now and then. It means living simply enough, one coat instead of two, so that those who have none will be covered. Do you have two coats? Who here does not?
It’s hard to keep standards of simplicity in a society which considers number and quality of possessions a primary indictor of success. It’s hard to be aware that there is need around us and keep life simple as we make shopping lists, look online and in the mall for the latest and best to bestow on our friends and relatives. We are now deep into the bustle and rush of Christmas 2009, won’t writing a check be enough? Apparently not – it must be a lifelong commitment.
It is also hard to play fair, not cheat when we get a chance – especially if we won’t get caught. This is not just money but words, painting ourselves just a little better than we are – claiming a little more for ourselves than is our due. We’ve seen two extreme national examples of publicity seeking going to extremes this fall – the balloon incident in Co and the State Dinner crashing several weeks ago. It’s hard to be content with what we have – to be fair in our dealings with others – even when people aren’t watching – to help others get their fair share even if it means giving up the lion’s share for ourselves. It is difficult to give up our pride and power and, under God, to hold ourselves equal with our sisters and brothers – equal in our salvation. But this is what the message of the gospel is all about.
I had the equality of all brought home to me by a scruffy man who rang the doorbell early one Sunday morning at my church in downtown Baltimore. There were a lot of street people in that part of the city. It was a man who said he’d just gotten out of the hospital two blocks away and was diabetic and needed money for insulin. He showed me his card and prescriptions. My first inclination was to say no – but then I thought – what if he was telling the truth and my actions put him back in the hospital or worse. So I told him I’d walk to the drug store with him and buy him insulin if his card was legitimate. We walked down the street together and when we got to the Drug Store the druggist knew him and gave him insulin, I bought it. I learned that morning that that ragged man was equal to me in the sight of God – he helped me realize that I could do God’s work but must fight against society’s stigma of other people and my own erroneous perceptions.
The coming of Jesus means we are called to change out lives – John – that wild man from the wilderness who was reported to wear a camel hair coat and eat honey and locusts, asked those who came to hear him to play fair, take no more than is ones due, give to those without and begin today. This challenges the standards of the world. William Sloane Coffin says in all in two sentences, “We don’t have to be ‘successful,’ only valuable. We don’t have to make money, only a difference, and particularly in the lives society counts least and puts last.”
We are involved with AFAC, helping feed some people that society puts last. When food is given to those who are hungry all sorts of questions arise, questions that are insulting and degrading – Are they really hungry? Are they truly in need? Are they legal? Do they deserve our care? Are they lazy? In the standard of the gospel giving is the thing and hunger is its own justification. It is the standard of the world that judges those who are poor, homeless, hungry or sick.
Honesty and fairness - sharing and kindness, love and justice when lived out daily, challenge the principalities and power of the world – and they may react with anger and oppression and violence.
John was shut up in prison by Herod and later beheaded – an ominous precursor of Jesus’ fate. Goodness is always opposed by evil – and the good news is always met with ridicule or hostility in the world and even in ourselves. What then shall we do?
When we do as we are called we cannot expect reward in the world – but a life of goodness is its own reward – for it reflects the glory of the one who came to be with us, among us and in us. This is our challenge for Advent as we wait and make ready – this is the challenge of our lives – God walking with us as we turn around.
May it be so. Amen
posted by David Ensign at
7:05 AM
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