I have to be honest, at first I think it’s hard to see the “good news” that is being proclaimed by John in our gospel today. And I think it’s partly because John is so direct about how he addresses these people who are coming to see him along the Jordan. Maybe it’s because this Sunday in Advent is the Sunday typically associated with the theme of “Joy.” John doesn’t seem to be a very joyful person, does he?
Quick question – how many of us are originally from the Midwest, or descended from folks whose Midwest roots were strong? Any of you heard the term, “Minnesota nice?” I think a part of the reason this text seems so uncomfortable for us is because John is definitely not being Minnesota nice. I’ll be honest, I don’t think I’d be able to get away with starting off my Sunday morning with a greeting of, “Good morning, you brood of vipers!” Seems a little counter-productive toward our intent of being a welcoming space. Maybe I’ll try that sometime during Lent. That seems to be the season I’d be able to get away with it…
But the truth of the matter is, as confrontational as John seems at first, there is also very much good news to be shared within this scripture reading. But because we have trouble moving past how John begins his speaking in the gospel of Luke today, we have trouble really hearing the rest of what John then says. It’s hard for us to get past our own preference for how we receive this good news to truly be able to hear it for what it is.
But if you really pay attention, you notice that good news is taking place. People who normally wouldn’t worry about a random preacher in the wilderness are coming and asking John what they need to do to repent and bear good fruit. The conviction they feel when they hear John speak and learn of his message of repentance results in changes in how they live their lives and relate with others, and that indeed is good news. And it happens in part because John doesn’t beat around the bush. He’s specific. He’s direct. And the people respond.
I wonder, are there truths we need to hear directly today that we otherwise would have trouble perceiving? I wonder, when we soften our language, when we try not to offend, do we sometimes act counter to the will of God? What is our role and responsibility as people of God to both hear and to share challenging words? I personally struggle with this from time to time. I’m called to lead this congregation and use my prophetic voice for the sake of the gospel, but at the same time, I’m called to shepherd a sometimes diverse group of people together in doing God’s work. Which means there are times where speaking truth too bluntly might also fracture the body of Christ. But that tells us a little bit about John and the moment in time that he is in. He’s not worried about fracturing an already established group of believers. He’s concerned about correcting individual behavior on behalf of the whole. John isn’t concerned about long-term relationships. He knows his role isn’t to make people happy, it’s to get people to where they need to be to respond to the one who is to come. John is about preparation. The coming one is the one who is about continuing the relationship.
But again, there are times and seasons where hard truths need to be spoken. Even when Jesus comes onto the scene, there isn’t a whole lot of sugar coating. Jesus will occasionally use parables to give a little bit of a buffer between those who might be offended and the necessary change Jesus is hoping to bring about, but beyond that, it’s rare that Jesus isn’t similarly direct. Because there’s an urgency in his moment, just as there is an urgency for John. John is called to prepare the way – which means sometimes clearing the deck for what needs to come next. I liken John to a consultant who is sent to come in and help an organization get onto the right path. Because this outside consultant doesn’t have to worry about maintaining long term relationships with those in the organization, that consultant is able to be more direct and truthful, just as John is.
But still, there isn’t a lot of joy to John, is there? Still, as Jesus is coming soon to be present with those first wonderers and with us again in this holy season, there is a question. If Jesus is coming to baptize with the Holy Spirit and with fire, if there is to be a separation of wheat and chaff, where does that put us? Do we feel the urgency that John is trying to impart upon us today? Do we feel that need to repent – to try to live in right relationship with others, as John challenges those in the crowds to do today? We are in the season of Advent – a season of preparation. How is it that we are preparing again for the coming Christ child? How is it that this year we are preparing to do things in such a way that we are living in right relationship with our neighbor in this world? Honestly, it isn’t always easy to receive the urgency of our texts today when realistically we feel as if we’re simply repeating the same cycles over and over again.
Family of God, I’ll be honest, at this point in the holiday season, it’s hard not to feel as if we’re simply running on a treadmill, pushing ourselves to get nowhere. Unless we’ve had some sort of major life event, it’s easy to feel as if each Christmas season is much like any other. Same songs on the radio, same decorations on the tree, maybe even the same holiday meal from year to year. It’s hard to feel as if something new is coming into the world when we’ve done this before. And yet, this Advent, I remind you, sometime new is indeed coming. Because every day Christ comes to us new. And the exhortation to be prepared for the coming of the Lord comes to us new every day as well. So I ask you, how do you prepare? What helps you work to be ready for the coming of the Lord? Do you seek to live rightly with your neighbor? Do you remove from yourself the distractions that pull you from recognizing God in your midst right here and now?
People of hope, today I tell you, no matter the chaff in your life, you are called to new life here and now. Because Christ is coming soon, regardless of our own readiness. And when Christ comes, new things come into being, even in the mundane cycles of our world. Today, this day, I encourage you; seek shelter in God. Take the time to be in God’s holy presence in your heart. And in so doing, may you find the re-focus necessary for you to live a life in right relationship with your neighbor, living into the wholeness of the community of God in which we all reside.