Advent 3 C
Posted on Sun 13 December 2015 in misc
Zephaniah 3:14-20, Isaiah 12:2-6, Philippians 4:4-7, Luke 3:7-18
Some days you’re the axe, and some days you’re the tree. (I was going to start with, “some days you feel like an axe,” but I thought you might have misheard me.) Depending on how you’re feeling today, you might hear today’s readings as either hopeful…or scary.
Today’s readings challenge our stereotypes of the Bible a little because we hear two hopeful, life—giving passages from the Old Testament, and then turn to the Gospel and hear about snakes. “You brood of vipers!”
John the Baptist is showing some tough love to folks that apparently willingly came out to hear him preach. And he calls them snakes. Then he warns them to bear fruit worthy of repentance. And then he tells them about the axe. The axe is lying at the root of the trees; and that every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
I imagine that every man, woman, and child that heard John thought together…”is he talking about me? How’s my tree doing? Is it bearing fruit?” Hm. And just in case any there thought they could get off easy, John anticipates their responses by saying, “Don’t 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.” In other words, your particular blood line does not let you off the hook for bearing fruit, for repenting, for doing the right thing. You don’t get off the hook based on what your last name is, based on what church you belong to, based on which political party you are registered to…whatever…you are required to repent and bear fruit.
No exceptions. And the ax is lying at the root of the tree.
At this point, everyone listening to John probably wished that he had just recited some nice passages from the Hebrew scriptures instead of bringing this message about judgment, repentance, stones, and fruit. Oh, and axes!
But John just brings it. You know those people who love to tell the truth bluntly without worrying about whether it’s nice or not? That’s John. And…he’s right! God creates us, gives us life, calls us for a reason…it’s to bear fruit, not to rest on our laurels.
All the baptized are called to be co-workers in the Kingdom. To bear fruit.
Fine, you might say…if I were a little more secure, then I could bear fruit…if I just knew more about the Bible, then I could bear fruit…if my parents had brought me to church more, then I could bear fruit…if I didn’t have to be so busy, then I could bear more fruit. Ah, see? We have excuses, too. Have you ever used one of those? I have.
If I were just…this—-whatever ‘this’ is…God could use me. Well, guess what? If you were a stone God could use you.
Whatever your excuse is, whether you feel like a tree ready to bear fruit, or a tree ready to get the axe, God can bring new life though you. God can bring new life through rocks.
When those descendants of Abraham first heard John say that God could raise up new children from stones, it was probably pretty offensive for them to hear. It’s like finding out that the whole world doesn’t quite think you’re as special as your mom says you are. I mean, if God can do great things with a bunch of rocks, that kind of bursts my special bubble. But, when the call to repent, to turn and bear fruit seems impossible…when you hit a dead end, trapped between a rock and a hard place…when you find yourself feeling about as good as a bunch of stones, it will be good news to know that God raises up rocks.
“What, then, should we do?” That’s what the crowd asked John the Baptist. Apparently his message got through to them. But John’s answers to their questions are — and I guess we should have seen coming — surprising.
They asked, ‘what should we do,’ and I would have expected a great call to go out to the ends of the earth and right every wrong…I mean, wouldn’t that be bearing great fruit? Solve world peace. Go to the moon, go cure cancer. Instead John answers, “if you have two coats, share one with your neighbor. Oh, and if you have extra food, just, yeah, do that same thing, but with food instead of coats.”
That’s an anticlimactic answer.
Tax collectors ask, ‘what should we do?’ And John responds, ‘collect no more than the amount prescribed for you.’ In other words, do you regular job without cheating.
Soldiers ask him, ‘what should we do?’ And John responds, ‘do not extort money by threats or false accusation.’ In other words, do you regular job, without greed or abuse.
John doesn’t tell them to live a different life. He tells them to live their own life differently. Tax collectors and soldiers would not have been popular jobs at the time. And based on his habit of speaking the truth to power, John had to suspect that a solider just might just be the end of him. But still, he doesn’t tell them to change jobs…to quit their day job and join the Peace Corps, or go to seminary…he tells them to live the life that they already have, but to do it with generosity and concern for others. To bear fruit in the ground in which they are already planted.
See, what John could see about the Kingdom was the real power that drew people out into the wilderness to hear him preaching, even when he preached tough love. His message was this: the Kingdom of God is near. It was near to them. It is near to us.
And so is our mission…not in some land of ‘should haves,’ excuses, or hypotheticals but right here and now. In our lives, close to us. Within reach. Sometimes even as simple as sharing an extra coat with someone who has none.
The Kingdom of God is as near as you and I, in our lives, today, tomorrow, bearing fruit, doing the right thing wherever we are.
Bear fruit worthy of repentance. God demands it. But don’t worry, God makes fruit out of stones.