Truth or Fiction: Position verse the Righteous One

Sermon for Advent 2 cycle a  Truth or Fiction  Position verse the Righteous One  December 8-9, 2007  CtK

Greeting

I’m not sure John the Baptist would have made it at Grace Lutheran in Miami Springs.

          The church was always open to God’s calling and suggestions from the synod, but, I don’t think they would have handled John the Baptist all that well.

          For the congregation who called pastors without an interview – John . . ..

Not because the church was so upper middle class that John wouldn’t have fit in.

          More because these faithful people liked their faith well neat.

I already shared the story of the woman in our pew who said O Lord in the sermon

          We didn’t do things that way at Grace.

          You sat there quietly – maybe you nodded

          That’s it!

You were expected to have neat clothes and combed hair.  (and not to comb hair in church)

So can you imagine the response if John the Baptist had stepped into the pulpit?

          It would have been like the caveman from the TV commercials

          There would have been quiet murmuring

          Odd looks to the left & right.

The murmuring would have soared when John began to preach

          The good people at Grace were not used to being insulted from the pulpit

          You brood of vipers  - How do you like that starting out call the people snakes!

One preacher put the sermon this way

"What do you think you're doing slithering down here to the river? Do you think that a little water on your snake skins is going to make any difference? It's your life that's got to change, not your skin! If your life is changed, people will be able to tell. You'll bear fruit. And don't think you can pull rank because you are a descendant of Abraham. Descendants of Abraham are a dime a dozen. God can take these rocks and make them into descendants of Abraham. What matters is your life. Is your life green? Is it bearing fruit? Because if it is deadwood, then it goes into the fire. Repent! The kingdom of heaven is near."

There must be something to this prophet in the wilderness

          While only 2 gospels record Jesus birth, all 4 report on John.

Not only is John out in the wilderness preaching – we are told that people were coming out to hear him. 

          Luke reports crowds were coming

          Matthew Reports – the people of Jerusalem and all Judea

                   He then notes in particular the Pharisees and Sadducees

I need to note that I think there is a translation error here.

          The word in verse 7 that is translated “for”  They were coming for baptism

                   Could also mean against.

          I believe, based on my study that Matthew was making clear the leaders of the day’s opposition to the Jesus

John’s reaction to their presence if we accept the word for as for would be that they were hypocritical – that wasn’t the case – they were just so legalistic and graceless

If as I would argue they were coming out to oppose all John stood for his words make sense

          You brood of vipers!

This would have carried with it quite the insult

          It would be offspring of snakes -  Or for this setting – the illegitimate offspring .. .

Let’s did deeper – why would this be such an insult?

          This was a culture and faith where your lineage was everything!

          Your status in society and a person of faith was determined by your birth

          Remember Matthew is the Gospel that focuses on providing the entire family tree for J

Some writing around 5 BC report that new born vipers chewed their way out of their mother’s wombs, in the process killing the mothers.

Calling the Pharisees and Sadducees the illegitimate offspring of snakes and mother killers would have been the most offensive insult possible in the day.

For the Jewish people – their hope rested in their lineage

          They were God’s chosen people because of their birth

          Their claim to the promised land was part of that lineage

          Their being right with Almighty God was directly connected to their birth order.

So their position in society, their position before God – was determined by birth.

John carries this image through with his talk of the ax at the root.

          If they weren’t living faithfully, it wouldn’t matter who their ancestors, roots were. 

John was calling everyone to righteous living. 

          After all what John was preparing everyone for was the Righteous One. 

How do you prepare for the Righteous One

          John would say by repentance – literally translated turning around when you are headed the wrong direction. 

          John’s choice of words isn’t repent once and you are done –

                   His is translated repent and continue repenting.

As we journey in Advent we need to be aware of the fiction of position

          It is still alive and well – it is flourishing in our world.

Example:  Glenn – Military Intelligence – West Sider “not from around here”

          Position plays out in many other ways too – doesn’t it?

          What we get, how respected we are?

                   Isn’t position the reason why we are so mystified with British royalty?

                   Why we want to read about the stars in Hollywood?

The Truth we need to cling to in these days of Advent is the Righteous One

          In the clinging, John who points to Jesus calls us to repentance.

Perhaps the best and simplest definition of "repentance" I've read comes from Richard Jensen in Touched by the Spirit. He also relates it to baptism.

The daily baptismal experience has many names. It may be called repentance. Unfortunately, repentance is often understood as an "I can" experience. "I am sorry for my sins. I can do better. I can please you, God." So often we interpret repentance as our way of turning to God. That cannot be. Christianity is not about an individual turning to God. Christianity is about God turning to us.

In repenting, therefore, we ask the God who has turned towards us, buried us in baptism and raised us to new life, to continue his work of putting us to death. Repentance is an "I can't" experience. To repent is to volunteer for death. Repentance asks that the "death of self" which God began to work in us in baptism continue to this day. The repentant person comes before God saying, "I can't do it myself, God. Kill me and give me new life. You buried me in baptism. Bury me again today. Raise me to a new life." That is the language of repentance. Repentance is a daily experience that renews our baptism. [p. 49]

May your days of preparing bring you closer to God, who longs to receive you and give you the kingdom.