Sermon: Advent 3C

Text: Luke 3:7-18

            My wife Sara and I got a postcard in the mail Friday from church near our home. It promised us that if we came to worship, we would get Starbucks coffee and Dunkin Donuts. There was a note letting us know that the church had comfortable, theatre style seating and that some good Christian entertainment would be provided by professional musicians. The last note on the post card was the guarantee that no one would pester us or ask us to do anything. Seeing that I am rather busy on Sunday mornings, I have not had a chance to worship there. Thus, I can’t speak about what happens when you enter doors.

            However, it sounds awfully relaxing. Have some name brand coffee, sit back, and enjoy the show. If only Christianity were so easy; it only if were so comfortable. How nice it would be to sit in a plush chair, sip coffee, and nibble on donuts while world merrily goes by. How wonderful it would be to do all these things while we wait for Jesus to come again.

            It sounds pretty good, doesn’t it? It certainly more appealing than today’s gospel text from Luke. John the Baptist is preaching, and he starts by calling his listeners a “brood of vipers”. He then calls them to repent. He goes on to say that trees that do not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. I don’t know about you, but I don’t like to think of myself as a conniving snake or a fruitless tree. However, I know the power and presence of sin in my life. I know how hard it is to repent. I would rather be comfortable and not reflect on those thoughts, words, and deeds that are hurtful to me or others. At the end of the day, I definitely do not want to consider the ways I do not bear fruit.

            It is because o this that John the Baptist’s words throw me, and I daresay throw all of us, out of our comfort zone. We are called to do more than just sit back and enjoy the ride. God, through people like John the Baptist, calls us to repent and to bear fruit. Today’s gospel text gives us concrete examples of ways to do so.

            John tells the people, when they ask what to do, to share. Give clothing to those who have none, he says. Do the same with food. Do not cheat people; and do not extort, blackmail or harass them. These things, these activities that he mentions, turn us away from thinking only of ourselves. Instead of wondering what else we can do to continue or increase our comfort, God calls us to look at our neighbors, near and far; and consider what we can do to love and serve them. It might look like giving out a plate of food at Feed Your Neighbor or bringing a canned food for Alliance. Maybe it will take the form of giving a crib or warm baby blanket to a new mother or sewing a quilt for Lutheran World Relief. Whatever the case may be, there is a call before us to seek ways to build up our neighbors instead of tearing them down. God calls us to share, every day. We are a people who are to be sharing faithfully and sacrificially. All the while we trust that God will bless our time, talents, and resources and turn them into ministries, outreach, and ways of spreading the gospel.

            These are just some of the things that God calls us to do while we wait for Jesus to come again. In the midst of our waiting, God also calls us to be like John the Baptist.  In today’s gospel text, John immediately tells the people he is not the messiah, but instead points to the one who is. We, too, are to point to Christ in our midst. God does not send us into the world to proclaim ourselves and our greatness. Rather, we go to proclaim Jesus Christ and God’s greatness.

            We point to Christ, who comes to us in Baptism, Communion, and Scripture. We point to Christ, who comes to us in one another, in the community that is gathered. Most certainly, we point to Christ, who promises to come again. 

            The challenge we face when we talk about Christ coming again is that we do talk about judgment. The concept of judgment may frighten us, but listen to what John says in today’s gospel. Jesus is coming to baptize us with Holy Spirit and fire- a purifying fire. The winnowing fork is in his hand and he will separate the wheat from the chaff. The chaff he will burn with an inextinguishable fire.

            It seems to me that John isn’t about some being saved and some being burned up/. Rather, it is an acknowledgement that all of us have some chaff in our lives. We all sin. We all fall short. We all deal with struggles and suffering, and all these things need to be burned away. You see, we are all wheat and chaff. All of us have parts of our lives that need redemption.      The promise we have is that when Christ comes again, the chaff will be no more. The chaff will be burned away with an inextinguishable fire, which means it will never come back. On that day, we will all be wheat; fully and completely wheat!

            Why do I think John is saying that all of us have chaff that needs to be burned away and not talking about some being thrown into the fire? It seems this way, because John speaks to everyone, regardless of who they are, in today’s gospel text and gives them instructions. Mostly, I think it is this way because our gospel today ends with these words: “So, with many other exhortations, he proclaimed the good news to the people”.

            What John is speaking of is good news!  He is sharing the good news of the promise of the coming Christ. He is proclaiming the good news that they day is coming when we will be made pure, clean and whole. He is announcing the good news that the day is coming when sin and death will be no more!

            While we wait for that day, we are to be at work, giving to, sharing with and, loving our neighbor. We are to pointing to Christ in our very midst and proclaim his promise to come again. I’ll be honest. While we wait in this place, we probably won’t have theatre seating. I doubt we’ll ever have Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts just for you. I am certain we’ll never ask you to just sit back and do nothing while we don’t bother you. While all those things sound pretty good, it turns out that the message we hear from today’s gospel – the message we hear throughout scripture - is much more appealing. It may make us uncomfortable, because is speaks of judgment and calls us to activity. However, it is also full of promise and hope. Christ is coming! Christ will make us new! And the chaff will be no more. Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.

© Rev. Todd A. Cutter, 2009.  Please do not distribute or reproduce without permission.