Advent 2 –
Series C (December 9, 2018)
“Prepare the
Way of the Lord” (Luke 3:1-20)
Preparations for Christmas are well underway. Buy a tree.
Decorate the tree. Decorate the inside
of the house. Put the lights up outside the house. Have a family photo taken for your Christmas
cards. Mail out your Christmas cards. Bake several batches of Christmas cookies. Attend assorted holiday events and recitals. Clean the house before your family comes over
for dinner. Fix dinner. Run to the airport to pick up mom and dad or
other family members coming from out of town.
I’m exhausted just talking about it.
As joyful as this time of the year is, it also brings
plenty of worry, stress, and anxiety. We
wonder if we are measuring up to our own idea or others’ idea of the ideal
Christmas celebration.
There was plenty of worry and stress for the
people of Israel in the setting of today’s Gospel reading. Look who was in charge. Tiberius Caesar, powerful Roman emperor. His local representative in Judea, the unpopular
Pontius Pilate. The sons of the
murderous Herod the Great ruling over other portions of the land. And the corrupt high priest Caiaphas and his
father-in-law Annas overseeing the religious life of the people.
It was into this context that John the Baptist
came on the scene. John came to make
preparations among the people of Israel … to prepare the way of the Lord. To prepare the people for the arrival of
Jesus. John was the prophet come to be
the precursor of the Messiah. He was preaching
out in the wilderness east of Jerusalem.
This location was a reminder of the wilderness wanderings of the Israelites
after the Exodus. It was away from
Jerusalem, away from the place where the religious leaders had become corrupted
by both power and legalism and who were teaching the people that it was up to
them to measure up to God’s perfect standards by keeping the Law. John’s arrival also fulfilled the prophecies
of Isaiah and Malachi who foretold John’s coming as “The voice of one crying in
the wilderness” … the “messenger” who will “prepare the way” (Is. 40:3; Mal. 3:1).
John also was baptizing in the Jordan River. John could have chosen any body of water in
which to baptize. But the Jordan had
special significance. This was the place
where the Israelites crossed when they entered the Promised Land. So this baptism of repentance that John was
performing signified a new start. He was
calling the people to prepare themselves for the coming of the Messiah by
repenting of their sins. The Savior would
come to make all things new. This
Messiah was born about 30 years prior and was about to begin his public
ministry of teaching, healing, casting out demons, and raising people from the
dead. And he was on his way to the cross
to be, as John later called him, “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the
world.”
Now listen to the first words out of the mouth of
this wilderness preacher: “You brood of vipers!” Talk about winning over your audience. It looks like John never read the book How to Win Friends and Influence People. If I had called you that in my first
sermon here over 18 years ago I don’t think I’d be standing here today. John definitely was not concerned with being popular. He called it like it is. Calling his hearers a brood vipers – the offspring
of poisonous snakes – was equal to calling them children of the devil – the Serpent
who deceived Adam and Eve – rather than the children of God that they thought
they were! John was telling them, “Don’t
think that my splashing some water on you here means that you will automatically
escape God’s wrath. Repent of your sins
as you are baptized and receive God’s forgiveness. And then, bear fruits in keeping with
repentance. Prove by your changed life
that you have truly turned away from your sins and turned toward God in faith. Just as a tree that does not bear good fruit
is cut down and thrown into the fire, even so will you be cut down. And don’t simply rely on your pedigree as ‘children
of Abraham,’ as Jews by birth, that is. God can take these stones that you see on the
ground around you here and make them into children of Abraham.”
How much of John’s words apply to us? Does this describe you and me in any way? Would our life and actions outside of our piety
in church on Sunday make anyone think that we are anything other than a child
of God? Do we think that simply participating
in our rituals here without repentant hearts will give us “fire insurance”? Does our life give evidence that we have turned
aside from our sins and turned toward God in faith and trust? Do we rely on our pedigree? I’ve heard people brag about their family history
as Lutherans, as if their family history defines them and assures them of a
place in God’s kingdom rather than their own confession of faith in Christ.
As you hear John’s words today, remember that you
have already been baptized with a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of
sins. And the baptism you received was
even greater and more powerful than John’s baptism. It happened after the resurrection of Jesus
and after the pouring out of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost. You were baptized with the Holy Spirit … a
powerful, effective, life-giving washing of renewal and regeneration. You were brought out of the wilderness of separation
from God and brought into his family, into his kingdom. Your sins were washed away and the
forgiveness Jesus earned for you at the cross was personally applied to you. You are not a brood of vipers but you are God’s
precious lambs. You were branded with
the name of the Triune God. Although you
were previous spiritually dead – as dead as a stone – God has raised you up and
made you a child of Abraham, with the same faith that Abraham had … faith that
declares you righteous. You are not cut down,
but you are grafted into God’s tree and united with Jesus, the Righteous Branch
sent forth from the Father. You are his
fruitful wheat that he will gather into his barn on the Last Day.
So what about the question that the people in the
crowd asked? “What then shall we do?” Now that we’ve been told to turn from our
sins and be ready for the coming of the Savior, now what? What does it mean to bear good fruit? To those who apparently had neglected the
needs of the poor, John says, “Share your clothes and food with them.” To tax collectors who were notorious for cheating
people by charging them more than they owed and pocketing the extra, John says,
“Don’t do that anymore. Be honest.” To soldiers who were known to shake people
down by asking for bribes after threating them and making false accusations,
and who griped about their pay, John says, “Knock it off. And be content.”
Is that a question that we should be asking? “What then shall we do?” Is this the right question? That depends.
If it means you are still trying to do something to earn God’s favor,
then nope, it’s the wrong question. If
it means you are concerned about “bearing fruit in keeping with repentance,”
then it’s the right question, because this is the fruit that the Holy Spirit
naturally produces in us, having renewed our hearts and minds, motivated by the
great salvation that Jesus has earned for us.
So we also can willingly share with those who are in need. We can act fairly and justly in all our
business dealings, acting honestly as both employers and employees. We can treat others fairly. We can be content with all that God has provided
for us. We can make good and godly
choices in all our various vocations.
Prepare the way of the Lord, John says. And then we realize that the Lord is the one
who has prepared us for his arrival, not only to celebrate his birthday, but to
be ready for his Second Advent when he returns in glory. We are weak and distracted by so many things …
not merely our Christmas preparations, but more importantly the sinful
temptations that constantly bombard our senses and take our attention away from
Jesus. But because of God’s work in
Christ on your behalf, you don’t have to worry about measuring up. You can let go of any stress or anxiety you
may have if you think God is judging you on the basis of your performance, how
well you have prepared for his coming.
Every valley shall be filled. Jesus has come to lift us up out of the
depths of discouragement, sadness, guilt, and shame.
Every mountain and hill shall be made low. God’s judgment will bring down all who have
exalted themselves in pride and arrogance against himself and against his Holy
Church.
The crooked shall become straight. God in Christ forgives us. He takes our crooked hearts and makes them
straight again.
The rough places shall become level. All obstacles to our relationship with God
have been removed in Christ Jesus. And the
rocky times that we face in our broken world are made easier with God’s love, mercy,
and power present for us.
So prepare the way of the Lord in your hearts and
lives today … and you can, because he has already made a way into your hearts
and lives by Word and Sacrament.
Amen.
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