Advent 3 – 16 December 2018 – Year C

Grace to you from God our Father and our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen

The text for this meditation is written in the 3^rdChapter of the Gospel according to St Luke: Verses:1–20

In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilatebeing governor of Judea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene, ² during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came toJohn the son of Zechariah in the wilderness. ³ And he went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. ⁴ As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, 

 “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: 

 ‘Prepare the way of the Lord,¹

make his paths straight. 

⁵ Every valley shall be filled, 

and every mountain and hill shall be made low, 

and the crooked shall become straight, 

and the rough places shall become level ways, 

⁶ and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.’ ” 

⁷ He said therefore to the crowds that came out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? ⁸ Bear fruits ^fin keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham. ⁹ Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.” 

¹⁰ And the crowds asked him, “What then shall we do?” ¹¹ And he answered them, “Whoever has two tunics is to share with him who has none, and whoever has food is to do likewise.” ^12 lTax collectors also came to be baptized and said to him, “Teacher, what shall we do?” ¹³ And he said to them, “Collect no more than you are authorized to do.” ¹⁴ Soldiers also asked him, “And we, what shall we do?” And he said to them, “Do not extort money from anyone by threats or by false accusation, and be content with your wages.” 

¹⁵ As the people were in expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Christ, ¹⁶John answered them all, saying, “I baptize you with water, but he who is mightier than I is coming, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. ¹⁷ His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.” 

¹⁸ So with many other exhortations he preached good news to the people. ¹⁹ But Herod the tetrarch, who had been reproved by him for Herodias, his brother’s wife, and for all the evil things that Herod had done, ²⁰ added this to them all, that he locked up John in prison.

There is one basic difference between the church of the Old Testament and the church of the New Testament.  The Old Testament and New Testament saints all have the same faith in the same Saviour. The only difference is that the coming of the Saviour was a future promise in the Old Testament while it is an ongoing reality in the New Testament.

The New Testament church lives during the coming of the Saviour.  The New Testament church lives after the coming of the Saviour to earn our salvation.  We live during the time when He comes to bring that salvation to us.  We look forward to the time when He will come to end time as we know it and take His church into eternity.  

John the Baptist was the last and greatest of the Old Testament prophets.  As an Old Testament prophet, he pointed forward to the coming Messiah – the Christ – the anointed one.  The wonderful thing about his prophetic ministry is that the Christ would actually reveal Himself to the world during that ministry.  John was the forerunner of Jesus.  Jesus would actually begin His public ministry even while John proclaimed His coming.  In fact, John the Baptist was the fulfillment of many prophecies as we read in today’s Old Testament reading and as Luke points out as he quotes Isaiah.  John Himself was a sign that the Saviour was about to appear on the scene in a public way.

John did what prophets do.  He spoke the truth as God gave it to him.  John was not interested in winning friends or influencing people.  He was interested in the truth – even if it cost him his life.  The truth that God gave John to proclaim was not popular, it was not nice, and it was definitely notpolitically correct.

John proclaimed a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.  In this respect, he was already following the instructions that Jesus would later give to the church.  For near the end of the Gospel according to Luke – after the resurrection – Jesus appeared to His disciples and ^{[Luke 24:45–47]}He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. Jesus made it very clear that the job of the church is to proclaim repentance and the forgiveness of sins. The entire work of the church is wrapped around the proclamation of repentance and forgiveness of sins in the name of the Christ.

In true prophetic fashion God revealed this focus of the church to John before Jesus even began His public ministry.  So, when we learn from today’s Gospel that [John] went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, we already see John following the instructions of Jesus just about three years before Jesus even gave those instructions to the disciples.

The proclamation of repentance begins by making people aware that they are, in fact, sinners. In today’s Gospel, we hear the proclamation of repentance that John has for those who think they are righteous: “You brood of vipers!”

In this context, words like viper, serpent,and snaketake us back to Eden where the serpent tempted Adam and Eve to eat of the forbidden fruit.  The word broodis a synonym of offspring.  Basically, John is telling these people that they may think they are righteous, but they are in fact children of the devil.

John went on to say that these self-righteous people are not entitled to any special treatment because of their heritage: “Do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham.”  The Holy Spirit inspired the Apostle Paul to explain it this way.  ^{[Romans 9:7–8]}Not all are children of Abraham because they are his offspring … This means that it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as offspring.  The true children of Abraham are those who are children by faith and not by biology. Those who believe in Jesus for the forgiveness of sins are the true children of Abraham.  Those who believe in their own righteousness, even though they may be biological children of Abraham, are not true children of Abraham. In fact, they betray the faith of Abraham.

This message of repentance should serve as a warning to us.  One of the lies that our sinful nature tries to tell us is that we are not all that sinful – that there is some sort of goodness buried deep down inside of us. All we need is a chance to get at it. John’s words serve as a warning that deep down inside of us, we are all children of the devil.  He warns us that there is nothing in our heritage that makes us right before God.  All of us are, in fact, sinners.

What is the punishment for sin?  John used the metaphor of an axe chopping down a tree for fire wood.  “Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”  These words warn all sinners that they will burn in hell unless someone does something about their sin.  This beginningof repentance as described by Dr Martin Luther ^“is the true terror of conscience, which feels that God is angry with sin and grieves that it has sinned.”  

Now, if this terror was all that there was to repentance, then we should be overcome in despair.  But this is not all there is to repentance.  In the second part of repentance, we have faith in Christ. Luther goes on to tell us“The Gospel, in which the forgiveness of sins is freely promised concerning Christ, should be presented to consciences in these terrors.  They should believe that, for Christ’s sake, their sins are freely forgiven.”

The preaching and baptism of John prepared people for the Christ who would soon come to earn the forgiveness of sin for the world.  In fact, many of the people who came to John thought that he himself might be the Christ.  As we heard in today’s Gospel: the people were in expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Christ.  This gave John the opportunity to tell the people about the true Christ.

John answered them all, saying, “I baptise you with water, but he who is mightier than I is coming, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptise you with the Holy Spirit and fire.  John took the opportunity to tell the people that he was not the Christ, but that the Christ would soon come.  He took the opportunity to tell the people how mighty the Christ would truly be.

The mighty Christ is none other than Jesus.  He is the one whom the prophets proclaimed and He is the one in whom they believed. This mighty Christ is the solution to our problem of sin.  He is the one who earned forgiveness for our sins and offers that forgiveness to us for free.  He is the one who makes us holy in God’s sight.

How did He do this? As mighty as Jesus is, He demonstrated His might in weakness.  Even though we are not worthy to touch His feet, He allowed mere men to nail Him to a cross.  It was from the apparent weakness of that cross that Jesus demonstrated His greatest might.  In the apparent defeat of death, Christ conquered death.  He became the solution for sin by taking our sin onto Himself and paying the price for it.  It is only through Him that we receive the forgiveness of sins.

We can have absolute confidence in Christ’s forgiveness because He did not remain in the tomb after He died on the cross.  He rose from the dead and that gives us confidence that the day will come when He will raise up me and all the dead and will give eternal life to me and to all believers in Christ.

God sent John to prepare the way for the Lord.  John did this by making people intensely aware of their sins.  It is the calling of all of God’s servants to make His people aware of their sin.  This is the way that God makes people aware of their need for their Saviour.  The more we understand our sin, the more we appreciate our Saviour.  The deeper we grieve over sin, the more we rejoice over our salvation.  As hard as it is to examine ourselves in the light of God’s commands, it is the way we prepare for the coming of the Lord.

John the Baptiser was indeed a great prophet of God.  Never the less, the one who followed him was even greater; for the one who followed him is God in flesh and blood.  He is the one who took our sins to the cross and exchanged them for His righteousness as He shed His precious blood for us and died to pay for our sins.  He is the one who baptises us with the Spirit when water is combined with Word.  He is the one who works through the Spirit to give us the faith that believes.  It is His coming that marks the season of Advent as we remember how He came long ago in manger and cross, how He will come again in future clouds of Glory, and how He comes today in Word and Sacrament.

May this season prepare us so that when Jesus says, ^{[Revelation 22:20]}“Surely I am coming soon,” we can join God’s people and reply, “Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!”  Amen

The love and peace of our Great Triune God that is beyond all human understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen

Advent 2 – 9 December 2018 – Year C

Grace to you and peace from our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen

The text for this meditation is written in the third chapter of the Gospel according to St Luke: Verses 1 – 6:

In the fifteenth year of the reign of Emperor Tiberius, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was ruler of Galilee, and his brother Philip ruler[b] of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias ruler[c] of Abilene, during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness. He went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah,

“The voice of one crying out in the wilderness:

‘Prepare the way of the Lord,

    make his paths straight.

Every valley shall be filled,

    and every mountain and hill shall be made low,

and the crooked shall be made straight,

    and the rough ways made smooth; 

and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.’”

December has to be, by far, the craziest month of the year – wouldn’t you agree? If someone from another planet were to come and watch our world during this month, that visitor would conclude that we have completely lost our minds. Why is this month so crazy? It’s because we are preparing, aren’t we. People balancing precariously on ladders, hanging the Christmas decorations in just the right spot  -preparing. Crowds of men and women hit the shopping malls with a high level of intensity and aggressiveness – they’re preparing. Throughout the suburbs, houses become filled with the smell of cooking, and radio stations play old nostalgic songs about chestnuts and a winter wonderland – (in the hot Australian summer??) – but people are preparing, because it’s December and soon, it will be Christmas time. 

In the church year, Christians are also in a season of preparation; it’s called “Advent.” Advent is a Latin word which means “coming”, and is that time of the year when we, as Christians, prepare for the arrival of Christ. This preparation is twofold: Firstly, we prepare to celebrate his first arrival, his humble, quiet birth in Bethlehem; and secondly we’re also preparing for His second coming, when Christ will come in all of his majesty, with the loud, trumpet call of God on Judgment Day.

In this month of December, this season of Advent it seems to be so easy to get caught up in the commercial and secular madness of preparing for a festive Christmas holiday. Somehow we all get caught up in the preparation rituals of presents and food and all the trimmings, we just have to be ready!  For me, the real question is “how do we prepare for the coming of Christ?”  You know, this is a mystery for many people. I think it reflects how many people are at this time of the year. “I am ready for Christmas! – But, am I ready for Christ? and what does that really mean?

In our text we hear from someone who teaches us how to do this, we usually read about him each (December) Advent time. No it’s not Rudolph or Frosty or Santa – it’s “John the Baptist.”  John was a rugged man who held his “services” in the desert – no chairs, no air-con, no robe with decorations – his church was out in the desert, by the Jordan River. Verse 3 of our text tells us that “He went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins”  He was called the “Baptist” because he encouraged people to be baptised, and, he encouraged people to repent.

This wilderness ministry wasn’t an idea that John decided upon out of the blue. Friends, this was John’s destiny – this was God’s purpose for his life – John was talked about hundreds of years before he lived, as it says in verse 4: as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah, “The voice of one crying out in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord”.

John had been called by God to prepare people for the arrival of the Messiah, Jesus Christ who was coming to start his public ministry among His people, and John was preparing people, getting them ready and he did that by teaching the people to repent!

How often do we hear the word “repent”, how often are does the Holy Biblical Scriptures call us to repentance; what is the significance of this calling? The dictionary explains: “to feel such sorrow for sin or fault as to be disposed to change one's life for the better; to be penitent; to remember or regard with self-reproach or contrition; to repent one's injustice to another.  Therefore in calling all people to “repent”, John was telling them to make a U-turn in their lives, to change direction. John was telling the people to search their souls and replace sin and pride with remorse, to ask for forgiveness of wrongs committed. To be going any other way was to be unprepared for Christ. John told them and is telling us to turn from looking in at our own selfish motives and go the other way in service to our brothers and sisters in Christ. 

This, my friends, is how we can prepare for Christ. Repent. Think of repentance this way – first we identify ourselves as the sinful beings that we are, as Adam and Eve became sinful, so are we; and then, through the power of our Holy Baptism, we pray for the strength to overcome temptation, to love, to forgive and to serve. This will take some quiet time; Turn off the TV, the radio in your car; the computer; the mobile ‘phone. Take a break from shopping and decorating. Be still just sit and maybe meditate on Psalm 46: Verse 10 "Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." – Then Join with Paul as written in 1 Timothy 1: Vs 15 “Here is a saying that you can trust. It should be accepted completely. Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. And I am the worst sinner of all.” John calls for us to openly admit before God who we really are; he calls for us to turn our intentions and goals towards a God pleasing life; he wants us to put on the ‘Armor of Salvation’ that we can face our sin head on. That is really what repentance is about, that is what John is calling us to do.

Friends in Christ, John is calling us to prepare for Christ’s coming; he is calling us to repentance; but the sad fact is that as hard as we may try, we will never be able to be fully pleasing to God without the salvation that comes through God’s abundant grace in and through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. 

Brothers and Sisters in Christ, without our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, true repentance is impossible, try as we may, we can never work enough to earn salvation, but with Christ, all things are possible. In repentance we lay our sins at the foot of the cross of salvation. If we confess our shortcomings to Christ we can rejoice, because He forgives us all of our sins. “I forgive you,” Christ says. “I died on the cross for all those faults you have. I was punished for your weaknesses. I forgive you.” “I have risen to the right hand of the Father that you may have life eternal with me.”

Friends, if we really want to make changes in our lives, Christ will give us the strength you need. As Philippians chapter four says, “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” That’s repentance. That’s what John the Baptist was talking about in the desert. John pointed the people to Christ; John continues to point us to Christ even today; in the Word; in the Holy Sacraments; in the embodiment of our brothers and sisters in Christ; that is where we see him; that is where our salvation lies.

Are we ready for Christmas this year? More importantly, are we ready for Christ? Are we ready to celebrate his first coming? Are we ready to receive him, when he comes again in all of his glory? If you listen closely, over the songs about Rudolph and Frosty and Santa you hear at the mall – if you listen closely, you will hear a voice, a voice of one calling in the desert, prepare the way for the Lord. That is the message of Advent – repent. Amen

The love and peace of our great Triune God that is beyond all human understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, now and forever. Amen