The Good News: "What can WE Do?"

Sermon 12-16-18

Grace to you and peace from God our creator and from our Lord and Savior Jesus the Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit, amen.

Originally, I was going to start my sermon with yet another funny observation abut how, at the 3^rd Sunday of Advent, we still have no Mary, Joseph, angels, or shepherds, instead a second week in a row of John the Baptist….and add a clever quip juxtaposing John’s threat that the ax is at the root of the tree, while we over here are cutting down Christmas trees left and right  to decorate our homes.

But then we had A WEEK, and instead, I wonder, if John were here, what he would say about it. This week that included news of the death of a 7-year-old girl refugee while she was in the care of the US Boarder Patrol.

And what would John say to bomb threat reported at Sandy Hook Elementary on the day of the 6^th anniversary of that school shooting…. And what would he say about the fact that, Since Sandy Hook, we have had on average 1 school shooting EVERY WEEK.

After a week like this, the judgement and condemnation of John doesn’t seem so out of place. Honestly, at the moment, it feels like we might deserve John’s harsh words. Maybe John is right, we are no better than children of snakes.

From this passage I imagine John as a gritty, sweaty, towering man, thunderously pacing and preaching. He is dunking people left and right, and at the same time admonishing the people in power for their selfish ways. Everything about this guy just seems larger than life, and his challenge those with power and authority is pretty exciting to the average person.

The people listening to John around the river wonder too - is this the one whom we have been waiting for, for so long now? Is he the Messiah? Has he finally arrived to kick out their Roman oppressors? But John says to the people – you think what I’M doing is radical and life-changing? Just you wait! I’m only the messenger, people. The one who is coming after me is going to BLOW YOUR MIND.

John is laying the foundation and churning up the soil to make ready for the coming of Jesus and the beginning of his ministry. He is the warm up act to the headliner; he is the trailer to the full-length film of the coming of God. He is the last of a very long line of prophets stretching back through the ages, and their messages were one and the same – the Lord IS NEAR! And that can be both exciting and terrifying.

Whether it’s for that new movie to come out or for some heavy burden to be lifted from your shoulders, we all know the feeling of waiting, and that can fill us either dread or anticipation. So, as we sit in the middle of this Advent season, this season of waiting and anticipation, where do you find yourself? Are you eagerly awaiting the arrival of Christmas, with all the fun, food, and family it brings? Or are you feeling bogged down with the treadmill of preparations and events, with a sense of dread from all you have left to check off your to-do list? Are you weary from hearing about all the pain we inflict upon one another? Are you tired from feeling powerless in the face of all the Bad News in the world?

To us, John’s “good news” may not sound like “good news”… Or does it? At least the people listening to John thought it was encouraging, because they were emboldened to ask in response “what then should we DO?” Two interesting groups who respond to John’s good news that Luke chose to highlight are the Tax Collectors and the soldiers.

The Roman soldiers were like the bouncers of the empire – the muscle that the empire flexed to keep the oppressed populace in line. And yet, here they are – out there in the desert getting dunked and taking to heart all that John was saying. And similarly, the tax collectors did the Roman Empire’s dirty work – like the modern-day pay-day loan establishment that makes money by preying on people in desperate straits. The tax collectors had job security and permission from the Empire to skim and defraud on top of collecting crippling taxes. They too were moved, and asked “what shall WE do?”

So, what can WE do, as students, as accountants, as teachers and parents, as retirees, as homeowners, as coaches and pilots and cashiers and business owners and real estate agents – what should WE DO?

For all, the basic message of John is about this same – living within our resources, not to overstep, to minimize our footprint, and not take advantage of the power and privilege that we do have. Don’t try to be more than what we are called to be. Don’t impose on the human rights of other people, their right to live…  not just to survive, but to thrive, because that is what we deserve too. That’s good news for all – for us, and for other people too. Jesus came as a little helpless baby, so that we would not forget people who are helpless. And Jesus doesn’t forget US when we are feeling helpless either.

Today we lit the Joy candle. And today we heard Paul write to the Philippians, and to us -Rejoice ALWAYS. Which, on the surface, seems to be the opposite of John’s message.

Really Paul? Always? Are you sure? Surely this guy must have an awesome life to be saying such things. But then we remember that over the course of his ministry, Paul was often chased out of town, beaten, arrested…. and as he writes this letter, he is currently facing jail time for preaching the gospel. And yet, he still gives rejoices. Constantly. Perhaps even somewhat annoyingly. And he tells us to pray too… and give thanks. Even though Thanksgiving feels like a year ago. In fact, the word that we translate as “thanksgiving” in Greek is “Eucharistia.”: Eucharist. The same word we use for Holy Communion or the Lord’s Supper.

You may have noticed on Sundays as you follow along in your red hymnals as we begin the Eucharist liturgy, the back-and-forth part after the offering prayer is called the Great Thanksgiving. Ever week, you hear, “It is indeed right, our duty and our joy that we should at all times and in all places give thanks and praise to you, almighty and merciful God, through our savior Jesus Christ.”

Sound a little familiar? We give thanks for the gift that Jesus has given us: his body. His blood. His death. And his resurrection. It’s not just something the pastor drones on about because we were taught it in seminary. We say it because it’s true. It is our RIGHT… our DUTY… AND our joy… to give thanks and praise to God, sometimes by asking the very important question: “What then shall I do?”

I’m not as cool as John the Baptist, because I don’t have a personal, tweetable answer for each of you. I can only tell you what I plan to do…. (or at least TRY!)

This Advent season, as a very busy pastor, I am going to make sure I reach out to the people I care about and make time to give them my presence over worrying about presents….

I’m going to remember to be kind to the strangers around me, because I don’t know what struggles they are having this season….

I’m going to try to do small things to work for justice, like shopping fair trade when I can, and supporting non-profits like ELCA Good Gifts or Lutheran Advocacy Ministry in PA, that align with the justice issues I feel passionate about….

I’m going to find joy in the small things, to focus on the important things, and remain open to the experiences and stories of others.

Jesus isn’t asking us for heroics. Just for us to be who we are – not children of snakes, and John said, but children of God. You’re a child of God, not a child of snakes – so what then will YOU do?