Joy
Luke 3:7-18
Last week we heard the beginning of John's first sermon inviting us to imagine what God will do. This week we hear the continuation of his sermon and invitation to dream about God’s activity in the world. In the reading from the first part of Luke, John lifts up the way in which God is bringing transformation into the world. As his sermon continues, John does not really follow the advice of most preaching instructors that I know. Instead of easing further into the sermon, he hits them straight between the eyes. He calls his listeners a “brood of vipers”, “calls them to bear fruits worthy of repentance,” and tells them it is not enough to claim an ancestry to Abraham (Luke 3:7-8).
He calls on the people to repent, to turn around and go a new direction that reflects God’s intentions. Those gathered to hear him, at least some of them, were engaged by his proclamation because they asked him, “What then what shall we do?” (Luke 3:10). John says it depends upon where you are sitting: if you have two coats, give one to someone who needs it; if you have enough food, give some to those without; if you are a tax collector, collect no more than is required; if you are a soldier, do not abuse your power by extorting money through threats and false accusations
John hits us between the eyes too with his words. They are challenging to hear because they ask us to assess where we are sitting and then to act in accord with God’s intentions from that position. Such a response is not an easy thing to do for any of us.
It begins with repentance, our turning around and walking in the direction of God’s intentions, and it continues when we are positioning ourselves with the downtrodden, the struggling, and the hopeless. From that seat, we are positioning ourselves to bear fruit that reflects God’s intention of loving creation and all its creatures.
Reflection Questions
Did anything surprise you about John’s councils to those who came to him?
What do you suppose John the Baptist would say if people from your workplace or school or community were to come asking him how to repent?
The fourth verse of the hymn How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord reads: “When through fiery trials thy pathway shall lie, my grace, all sufficient, shall be thy supply; the flame shall not hurt thee; I only design thy dross to consume, and thy gold to refine.” Have you ever experienced the Lord consuming your dross through fiery trials, or through a fiery experience with him in prayer?