12-7-25                                  Mt 3: 1-12

1 In those days John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness of Judea, proclaiming, 2 “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” 3 This is the one of whom the prophet Isaiah spoke when he said,
 “The voice of one crying out in the wilderness:
 ‘Prepare the way of the Lord;
  make his paths straight.’ ”
4 Now John wore clothing of camel’s hair with a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. 5 Then Jerusalem and all Judea and all the region around the Jordan were going out to him, 6 and they were baptized by him in the River Jordan, confessing their sins.
  7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for his baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? 8 Therefore, bear fruit worthy of repentance, 9 and do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our ancestor,’ for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham. 10 Even now the ax is lying at the root of the trees; therefore every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.
  11 “I baptize you with water for repentance, but the one who is coming after me is more powerful than I, and I am not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 12 His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and will gather his wheat into the granary, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”

May the God of hope, fill you with all joy and peace in faith, so you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

If God had decided to make a movie of the events of this time Matthew describes, John the Baptist would be the feature character in the trailer; that promotional slice of the story is meant to entice you to make sure you go and see the whole picture. John is the one who sets the stage and initiates some special effects so that everyone takes notice of what is coming. He is the visual draw because of his unique costume and demeanor. Now a conquering king would often have a military parade that would precede him into the city so the people would be impressed with that show of power and realize they owed their allegiance to him. That was the hook to get their support or at least insight fear and obedience. Then I thought about the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, that sends out a whole pageantry event of performers and celebrities to precede its guest of honor – Santa Claus, in that case. The power agent in that example is the plethora of entertainers and products that could be purchased as the consumer is receiving encouragement and pressure to buy the products that the performers and balloons represent, under the guise of Santa the generous one. (Oh, is my cynicism showing?) 

In the introduction that Matthew provides, we are taken back to an omen that was given centuries before by the prophet Isaiah. This had been a trailer of sorts, a preview to make the people anticipate what was to come. “The voice of one crying out in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord; make his paths straight.’ ” was Isaiah’s announcement. So, when John appears, he has dressed up for the part, appearing like that most notable of prophets – Elijah. What would the people have recalled about Elijah, that makes this comparison menacing and significant? Elijah challenged several of the kings of Israel, seeking to draw them back to the worship of the true God. From 2 Kings 1, we have the account of the brief reign of Ahaziah. He had fallen through the lattice work in his upper chamber and was injured. So, he sent representatives to the pagan god, Baal-zebub, inquiring if he would survive. As they are on their way they are confronted by a man who demands to know why they were going for answers from this foreign source, he asks: “Is there no God in Israel?” Then he tells them to return to the king and let him know that he will certainly die. When they give this message to the king, he asks what that man was like. They tell him that he was “A hairy man with a leather belt around his waist.” The king recognizes him as Elijah the Tishbite, a prophet of God. After trying to force Elijah to come to him, he finally has to accept that Elijah answers to a higher authority. And Ahaziah does not survive his injuries.

So as the gospel makes reference, we have this character, John, that is eerily reminiscent of that major prophet from Israel’s history. Elijah was a prophet who rebuked the king for forgetting God, and that king was not the only one so scolded. We find John in a similar role as he rebukes the Pharisees and Sadducees, regarding their relationship to God, even as they come to him to receive baptism. They don’t want to be caught unprepared like the ancient king. We see that John has garnered much attention and response to his warnings. Still he does not let it go to his head. We hear him confess:  “I baptize you with water for repentance, but the one who is coming after me is more powerful than I, and I am not worthy to carry his sandals.” 

At this time, on the 2nd Sunday of Advent, we are thinking about the joys and promises of Christmas. We like to get into the wonders of the light displays, the shopping, and the decorations of the season. Still there is reason for us also to keep in mind our own need for repentance. Now are the days we need to consider that we have not always trusted in God but have sought other sources for answers, other means to escape the need for making changes in ourselves. John makes it clear that there is one, ONE, who has the power and the calling to bring forth the change in us. It is the One who is coming. He comes to be with you and work through you.

So even as we hear the word of judgment, of which John warns, we have a message bringing hope. Being from the Northwoods you know about the forest and the cycle of tree growth. In this season of Advent we have wreaths and trees decorating our homes and churches. We even have trees outside these doors, cut and a ready reminder of John’s message: Even now the ax is lying at the root of the trees; therefore every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.  How can that be a word of grace and hope? We hear its ancient promise in our reading from Isaiah 11. “A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots.” 

There was a tree that had quit producing fruit from the soil in which it had been planted. So the tree was axed, cut off from the unproductive branches it had developed. Yet the stump remained, still rooted in the land. As you probably realize that stump was symbolic of Israel, the chosen people of God. They had quit creating good fruit when their worship of God got mixed up with other loyalties. They began to depend on other means to establish their future and for building security. But those sources failed them. Piece by piece Israel had been cut down, conquered by others, with the wood, which were their people, carted off into exile and dispersion. Isaiah announces that the old stump would put forth a brand-new shoot, sending out a new branch to grow. On that one the spirit of the Lord God would reside. We have a name for that One, it is the One for whom John the Baptist was preparing the way.  His name is Jesus.  

As Isaiah made known, “The spirit of the Lord shall rest on him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. His delight shall be in the fear of the Lord.”  These words of Isaiah were spoken to you as a blessing of God, at your baptism and confirmation. We trust that new life continues to be granted. We have seen that even a stump can produce a new shoot and a healthy productive, fruitful tree grows. Your roots are deep in the waters of baptism and are fed by the bread and wine of the altar. The Word of God is read and spoken to you, as like a gentle rain. You too can sprout anew. So take heart, the Spirit is within you!