Sermon Sunday December 9, 2007
Second Sunday in Advent
Brothers and sisters,
Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
John the Baptist comes to us today with a harsh word. He comes to us this morning with a Word that demands something of us, it accuses us, and it convicts us to our core. He comes commanding us to repent for the kingdom of God has come near. He comes demanding that we bear fruits worthy of repentance. And what’s with that whole ‘Brood of vipers’ thing?? That doesn’t seem very nice or friendly or joyful. Doesn’t he know that we’re all supposed to be happy and festive this time of year??
I mean he comes announcing that the Kingdom of God has come near, isn’t that something that we should be happy about? Well in one sense certainly the arrival of the Kingdom of God is cause for joy and celebration. But, as the tragic events that took place earlier this week in Omaha remind us, all things have not yet been made new. Our Lord at once comes to us in His Word and sacrament, but we still remain in Advent awaiting the fulfillment of His promised return in glory.
And so the Word that John has for those whom had gathered on the river and even the harsh Word that he had for the Pharisees and Sadducees, he has for us today as well. John comes to us indeed demanding our repentance and demanding that we bear fruits worthy of repentance.
So how are you doing with that?? Are you bearing fruits worthy of repentance?? For that matter are you even repenting at all?? The repentance that John comes calling us to is more than just a passing feeling of regret and sorrow over our misdeeds. The repentance that John comes calling us to is one that would drive us to a complete examination of ourselves. It is one that calls us to actually look beyond our misdeeds to the very cause of our misdeeds and sins; our heart from which Jesus tells us comes evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony and slander.
The very things which make us unclean come from the very place that John comes demanding that we examine; our hearts. And so what does that mean in light of John’s demanding that we bear fruit worthy of repentance?? It means that in light of John’s demand for worthy fruits we are just as guilty as the Pharisees and the Sadducees whom John refers to as a brood of vipers.
John comes to you with this demand and all you are really able to do is the same thing that the Pharisees and the Sadducees did; cling to yourselves, and your heritage and your traditions. When we are confronted with a Word and a demand this radical all we can do on our own is cling to ourselves. We don’t have the nerve to look within ourselves and recognize ourselves for what we are; dead in our transgressions.
And so, with tooth and nail, we resist the death of our sin that comes with baptism. When confronted with a Word that does what it says it does, or calls us to something that we cannot do on our own we resist and reject with all of our might. We cling to that which is comfortable, to that which we know, all because it is the way we have always done it.
Like the Pharisees and the Sadducees clinging to their hereditary connection to Abraham when Jesus comes flipping things upside down and bringing about a new reality, we have our own futile legacies that we cling to; legacies that we convince ourselves are right because they fall under the category of "The way we have always done it." Or we resist the haunting Advent call to look within ourselves and prepare the way of the Lord and make His paths straight, because we would rather jump right into Christmas.
But the Word that John has for us today does not end with merely a demand. He comes today proclaiming a new reality in the coming near of the Kingdom of Heaven. He comes to us with a Word that explodes upon the scene and reveals the futility of clinging to our legacy and our heritage. He anticipates the objection of the Pharisees and the Sadducees before they even have a chance to get it out when He says to them "Do not presume to say for yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our ancestor’; for I tell you God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham."
And he tells them that he baptizes them with water for repentance but that there is One who is more powerful than he who will baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire. John’s baptism was one of anticipation but the baptism of the One whom John refers to, Christ Jesus, is one that comes in and rips apart all that we used to cling to and exposes it for the futility that it is.
And so knowing full well that it is in our nature to not consider any new alternatives until there aren’t any, Christ Jesus comes to us in the waters of baptism and exposes the myth of all the self-imposed idols that we cling to when we are confronted with a Word as radical as the one John comes to us with today until there is no alternative but Christ Himself, the One whom Isaiah tells us the Spirit of the Lord will rest upon.
He is the shoot from the stump of Jesse. Where John wore a leather belt, Christ Jesus wears belts of righteousness and faithfulness. Where John comes with a baptism of repentance, Christ Jesus baptizes with the Holy Spirit and fire. He comes with a baptism through which He claims us as His own and makes of us a new creation. Where John comes demanding repentance, Jesus comes bringing repentance, repenting us.
And He promises a day when all will be made new; when the wolf will live with lamb, the leopard will lie down with the kid, and the calf and lion and the fatling, and the cow and the bear shall graze together. All will be made new. Isaiah tells us this is a promise that will be fulfilled because the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord.
One of my childhood heroes, Evel Knievel passed away within the last few weeks. I was a big fan of Evel Knievel. I had an Evel Knievel lunch box and of course the Evel Knievel wind up motorcycle that they used to make and I even dressed up as him one year for Halloween.
And so when I heard that he passed away, I was a little sad. And one of the first things I wondered was if he was a Christian. Well I found an article and it said that in April 2007 Evel Knievel was baptized by Dr. Robert Scheuler at the Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove, Ca. In an interview Evel recounted how for 68 years he refused to "accept Jesus Christ as his Savior because he didn’t want to surrender his lifestyle of ‘the gold and the gambling and the booze and the women.’"
He said that he resisted even though his daughter and ex-wife and both of their churches and hundreds of fans through letters were all urging him to believe. But he kept clinging to the comfort of his life of sin. Now some may hear this story of Knievel’s conversion and think "Thank goodness he had the good sense to give his life to Jesus" and really make that conversion moment about what Evel Knievel did, and not about what God was doing.
But in light of the radical Word that comes to us today in our Gospel we are able to see what was really going on. That moment of Evel Knievel’s conversion was not about something he did in the last year of his life, it was about what Christ Jesus was doing for Evel Knievel through his whole life. It was about Christ Jesus coming to Evel Knievel through the word that was being proclaimed to him by those around him and refusing to leave him dead in his transgressions. It was about the Holy Spirit entering into the stony heart of Evel Knievel and making of him a child of God.
And he has done the same for you. He has claimed you as His own and taken you in baptism through death into the new-life and freedom of His Kingdom which has come near. And so indeed you have been freed to continue the work of John the Baptist, proclaiming that the kingdom of God has come near and it will keep coming no matter how much we resist it.
Amen
Brothers and sisters,
Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
John the Baptist comes to us today with a harsh word. He comes to us this morning with a Word that demands something of us, it accuses us, and it convicts us to our core. He comes commanding us to repent for the kingdom of God has come near. He comes demanding that we bear fruits worthy of repentance. And what’s with that whole ‘Brood of vipers’ thing?? That doesn’t seem very nice or friendly or joyful. Doesn’t he know that we’re all supposed to be happy and festive this time of year??
I mean he comes announcing that the Kingdom of God has come near, isn’t that something that we should be happy about? Well in one sense certainly the arrival of the Kingdom of God is cause for joy and celebration. But, as the tragic events that took place earlier this week in Omaha remind us, all things have not yet been made new. Our Lord at once comes to us in His Word and sacrament, but we still remain in Advent awaiting the fulfillment of His promised return in glory.
And so the Word that John has for those whom had gathered on the river and even the harsh Word that he had for the Pharisees and Sadducees, he has for us today as well. John comes to us indeed demanding our repentance and demanding that we bear fruits worthy of repentance.
So how are you doing with that?? Are you bearing fruits worthy of repentance?? For that matter are you even repenting at all?? The repentance that John comes calling us to is more than just a passing feeling of regret and sorrow over our misdeeds. The repentance that John comes calling us to is one that would drive us to a complete examination of ourselves. It is one that calls us to actually look beyond our misdeeds to the very cause of our misdeeds and sins; our heart from which Jesus tells us comes evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony and slander.
The very things which make us unclean come from the very place that John comes demanding that we examine; our hearts. And so what does that mean in light of John’s demanding that we bear fruit worthy of repentance?? It means that in light of John’s demand for worthy fruits we are just as guilty as the Pharisees and the Sadducees whom John refers to as a brood of vipers.
John comes to you with this demand and all you are really able to do is the same thing that the Pharisees and the Sadducees did; cling to yourselves, and your heritage and your traditions. When we are confronted with a Word and a demand this radical all we can do on our own is cling to ourselves. We don’t have the nerve to look within ourselves and recognize ourselves for what we are; dead in our transgressions.
And so, with tooth and nail, we resist the death of our sin that comes with baptism. When confronted with a Word that does what it says it does, or calls us to something that we cannot do on our own we resist and reject with all of our might. We cling to that which is comfortable, to that which we know, all because it is the way we have always done it.
Like the Pharisees and the Sadducees clinging to their hereditary connection to Abraham when Jesus comes flipping things upside down and bringing about a new reality, we have our own futile legacies that we cling to; legacies that we convince ourselves are right because they fall under the category of "The way we have always done it." Or we resist the haunting Advent call to look within ourselves and prepare the way of the Lord and make His paths straight, because we would rather jump right into Christmas.
But the Word that John has for us today does not end with merely a demand. He comes today proclaiming a new reality in the coming near of the Kingdom of Heaven. He comes to us with a Word that explodes upon the scene and reveals the futility of clinging to our legacy and our heritage. He anticipates the objection of the Pharisees and the Sadducees before they even have a chance to get it out when He says to them "Do not presume to say for yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our ancestor’; for I tell you God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham."
And he tells them that he baptizes them with water for repentance but that there is One who is more powerful than he who will baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire. John’s baptism was one of anticipation but the baptism of the One whom John refers to, Christ Jesus, is one that comes in and rips apart all that we used to cling to and exposes it for the futility that it is.
And so knowing full well that it is in our nature to not consider any new alternatives until there aren’t any, Christ Jesus comes to us in the waters of baptism and exposes the myth of all the self-imposed idols that we cling to when we are confronted with a Word as radical as the one John comes to us with today until there is no alternative but Christ Himself, the One whom Isaiah tells us the Spirit of the Lord will rest upon.
He is the shoot from the stump of Jesse. Where John wore a leather belt, Christ Jesus wears belts of righteousness and faithfulness. Where John comes with a baptism of repentance, Christ Jesus baptizes with the Holy Spirit and fire. He comes with a baptism through which He claims us as His own and makes of us a new creation. Where John comes demanding repentance, Jesus comes bringing repentance, repenting us.
And He promises a day when all will be made new; when the wolf will live with lamb, the leopard will lie down with the kid, and the calf and lion and the fatling, and the cow and the bear shall graze together. All will be made new. Isaiah tells us this is a promise that will be fulfilled because the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord.
One of my childhood heroes, Evel Knievel passed away within the last few weeks. I was a big fan of Evel Knievel. I had an Evel Knievel lunch box and of course the Evel Knievel wind up motorcycle that they used to make and I even dressed up as him one year for Halloween.
And so when I heard that he passed away, I was a little sad. And one of the first things I wondered was if he was a Christian. Well I found an article and it said that in April 2007 Evel Knievel was baptized by Dr. Robert Scheuler at the Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove, Ca. In an interview Evel recounted how for 68 years he refused to "accept Jesus Christ as his Savior because he didn’t want to surrender his lifestyle of ‘the gold and the gambling and the booze and the women.’"
He said that he resisted even though his daughter and ex-wife and both of their churches and hundreds of fans through letters were all urging him to believe. But he kept clinging to the comfort of his life of sin. Now some may hear this story of Knievel’s conversion and think "Thank goodness he had the good sense to give his life to Jesus" and really make that conversion moment about what Evel Knievel did, and not about what God was doing.
But in light of the radical Word that comes to us today in our Gospel we are able to see what was really going on. That moment of Evel Knievel’s conversion was not about something he did in the last year of his life, it was about what Christ Jesus was doing for Evel Knievel through his whole life. It was about Christ Jesus coming to Evel Knievel through the word that was being proclaimed to him by those around him and refusing to leave him dead in his transgressions. It was about the Holy Spirit entering into the stony heart of Evel Knievel and making of him a child of God.
And he has done the same for you. He has claimed you as His own and taken you in baptism through death into the new-life and freedom of His Kingdom which has come near. And so indeed you have been freed to continue the work of John the Baptist, proclaiming that the kingdom of God has come near and it will keep coming no matter how much we resist it.
Amen
posted by Steve at 1:12 PM
1 Comments:
All I can say is:
This was a Theology of the Cross.
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