Children of snakes

(c) 2012 CBPark, all rights reserved

 I don't really know whether to shake my head in disbelief or disdain when John the Baptist exhorts us all on this penultimate Sunday of Advent.  In previous years, I would have been all Barbie Pink and in more of the Gaudete/Joy of Advent.  I would have clung to St. Paul and his “don’t worry, be happy” motif.  But, not this year, especially after the events of Friday morning in Connecticut. Blue is quite appropriate and any joy we might be feeling is tempered by grief and the Baptist calling us “children of snakes.” 

So, why in the name of all that’s holy did the lectionary gurus put a raving John the Baptist, locusts and camel’s hair and all, in these last days before we observe the birth of Jesus.  Especially since the other readings are all about not being afraid and not worrying about anything. 

 
I can give you the scholarly answer: It’s about repentance and readying ourselves for the coming of the Christ.  But, I think the down-to-earth answer makes a lot more sense.  In fact, it’s the perfect message ten days before Christmas.

John the Baptist is telling us to behave.

I don’t think John the Baptist would have much use for our current “spiritual but not religious” culture.  He was a hands-on, take charge kind of guy.  His baptism wasn’t simply a washing away of your guilty conscience, it was a call to action.  No more could you trust your lineage, your wealth, your position in society, or your place of power when it comes to the Kingdom of Heaven.  Oh, no. All of that thinking needs to take an about face. 

Repentance isn’t a simple matter of saying I’m sorry for something you did wrong.  Repentance was about living your life in a completely different way.  Repentance is about behaving as if we are citizens of a kingdom where our sovereign has great expectations.  The reign of God doesn’t value warm fuzzy feelings as much as it values just behavior.

Make a list. Check it twice.  How often have you and I misused our power or social status to demand something we didn’t earn or deserve?  When have we purchased something, or used our money in some way, that served us personally at someone else’s expense? 

Don’t we often feel entitled to the best things because of where we live or the circumstances of our birth?  These aren’t the “oops I made a boo-boo” sins on which John the Baptist is calling us out.  He wants us to look deep inside our lives and make note of how our living impacts the human dignity of others. And, he wants us to turn that around.

You might ask “How do we do that?”  And, in doing so, we echo the very people confronted by the Baptist at the Jordan so long ago.  “What then should we do? Teacher, what should we do?”  Now, as then, John says – you already know what to do.  Share what you have. Do not cheat those with whom you do business. Be satisfied with what you have and do not scheme to get what you do not deserve.

It is easier said than done. 

We are complicit in the sins of selfishness, cheating, and scheming through covert action, international and national policies, and the acts boards of directors of profit and nonprofit organizations.  Our complicity may not always be obvious, but if we have any integrity we know it exists, when we’re sleeping and when we’re awake.  We know when we’ve been bad or good – so be good, for goodness’ sake.  For goodness’ sake – not for our individual benefit.

Making systemic change when we are used to the benefits of the system takes self-reflection, honesty, and courage.  At times it will feel like we’re being smashed against the rough hard surface of a threshing floor.  Yet, each step we take to do so will break away our hardness of heart, leaving the chaff of sinful narcissism to be carried away by the Holy Spirit’s cleansing breath.  

That’s the good news in John’s exhortations – we will be lighter, we will be good fruit, we will be in right relationship with God and with each other.

So, what shall we do? 

What shall we do to become the fruit of the earth – the healthful grain? 

You and I must examine our lives, our habits, our indulgences.  The first step to turning around may be including charitable gifts in your gift-giving budgets.  It may be looking hard at that portfolio and determining whether or not the companies in which you are invested have questionable policies regarding human dignity.  It may be stepping aside from a leadership position you’ve held for a while in order that new people with new ideas begin the process of change. 

You and I can commit to studying scripture, praying for others, and tithing or working toward the tithe. We can write to our governmental representatives. We can be responsible stockholders.  We can learn to share power. We know what we need to do.  We just need to do it, willingly, cheerfully, lovingly, and without delay. 

There are times when it is appropriate to shout, to pout, and to cry.  Today is one of those days. Life gives us more than we can handle sometimes.  I exhort you though, hear the good news: Someone more powerful than John the Baptist is on the way. Jesus the Messiah is coming to town!