"Bearing Fruit!"
Sermon Presented December 9, 2007
Second Sunday of Advent - Year A
Matthew 3:1-12
Last month my 70 year-old former husband died in his sleep. It was sudden and unexpected. His mother lived to be nearly 100, so no one expected his death at this time. If he had a warning - some way to anticipate his premature death, would he have lived differently? Oh all of his legal documents were in place, but what about how he lived his life? If he had known that his heart would stop at the age of 70, would he have taken better care of his body? Would he have conducted his relationships differently? These are questions worth considering, because sometimes we receive no warning - and thus have no time to prepare. His death got my attention!
Before I had thyroid surgery in 2003, my surgeon advised me of everything that might go wrong - the worst for me being the inability to speak. Then right before the surgery, the anesthesiologist told me what could go wrong as a result of the anesthesia. I thought I was prepared for surgery, but these warnings undermined my courage and caused me to think of the possibility of my death.
Sometimes we need no warnings and other times we hear but disregard the warnings we receive. Each year people die of heart and lung disease, from drug and alcohol abuse, from poor eating habits or lack of exercise, on railroad tracks and in rushing waters, from accidents caused by high speed, drunk driving, and not wearing a seat belt - all because they didn't heed the warnings.
John the Baptist's mission was to give the people of Israel a warning, and they flocked to hear him and be baptized by him. However his message entailed more action than the need to be baptized. Hear the story from Matthew 3:1-12.
Imagine with me these scenarios. A caterpillar comes out of its chrysalis without knowing it can fly. It sits on a tree branch, believing it is still a worm, dragging its wings behind it. Or let's say Cinderella marries the prince and goes to live in the castle. However, she continues to see herself as an abused child and wears her old rags and sweeps out all of the fireplaces in the castle.
These seem like ridiculous illustrations but they serve to offer truth. Even though there are changes in our circumstances there must also be changes in our mental attitudes and in our actions. The butterfly is a butterfly and Cinderella is a princess, but unless they believe it and act on their new role, their lives remain unchanged.
The same holds true for people who are convinced of their need to repent of their sins. They may tell God and others that they are sorry, but if they don't turn toward God and away from their sin, their confession does just as much good as the change of the butterfly that still believes it is a worm. Knowledge is useless if there is no change. The change John wants to see in those he baptizes is a life that bears fruit - a life that shows others that God is in control.
Let's look at John the Baptist. He appears on the scene as a "desert man", a loner who is rugged and self-sufficient - wearing clothing of animal skins and eating insects and honey. Matthew likens him to Elijah, the prophet - one who was to proclaim the coming of the Messiah.
People trek into the wilderness to see John. He doesn't rent a facility like Miller Park or the Bradley Center, but the people come to him nonetheless. Some come because of curiosity, but his message impacts them to such an extent that they confess their sins, repent and are immediately baptized. This is quite a revival!
However, John expects more than a vocal promise and baptism. He expects people to undergo a changed life. He expects them to act like people who have given their allegiance to God and have changed their lives accordingly. But he doesn't see these changes in the religious leaders he is baptizing and he gives them a separate warning.
Today, six religious teachers and preachers are being investigated by a Senate committee for using tax-deductible donations to their ministries for personal gain - such as private jets to fly them to exotic vacation spots, fleets of Rolls Royce automobiles, and lavish mansions paid for by those who believe their money is going to support a ministry. Several years ago there was a pharmacist in Platte County, Missouri who claimed he diluted chemotherapy drugs so he could pay off his million dollar pledge to his church's building fund. (It seems logical that someone on the finance committee would question a million dollar pledge from a man who came from a poor background, owned two pharmacies, and pledged this amount over and above his tithe.) John the Baptist expected religious leaders - as well as everyone else - to live lives that bear the fruit of serving God.
What does a changed life look like? I saved an article from the December 2nd, 2001 issue of Parade Magazine that came with the Sunday's Kansas City Star about Martin Sheen, the actor who played the part of President Bartlett in The West Wing. Sheen was one of 10 children born into a poor Catholic family. He became a caddie at the age of nine and carried golf bags for wealthy people. At this time his social conscience was born.
Following high school graduation, he went to New York to pursue a stage career. After years of struggle, he landed a part in the film Apocalypse Now, where he gained fame. With success, his life fell apart. He drank heavily, was in despair and nearly died in his 30's of a heart attack. He couldn't separate his physical problems from his spiritual condition.
In 1981 he heeded the warnings, reclaimed his faith, and God helped him turn his life around. He learned he had to stand for something so he could stand to be himself. He began to focus on social justice and activism - protesting against racism, nuclear arms, war and homelessness - often at great personal cost. In June of 2001 - after his 64th arrest - he was sentenced to three years' probation.
He said: "I've protested, calling attention to my country's dark spots because I love America so much. I've learned that to keep your life from becoming self-centered and useless, you have to feel other people's pain and act to help them. That's what faith and love are about." When Sheen repented, God helped him turn his life around.
We receive warnings and we know that we need to change. God convicts us of our sins so we will repent of those sins and change our way of living. God wants our lives to bear the fruit of being a child of God - a follower of Jesus. John the Baptist said that the Messiah would baptize with the Holy Spirit and with fire - and it is the Holy Spirit that sticks with us - giving us the strength and power to bear fruit worthy of our calling as Christians.
John the Baptist spoke harshly to the religious people. Religious people - and that includes most of us - believe we are okay. We are secure in our relationship with God. We believe our lives are better than the lives of those people outside the church and we often close our ears to the warnings God sends us. Our lives haven't fallen apart. Why do we need to heed God's warning?
Well, it's because the other side of the good news is the bad news of judgment. When we become so secure in our own goodness that we lose sight of what God calls us to do we disregard the warnings. A warning of danger is good news if we turn our lives around and avert the danger. God wants to give us the gift of God's divine presence and God's presence will turn our lives upside down if we allow it. If we allow God to work, the warning of danger will turn us from apathy or movement in the wrong direction toward repentance and a new life. But people don't respond to fear-based messages today as we formerly did.
The only response to God's call to repentance is to turn away from our sins toward God. When we let go of the securities we have created for ourselves, we can accept God's gift and its security. That's repentance!
Why did people flock to hear John the Baptist? Perhaps they were tired of the way they were living their lives and welcomed the call to change. Perhaps they were glad there really is a God who holds people accountable for their conduct. Perhaps it was just out of curiosity. But when they heard the word, they were convicted of their sins. We are answerable to someone. However, God isn't a tyrant, but one who loves us and demands accountability.
Repentance isn't just remorse over past failures but it has to do with having a new heart and a changed life. When our guilt is removed, we feel good again. Grace isn't cheap. The cost is to bear fruit worthy of repentance.
The path to be united with God includes being cleansed form our sins, and this isn't a one-time happening. Each encounter with the transforming love of God cleanses us and purifies us. We are both wheat and chaff, and the chaff must be burned away. The ax must cut away what doesn't bear good fruit. The same Spirit that empowers us also cleanses us with a purifying fire.
Burning away the chaff can be painful because our sin is integrated with who we are. It's mixed in with the wheat. We want to hold onto it as we would a security blanket. But God calls us to repent, to get rid of the chaff, and to live a new life in Christ. This is a life-long process.
We are gifted with the presence of God. During the Advent season, we recognize that more than ever. But does the presence of Christ in our lives make a difference in how we live?
As we prepare for Christmas, we are called to repent and be cleansed. We are also reminded that the Holy Spirit empowers us to turn our lives around. Let's turn from our sins and appropriate our status as forgiven sons and daughters of Christ. It's what we are called to do and to be.
