False Security (Zephaniah 3:14-20; Philippians 4:4-7; Luke 3:7-18)
Listen.December 13th, 2009
Rev. Dr. Craig A. Wagner
Introduction
The season of Advent is about preparation to celebrate Christmas. There are many traditions and rituals that serve to govern and guide our behavior during this time of year. Each family has its own traditions and rituals. Some rituals are good and some can raise eyebrows: for example, the ritual of taking children to see Santa Claus is good. Going to too many parties can be bad. Buying gifts and opening them on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day is good. Overextending yourself for the gifts is bad. One ritual I have is that the first ornament that I place on our Christmas tree every year is one that I received as a child; it has a picture of Donald Duck on it. Obviously, it is not religious at all, but brings back wonderful memories. However, a person could tell nothing about my faith by looking at that ornament.
The ritual and tradition of attending candlelight services in church is good, but if that’s the only time a person attends church and is involved in worship, that is bad. Rituals do not save us; nor do traditions mean that a person has a strong faith.
There are people who attend Christmas Eve worship who do so only because of the sentimentality of the night and perhaps because their parents and grandparents attended in their time – it is the thing to do! Certainly, we welcome these individuals to worship, but wonder about their motivation for attending.
And of course, there are others who call the pastor to perform a wedding ceremony, a funeral, or sometimes a baptism… because as we know, their parents used to attend this church. Because they did, there seems to be a connection with the congregation that transcends the years, and sometimes the generations; a connection that that is only made when a need for a religious ritual is felt. As a pastor, I readily do these rituals because I feel that it is a chance to proclaim Jesus and the good news that he brings into a person’s life. Some pundit remarked that churches are around to “Hatch, Match, and Dispatch” people! And many use the church for those purposes.
Are the rituals of the church some sort of “good luck charm?” Are people’s connection to the church and to the Lord Jesus so tenuous and shallow that they need to have the wedding here, the baby baptized here because it will bring good luck, perhaps some mystical sort of power? Lest we simply point fingers, I suggest that all of us have rituals that are empty of religious meaning and follow traditions that are not centered on Jesus even in the midst of the Christmas season.
Of course, John the Baptist would have something to say about these empty rituals and shallow traditions and the using of the church for superficial reasons – He called people around him at the Jordan River and he would call people today, “You bunch of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath that is coming?
John’s call: bear fruit
The Messiah is arriving and yet these people are not ready – even though they have been down by the river and were being baptized for the repentance of their sins. Evidently, among the crowds that had gathered were people who were only going through the motions, but their hearts were far from being faithful. They were going through the rituals, but their lives were not changed. Perhaps they figured that they might as well go through the ritual so that if the Messiah showed up, they would have at least been able to say that they were baptized! John demanded proof. The proof of repentance was to be seen and experienced in the fruit that they produced; the works of faith needed to be seen. Confession and repentance was one thing, but the outgrowth of that was a changed life with a changed lifestyle. If the proof wasn’t there, the motives would be suspect.
When John confronted them on this grave aspect of readiness they claimed Abraham as their ancestor. It’s a bit like saying, “I’m a Christian because by grandparents went to this church – therefore I’m ready to participate in salvation.” It didn’t work for them and it doesn’t hold water in our day either. John reminded them that God could raise up children of Abraham from the stones around them. This was a reference to Isaiah 51.1-2 where Abraham is compared to a rock and the children from the quarry.
The people need to exhibit the works that come from a repentant lifestyle. If they do not, then beware because the axe will be used to cut down the tree and throw it into the fire. Readiness for the coming of the Messiah is more than simply saying I’m sorry. Going through the rituals can bring a false sense of security into people’s lives.
The natural question comes from the people; then what shall we do? What actions; what works does God desire? John does not ask them to give away everything and become poverty stricken, but he does tell them to share! If you have two coats, give one to that person who has none; food also is to be shared. Food and clothing are the most elemental goods in a person’s life. No occupation is forbidden or left out; even tax collectors should be honest in their dealings (limiting their income). And soldiers should not extort money. The proof of a repentant heart is in our behavior and our actions – the rituals can become a false security as we wait for the coming of the Messiah.
But we have Abraham
The obvious question for us, or perhaps I should say challenge for us, is whether or not we are bearing the fruit that befits repentance? Are we doing the work that will glorify God? After last week’s message on repentance, I hope that each one of us took stock of attitudes, actions, behavior, thoughts and confessed those sinful actions and then turned around produced the good fruit that glorifies God.
If Jesus returned today, would he find us faithful, not only in attitude but in actions and in deeds? Are we bearing the fruit of faithful people or are we simply going through religious motions and rituals without thought or without living changed lives? Our actions need to be governed by the great commandment that Jesus taught which stated that we are to love God with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength; and our neighbor as ourselves. A biblical scholar said that the original sin for the gospel writer Luke was GREED. Are we living greedy self-centered lives or do we reflect the love and grace of our Lord, do we focus on Christ and share with our neighbor, or do we hoard for ourselves and go through the religious motions and think we are acceptable and ready?
Is it enough simply to warm to the pews on Christmas Eve? Is it enough that I attended Sunday school years ago? Is it enough that my parents were active in the church? Is it enough that I only give a couple of dollars on Sunday? Is it enough that I only hear Bible readings on Sunday? Is it enough that I celebrate Christmas without much thought as to the Christ child? Is it enough…. To bear the fruit of a Christ-centered person, we must love God totally and reflect that love in our relationships with others. It’s not only the work, but the attitude.
As the old saying goes, “Christianity is only one generation away from extinction.” Each person must believe and be ready for themselves, we cannot believe for someone else, we can not believe for our children, we can not bask in the faith of our ancestors---we must believe. We must repent and we must produce the fruits of repentance. It is simply false security to think that someone else can save us, someone else can do the hard work, someone else can share and care for our neighbors…and then to think that we are ready for the Messiah.
Reflect this morning – not on others and their faith or lack of faith; not on others and the way they live, but on ourselves – yourself – myself – we need to reflect, confess, repent and then live as God’s people in self-giving love toward others.
The chaff burns
John is pointing people beyond himself to the one who was about to arrive on the scene. For many commentators, John is seen as the last of the great Old Testament prophets. He is preparing people to receive the Messiah. The preparation includes a baptism for the repentance of sins, but the actions of the people must match their repentant hearts. Unfortunately, they do not. He calls them to works that reflect their changed lives. They better be ready for the Messiah is come and separate the wheat from the chaff. We hear at this point that the coming one will come in judgment.
Are we ready? Are we living ethically, morally, generously and righteously as we wait the coming of the Christ? We may be ready to celebrate the birth, but are we ready for that time when Jesus arrives in the fullness of glory and judges what we have been doing, thinking, believing? The more we live in love of God and others, the more that kind of life becomes our pattern for living. There are good habits and bad habits; the good habits of self giving love and of a life lived in service, in love, in sharing certainly reflects our repentance from a life of self-centeredness and greed; lust and lies; ritual and tradition.
We want and desire our lives to reflect God’s glory and his love; we desire our lives to be lived as God’s people. We want to be ready and the challenge from John is to live life in a higher standard of conduct than those around us. Difficult, yes, necessary, absolutely….God’s love is for us, his grace is sufficient, his mercy is everlasting….and his goodness causes us to reflect on our unworthiness and to repent, doing the works that glorify God – that is security!
Conclusion
Are we tired of hearing about Tiger Woods? Interesting that his private thoughts, desires and immorality were never seen in his public life on the golf course….now they are exposed. What’s in our hearts, on our minds that we need to repent of? May our repentant hearts bear the fruit of faith – fruit that loves God and loves, shares and cares for one another….then be ready in security and love as we wait for the coming of Jesus our Lord and Savior. Amen.