It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas Series

“It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas.”

It was beginning to look a lot like Christmas at Home Depot before Hallowe’en.

That bothers some people more than it bothers me

I figure even if the connection is tenuous that anything that gets people to thinking about Jesus is a good thing.

If people are even a little bit reminded about peace and good will, however they got there it is a good thing

At least Christmas has His title in it

Among groups who follow the ecclesiastical calendar it

seems like we talk about John called ‘The Baptist” more than about Jesus in the weeks leading up to Christmas.

If we think too much about a baby in a manger and angels shepherds and wisemen we tend to get sentimental

But John comes on the scene as a grown man and a pretty impressive grown man at that

No manger and sheep and cattle about him

Instead a camel’s hair garment and grasshoppers and honey for supper

He ate on the go

And his preaching was in his going

John preached an uncomfortable message

There was no sentimentality about it.

Repent!

The kingdom of God is at hand

“At hand” can mean either close with reference to time

Or close in relationship to space or location

By either or both meanings the people from all Judea who heard John preach were on the cusp of a new era

John was telling the people to flatten the hills, fill the valleys straighten the curves for the Lord was on His way – Nearby, at hand – just around the corner

But there needed to be a cleansing before the kingdom was inaugurated

Listen to Matthew’s description of what John said

Matt 3:7-12 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, "You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8 "Therefore bring forth fruit in keeping with repentance; 9 and do not suppose that you can say to yourselves,' We have Abraham for our father'; for I say to you, that God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham. 10 "And the axe is already laid at the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 11 "As for me, I baptize you with water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, and I am not fit to remove His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 12 "And His winnowing fork is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clear His threshing floor; and He will gather His wheat into the barn, but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire." NAS

To repent means to change direction

Not back to where you came from but away from where you are going

A change so radical it is as if making a U-turn but not on the same level it is going right over the top of where you have been

Not going over the same road again but leaving the old way so far behind you can’t even see it in the rearview mirror

Repentance is something that is visible

Something others can see

John gave some examples of radical repentance

It had to do with compassion. Generosity and honesty

If you have two coats give one away

If you have food share some

Tax collectors: don’t extort. Only get what the law requires

Soldiers: don’t shake down the people be content with your pay and rations don’t blackmail people

These are not exhaustive but enough we all get the drift

And you can’t ride the coat tails of your parents

In John’s time the Jews were proud that they were descendants of Abraham

John says that and $5.00 will buy you a cup of coffee

Abraham’s descendants were a dime a dozen

They must have something to show for being Abraham’s seed

And if Abraham’s descendants are not bearing fruit in keeping with their repentance, they are mere dead wood

The axe is poised –ready to swing – time is short

You can’t hitchhike with others who are on their own way back

You can’t trust the reputation of your parents for your salvation

John’s message was one of “out with the bad”

There is a separation coming

The wheat from the chaff

It is ready to start

All it takes is a wind and the wheat will be cleaned and stored

And same as dead wood, the chaff will be burned up

Good old John the Baptist, he reminds us to keep our feet on the ground in these busy, heady days of pre-Christmas