Second Sunday of Advent, cycle A

MATTHEW 3:1-12

WE HEARD ABOUT THE LION LAYING DOWN WITH THE LAMB. THERE'S A STORY ABOUT A TOURIST WHO WAS VISITING A ZOO IN ANOTHER COUNTRY. THERE HE SAW A LION LAYING DOWN WITH A LAMB. “THAT'S AMAZING!” HE SAID TO THE ZOOKEEPER. “WHAT A WONDERFUL EXAMPLE OF COEXISTENCE. HOW IS IT POSSIBLE?” THE ZOOKEEPER REPLIED, “IT'S EASY. JUST GIVE HIM A FRESH LAMB EVERY DAY.”

ISAIAH PAINTS A WONDERFUL PICTURE ABOUT THE FUTURE, WHEN THE MESSIAH COMES. JOHN IS ANNOUNCING THE MESSIAH AS WELL, AND THE PICTURE DOESN'T SOUND SO WONDERFUL. UNLESS YOU REPENT. JOHN BEGINS BY HURLING AN INSULT AT THE PHARISEES AND SADDUCEES – HE CALLS THEM A BROOD OF VIPERS. VIPERS DONT LAY EGGS; THEY GIVE BIRTH TO LIVE BABIES WHO WANDER OFF TO FEND FOR THEMSELVES. ANCIENT OBSERVERS INSISTED THAT THE BABIES WERE BORN BY BURSTING OPEN THEIR MOTHERS. TO CALL SOMEONE A VIPER WAS TO NAME THEM AS EXTREMELY UNGRATEFUL, AND JOHN IS ACCUSING THESE PHARISEES AND SADUCCEES AS BETRAYING THE GOD THEY PRETENDED TO WORSHIP. JOHN CRITICIZES THREE ERRORS PEOPLE MAKE WHEN THEY TRY TO BE RELIGIOUS. PHARISEES BELIEVED THAT IF YOU OBEYED ALL THE RULES EXACTLY AS THEY WERE WRITTEN DOWN, YOU WOULD BE FULFILLING GOD'S LAW. NOT ONLY DID YOU OBEY THE RULES, YOU MADE UP RULES ABOUT HOW TO OBEY THE RULES. SOME OF OUR JEWISH FRIENDS STILL KEEP TWO SETS OF DISHES, ONE FOR EATING MEALS WITH MEAT AND THE OTHER FOR EATING MEALS WITH DAIRY. THE SCRIPTURE ON WHICH THIS IS BASED SAYS THAT YOU CAN'T BOIL A BABY GOAT IN MILK FROM THE MOTHER. IF YOU INTERPRET THIS TO MEAN YOU CAN'T EAT MEAT AND MILK AT THE SAME MEAL, THAT'S ONE THING. BUT TO MAKE THAT POSSIBILITY SO REMOTE THAT IT CAN'T HAPPEN, YOU NEED TWO SETS OF DISHES.

SADDUCEES WERE THE PRIESTLY CLASS. IT ISN'T SURPRISING THEN, THAT THEY BELIEVED GOD WAS BEST WORSHIPED BY OFFERING SACRIFICES IN THE TEMPLE. THEY LOOKED AT THE STORIES OF THEIR ANCESTORS AND SAW THAT WHENEVER ONE OF THEM SINNED, BURNING AN ANIMAL SEEMED TO GET RID OF THE SIN; WHEN SOMEONE WANTED VICTORY OVER AN ENEMY SLAUGHTERING A FEW ANIMALS SEEMED TO IMPROVE THE ODDS. SADUCCEES DID NOT AS A RULE BELIEVE IN LIFE AFTER DEATH; THEIR APPROACH TO RELIGION WAS TO TRY TO INFLUENCE THE HERE AND NOW BY OFFERING A SACRIFICE TO GOD.

JOHN THEN TURNS HIS ATTENTION TO THE CROWD, RECOGNIZING THAT THE REASON PEOPLE CAME TO BE BAPTIZED RIGHT THERE AT THAT SPOT ON THE SHORES OF THE JORDAN RIVER WHERE JOSHUA HAD LED THE PEOPLE OF ISRAEL INTO THE PROMISED LAND WAS BECAUSE FOR A LONG TIME THAT HAD BEEN AWAY OF RE-AFFIRMING YOUR IDENTITY AS A JEW. YOUR ANCESTORS HAD CROSSED THE RIVER THERE, AND WHEN YOU WENT INTO THE RIVER YOU WERE AFFIRMING YOUR SOLIDARITY WITH THEM. AND JOHN SAYS, BEING A DESCENDENT OF ABRAHAM DOESN'T GET YOU ANY CLOSER TO GOD EITHER.

I THINK ALL OF US CAN SEE OURSELVES IN THESE THREE GROUPS. IF WE FOLLOW THE RULES, GOD OWES US; IF WE GIVE MONEY OR TIME TO THE CHURCH, GOD CERTAINLY SHOULD PAY US BACK. AND IF WE ARE CATHOLICS, WE HAVE A SNEAKING SUSPICION THAT WE ARE A LEG UP ON PEOPLE WHO AREN'T CATHOLIC. AND JOHN SAYS, NONE OF THE ABOVE.

REPENTANCE, JOHN TELLS US, IS OUR ONLY HOPE. THAT WORD OCCURS THROUGHOUT THE OLD TESTAMENT AS WELL AS THE NEW. THE PROPHETS PREACH IT, JESUS USES IT, AND THE APOSTLES WRITE ABOUT IT. SO WHAT DOES IT REALLY MEAN? WHEN WE USE THE WORD TODAY, WE THINK IT MEANS TO BE SORRY FOR OUR SINS. BUT IT MEANT SOMETHING DIFFERENT WHEN IT FIRST CAME INTO THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, SOMETHING CLOSER TO THE GREEK WORD USED IN THE NEW TESTAMENT WHICH IS “METANOAIA”. THAT WORD LITERALLY MEANS “A CHANGE OF MIND”. THE HEBREW WORD IS TESCHIVA, WHICH MEANS TO REMEMBER AND RETURN. AND JOHN AMPLIFIES THIS WHEN HE SAYS “BEAR FRUIT AS EVIDENCE OF YOUR REPENTANCE.” IN OTHER WORDS, IF YOU HAVE REALLY PUT ON A NEW MIND, IF YOU'VE REALLY DECIDED TO PUT YOUR SINS BEHIND YOU AND RETURN TO GOD, THEN OF NECESSITY YOUR LIFE HAS TO CHANGE, OTHERWISE, YOU WEREN'T MUCH DIFFERENT THAN A SNAKE THAT DESTROYS IT'S MOTHER IN BEING BORN.

ADVENT IS A TIME WHEN WE ARE SUPPOSED TO LOOK AT OUR LIVES AND ASK, HOW HAVE THINGS CHANGED SINCE LAST YEAR? HAS THERE BEEN PROGRESS IN MY SPIRITUAL LIFE? IF NOT, WHY NOT? AFTER ALL, THERE ISN'T ANYTHING MORE IMPORTANT THAN THAT.

REPENTANCE IS NEVER SOMETHING THAT WE DO ONCE. WE ARE SUPPOSED TO REPENT CONTINUOUSLY. IT DOESN'T MEAN THAT WE GO AROUND FEELING SORRY FOR EVERY LITTLE AND BIG THING WE'VE DONE. IN FACT, IF OUR PAST MISTAKES MAKE US FEEL SORRY, IT MEANS WE HAVEN'T ACCEPTED GOD'S FORGIVENESS. BUT REPENTANCE DOES MEAN THAT WE'VE TAKEN SERIOUSLY THE IDEA THAT WE HAVE TO STRIVE TO DRAW CLOSER TO GOD; WE HAVE TO STRUGGLE TO BECOME MORE LIKE CHRIST. SAINT PAUL TELLS US TO “PUT ON CHRIST” AND FOR CHRISTIANS THAT'S A GREAT DEFINITION OF REPENTANCE. IT SEEMS TO BE AN OVERWHELMING TASK, BUT GOD STANDS READY TO GIVE US THE GRACE WE NEED; JESUS HAS ALREADY SHOWN US HOW TO DO THIS; AND THE HOLY SPIRIT LIVES WITHIN US, CONCEIVING CHRIST AS HE DID IN MARY. ALL YOU AND I HAVE TO DO IS LET THE TRINITY WORK IN US.

THERE ARE ONLY TWO THINGS THAT STAND IN THE WAY; ONE IS ME, MYSELF. AS LONG AS I AM THE CENTER OF THE UNIVERSE FOR MYSELF, GOD CAN'T BE. AND TO LET GO OF THAT CONCEPTION IS VERY HARD; BUT IT CAN BE ONE, A LITTLE AT A TIME, BY GIVING OURSELVES AWAY. THE MORE WE GIVE OURSELVES TO OTHERS, THE MORE WE GIVE OURSELVES TO GOD, THE MORE WE EMPTY OURSELVES TO MAKE ROOM FOR GOD. THAT, BY THE WAY, IS THE SPIRITUAL DIMENSION OF MARRIAGE – A STATE OF LIFE IN WHICH EACH PARTNER GIVES HIMSELF OR HERSELF TO THE OTHER, AND AS TIME GOES ON, TO CHILDREN. OUR FAMILIES ARE SUPPOSED TO KICK-START THE PROCESS OF EMPTYING OURSELVES OUT TO MAKE ROOM FOR GOD.

THE OTHER BARRIER IS BASICALLY, “STUFF”. OUR LIVES ARE CLUTTERED WITH STUFF – MATERIAL GOODS, YES, BUT MANY OTHER THINGS AS WELL. WE ARE ALWAYS IN DANGER OF PLACING OUR JOB, OUR HOBBIES, ALL THE MULTITUDE OF THINGS THAT EAT AWAY AT OUR TIME AHEAD OF WHAT IS REALLY IMPORTANT IN LIFE. AND JUST AS WE HAVE TO EMPTY OURSELVES TO GET RID OF THE ME, WE HAVE TO DEAL WITH OUR STUFF BY FREQUENTLY EXAMINING WHETHER THINGS ARE PROPERLY BALANCED. GOD ISN'T SAYING WE NEED TO GO OUT INTO THE DESERT AND EAT LOCUSTS AND HONEY; BUT HE DOES EXPECT US TO USE EVERY GIFT THE WAY IT SHOULD BE USED, AND NOT LET HIS GIFTS TO US CROWD HIM OUT OF OUR LIVES.

IN ADVENT REFLECT ON YOUR SPIRITUAL PROGRESS SINCE LAST YEAR THIS TIME. IF YOU CAN'T REALLY SAY YOU'VE MADE ANY, THEN LISTEN TO JOHN; THE AXE IS EVEN NOW AT THE ROOT OF THE TREE.