Gospel text for the Third Sunday of Advent 16 December 2018

Luke 3.7-18        John said to the crowds that came out to be baptized by him, "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruits worthy of repentance. Do not begin to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our ancestor'; for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham. Even now the ax is lying at the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”

And the crowds asked him, "What then should we do?" In reply he said to them, "Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none; and whoever has food must do likewise." Even tax collectors came to be baptized, and they asked him, "Teacher, what should we do?" He said to them, "Collect no more than the amount prescribed for you." Soldiers also asked him, "And we, what should we do?" He said to them, "Do not extort money from anyone by threats or false accusation, and be satisfied with your wages.”

As the people were filled with expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Messiah, John answered all of them by saying, "I baptize you with water; but one who is more powerful than I is coming; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire."

So, with many other exhortations, he proclaimed the good news to the people.

Reflection        In theory the prophet’s counsel sounds good… ”Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none; and whoever has food must do likewise.” But when it comes to actually putting his words into action, we look into our closets and cringe. Like Paul we must confess, “For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do--this I keep on doing.” (Ro 7.19)  But this is not all bad news. 

As soon as we stumble over some block within us that prevents us from being and doing the greater good, as soon as we bump into a wall that bars us from being in right relationship with one another and God, that cringing, unsettling sense within tells us, we have stumbled onto something important. 

What is it that we have stumbled onto? The very obstacles that keep us from being and doing the greater good. In my case the mountain of bumps is mostly made of thoughts; “But I wear most of my coats. Why should I have to do this? I have always taken care of myself.  What if I don’t have enough? What if my family has a disaster? What if the economy goes south? Doesn’t God help those who help themselves? Compared to other people I don’t have that much. I have already given at the office. Oh, what should I do?” Please feel free to add your own.  

Hearing the prophet's answer to our question, “What then should we do?” our hearts sink into our stomachs, our shoulders hug our ears and we can barely swallow. In this vexing moment we are toe to toe with our stumbling blocks.  “What if we come upon hard times? Should we really give away the resources our loved ones should inherit? How do we know what is enough? Why should I give to someone who has not worked like I have? What will people think if I stop striving to acquire more money, power or position?”  But alas, these questions miss the mark. 

We do not begin with a question of what we do outside. We begin with a question of who we are inside. You see, John the Baptizer is calling our ancestors and us to repent. It is no less than a moral change to turn around and live our lives from the inside out, in accord with who we really are. This is what John is pointing to when he says, “the one who is to come (Jesus) will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.”Here is the thing, the Holy Spirit is already breathed like fire into every one of us. We are already the beneficiaries of God’s Spirit with us.

The Holy Spirit of God with us is like the refiner’s fire; it burns away the impurities, the obstacles, whatever prevents us from being our true selves. It is the fiery Spirit of God with us that transforms our stumbling blocks into courage to live beyond the box of our self-centered concerns. It is the fiery Spirit of God with us that ignites our desire to be and to do all that we do for the Greater Glory of God.

The question is not, “How many coats do you have in your closet and how many should you give away?” The question is,  “How will you live from the inside out for the greater glory of God? 

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Gospel text for Sunday 15 July 2018

Mark 6:14-29        King Herod heard of Jesus and his disciples, for Jesus’ name had become known. Some were saying, “John the baptizer has been raised from the dead; and for this reason these powers are at work in him.” But others said, “It is Elijah.” And others said, “It is a prophet, like one of the prophets of old.” But when Herod heard of it, he said, “John, whom I beheaded, has been raised.”

For Herod himself had sent men who arrested John, bound him, and put him in prison on account of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, because Herod had married her. For John had been telling Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.” And Herodias had a grudge against him, and wanted to kill him. But she could not, for Herod feared John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and he protected him. When he heard him, he was greatly perplexed; and yet he liked to listen to him. But an opportunity came when Herod on his birthday gave a banquet for his courtiers and officers and for the leaders of Galilee. When his daughter Herodias came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his guests; and the king said to the girl, “Ask me for whatever you wish, and I will give it.” And he solemnly swore to her, “Whatever you ask me, I will give you, even half of my kingdom.” She went out and said to her mother, “What should I ask for?” She replied, “The head of John the baptizer.” Immediately she rushed back to the king and requested, “I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter.” The king was deeply grieved; yet out of regard for his oaths and for the guests, he did not want to refuse her. Immediately the king sent a soldier of the guard with orders to bring John’s head. He went and beheaded him in the prison, brought his head on a platter, and gave it to the girl. Then the girl gave it to her mother. When his disciples heard about it, they came and took his body, and laid it in a tomb.

      

Reflection      Here is an interesting twist. Both men in this story know truth. John knows Jewish law forbids a man from marrying his brother’s wife. Herod knows John is a righteous and holy man and even likes listening to him speak. What distinguishes John from Herod is not their access to truth but rather their willingness to act on it.

When we dig deep down to the bottom of our souls we know what is right, what it true, even though sometimes we must plow through dung and dross to get there. So the question is, “What does it take to stand up, speak and act on truth?” I believe it requires two things. First we put our faith in God with us rather than in ourselves. If I believed doing this life was up to me alone I would wrap myself in cotton and lock me in a closet. But thanks be to God I know, God is with me no matter what. Second, as people of God we acknowledge there are standards by which we measure our behavior. Does our behavior demonstrate love of God, our neighbor, our enemy? Do our words and our actions lead us toward greater or lesser good for all people? 

Speaking and acting on truth is not neutral. Regardless that social, political and religious  pundits proclaim we live in a “post-truth” context, not all perspectives, positions or actions proceed toward good. As Christians we understand truth is both deeply personal and broadly communal.  Deeply personal because the deepest truth of our self is not other than that of Divine Presence with us. AND  Broadly communal because we affirm the interconnected, interdependence of all creatures and creation. Life is about me and life is about more than me.

It take courage to change not only our minds, but also to act decisively to change the course of events. In a grandstanding moment Herod made a regrettable and ill conceived promise. Full of himself he failed to see his vulnerability to Herodias’ special interest.  Then refusing to appear handled, he chose to act against what he knew was true, and was “deeply grieved.” 

John the Baptizer also faced a choice. Would he keep his mouth shut about Herod’s adulterous relationship and thus protect himself or would he speak truth to power? John chose the latter and we know where it got him because acting on truth exposes human failings and upsets the status quo. 

We dare not get so cynical or news weary, discouraged or afraid that we exchange our standards of truth and right action for the handling and false promises of special interest groups or self-serving governors. It takes courage to speak and act on truth, courage to change the course of events because when we do there is every chance, we will be handed our heads on a platter. So act now!

If you found this post interesting you may want to attend 

“Moving Prayer into Action,”

a forum at Church of the Apostles, on Sunday July 15th at 10:45 am where we will hear stories of oppression, persecution and marginalization from our Muslim, Mexican, Sikh, and Holocaust Surviving neighbors and learn about ways we can put our prayers into action to change the course of events. 

All are welcome to attend. 12111 N La Cholla Blvd, Oro Valley, AZ 

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