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 John is cajoling crowds of people who have left their homes to come to the wilderness, listen to an itinerant prophet and be baptized. Several questions loom largely. Who are these people? What are they looking for? What compels them to leave their familiar places and go into the wilderness? Why do they listen to a grizzly wanderer calling them “a brood of vipers?” Then, instead of leaving when insulted, why do the people ask, “What then should we do?”
Well, I cannot answer any of those questions but they make me wonder about the crowd of folks who show up every Sunday on Facebook Live to “attend” worship at Church of the Apostles. The fact is, most Sunday’s the number of folks worshipping on Facebook Live exceeds the number actually sitting in the sanctuary.
Again, several questions loom largely. Who are these people? What are they looking for? What compels them to get out of bed, stop searching the web and virtually visit Church of the Apostles? Why do they listen to me calling people to “Repent, turn around, put their heads in the wilderness of their hearts?”
Why do they return week after week to hear me prod them to let their lives look like the life of the itinerant preacher, teacher, healer Jesus who challenges the status quo keepers of institution and empire while treating every stranger, foreigner, leper, sinner and thief with dignity and kindness?
I cannot answer any of these questions but I will speculate. Although it is unlikely the Facebook Live worshippers are looking to be baptized I believe there is every chance they are showing up because they are long for a new way of live, a way that is loving and liberating, a way that affirms the dignity and worth of all human beings. I believe the unidentified folks showing up for virtual worship are looking for a beloved community in which everyone has a place at the table and everyone is interested in the well being of all.
So Welcome! Welcome! Welcome! This is the Way of Jesus, the way that welcomes every color of the rainbow, refugees and asylum seekers, wealthy and impoverished, conservative and progressive, partisan and independent because the Way of Jesus is deeper than any difference. The Way of Jesus strives for “justice and peace among all people and respects the dignity of every human being.” This is the baptism by “the Holy Spirit and fire,” about which John is speaking because it demands nothing less than transforming ourselves into One Loving Community in which we really do respect and dignify ALL people, and that is radical change. So Welcome! Welcome! Welcome!
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