Due to a technical glitch, there is no audio or video of this sermon.
Sunday, December 13, 2015 Advent
Third Sunday of Advent
Year C
Old Testament Zephaniah 3:14–20
New Testament Philippians 4:4–7
Gospel Luke 3:7–18
John’s baptism is a break from how the Jews traditionally removed their sins. Once a year, the Jews would come to the Temple on the day of atonement. At which time an animal sacrifice was performed as atonement for sins. Of the burnt offerings made, two goats were brought before the Lord. One was sacrificed and the other after presentation, was sent off into the wilderness. Thus the term scape goat, the sins sent off on the goat into the wilderness.
However, John’s baptism for the forgiveness of sins is based upon a need for repentance of sins and a washing clean in water. There is still a catch. The doing of good works, the bearing of good fruit prevents the ax from chopping down the tree that does not bear good fruit, the doing of good works. How the Jews are to live in their covenant with God, is a a people of the Law. They are called in their covenant with God to take care of the widows, orphans, poor and the stranger.
On the day of atonement, the sins committed are atoned for in burnt offerings and sins sent off on the goat. The people are still to follow the law. John asks for the people to repent, to change their hearts and minds, to be cleansed and commit sins no more. How, by caring for others, acting out of fairness. There is no animal, no person, nothing to dump their sins upon. There is a need, an expectation, of a change in heart and mind before being washed of their sins. There is an expectation of doing things different than they had been before.
John’s baptism is only a preparation for something radically different. Even though John’s baptism calls for a change, Jesus’s baptism is very different than even John’s baptism. Jesus baptism is not of water but of the Spirit and fire. That can seem confusing, when we baptize now, we use water. Our baptisms in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, in which we use water is an outward symbol of an inward change.
Jesus’s baptism brings the Spirit into the lives of those baptized. Jesus’ baptism cleanses us through His Fire. Jesus fire of cleansing is different than what we hear about the fire that will consume the shaff of the wheat is a part of the plant that is of waste, it has little value it is not the fruit of wheat, it is not the good parts of wheat. The fire that the shaff is sent to, consumes and consumes and does not stop. Yet the fire that Jesus baptizes in, does not consume but cleanses.
There are no requirements to Jesus’s baptism, wellllll, other than a belief in or a want to believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God. A child when baptized in our faith tradition, has no idea of their need, their want or anything else in relation to Jesus. The parents and God parents are the ones that promise to raise the child in faith, so that when they come of age, confirmation time, they can take on their own fait walk, their own responsibilities for the promises made at the time of their baptism.
Unlike John’s baptism, there is no requirement of repentance, no requirement for bearing of fruit, good works. That being said, it is a change of heart through faith, through prayer, through our baptism that we respond to God, in what the Son and Spirit do for us. We do good works, we respond because we feel compelled to respond in ways that respect what is done for us. We do not bear false witness against our neighbor, we do not cheat one another, we treat one another as we wish to be treated and we love God with all our hearts.
Now, maybe you have experienced or are experiencing right now, mistreatment by a baptized Christian. You may be wondering what about this change in people. Change is a learning experience. It is not something that comes natural and when change does not always work out, you just keep on trying, knowing that you are forgiven in the death of Jesus. We are baptized into Jesus’s death and share in His redemption, no matter what. It is not conditional but by the Grace of God, the forgiveness is unconditional.
How does that help the person who is not experiencing love and care by Christians around them? That is when we can turn to what Paul says today in his letter to the Philippians.
4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. 5 Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. 6 Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. [1]
The time of Advent and the time of Christmas can seem like a lonely and scary time. Know that despite the turmoil around you, you can always count on the Lord. Even with the hustle and bustle, even in all the shouts and rumors that may surround you, hear words of Psalm 46:10, 10“Be still, and know that I am God!…” Hold onto the words of Psalm 37:7 which says; 7 Be still before the Lord, and wait patiently for him; do not fret over those who prosper in their way, over those who carry out evil devices. [2]
Trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, who changes us all, through our baptism in his death.
[1] The Holy Bible: New Revised Standard Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1989), Php 4:4–7.
[2] The Holy Bible: New Revised Standard Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1989), Ps 37:7.
Your comments about the scapegoat reminded me of another little tidbit I picked up somewhere. It seems the Jews also had a practice involving a scarlett thread that would turn white if the sacrifice was accepted. I’ll have to look up again the details but the key point I recall is that the Talmud (Rabbinic writings) has a note that for forty years before the destruction of the temple, the scarlett thread never turned white. That’s interesting because the temple was destroyed in AD 70… forty years earlier Jesus appeared on the scene to be both priest and victim of the sacrifice that does atone. Without realizing it, the Rabbis support the idea that Jesus is the fulfillment of the law and the old sacrificial system has been abrogated.
Veni, veni Emmanuel!