Sermon Matthew 3:12

I don't know about you, but part of me loves John the Baptist. There is something about him that appeals to me. I especially like that line "You brood of Vipers!" What a line ... I can just imagine him challenging the authorities ... the government "You brood of Vipers!", the organized religion of his time "You brood of Vipers!", the well to do folks of his time "You brood of Vipers!".

I think I find part of John's "Kick Butt" attitude appealing ... he tells it like he sees it in his day. And John's energy is tempting ... for preachers it is tempting to use this story as an excuse to rail against the congregation ... "You brood of Vipers" ... and list all of personal and collective sins of the congregation ... but I don't think that would be Good News ... it might feed a preachers ego but it would not do anyone any good.

But then what am I to do with this story this morning. Firstly, I have to admit. Although I like John's spunk ... I really don't like John the Baptist calling me a "Viper" a "Snake in the grass". And that is what he is doing this morning. To those who came to be baptised by him, he said, "You brood of Vipers. Who warned you of the wrath to come? Don't think that because you go to church you'll escape God's judgement." Then he goes on to talk about trees being cut down and wheat and chaff being burned by unquenchable fire. This seems like scary stuff. Stuff that is not very Christmassy.

Because of this, part of me wants to "do a John the Baptist" myself and call up the committee that chooses the scripture readings for this Sunday and say, "You brood of Vipers ... don't you know it is Christmas time ..." this is just a little too heavy. Choose something a little lighter for Christmas time ... lets get onto the part about the baby and the Shepards ... and joy to the world ...

We want to hear about the Prince of Peace ... this morning we lit a candle for Peace ... but the story of John does not seem to hold much Peace. If you ask me, John sounds like trouble ... this John who brings us judgement and wants to expose us as we really are. John who with scary talk calls us to take off our masks ... to show our real selves ... And that is something most don't want to do.

And maybe that is because it is what we most fear. That we will be seen as we really are. This is something scary for most people. We get so good at putting on the masks and creating facades. We don't want people to know who we really are.

I know that I am not alone in having sometimes expressed the feeling that "If people really knew me they would not love me." If I stopped putting up my front and let people know the "real" me that I would not be lovable. That if people knew my difficulties and my short comings that they would reject me.

Many have this fear that if the yuck of our lives were revealed; If folks found out that we were not as bright, or honest, or wealthy or happy ... or whatever ... then people would abandon us ... and that in the end perhaps it boils down to the statement, "If I am who I really am then how could God love someone like me." And I know that I am not alone in having these feelings sometimes.

Behind the nicely painted pictures of serene and upstanding lives, we hide valleys of suffering, mountains of addictions, struggles, and concerns. We do not need John the Baptist to tell us that things aren't all straight. That our families are not the perfect pictures that we see in Christmas advertisements. All of us know how messed up our society is and the levels of corruption in government and business ... And in our personaly lives we know that there are spots that are bent out of shape ... And however smooth we attempt to be about life, there is a nagging part of us that knows about the rough unfinished areas of our souls.

But John still bellows on , "Prepare the way of the Lord". God is coming ... and the Valleys will be filled and the mountains will be levelled. Things are going to change. The crooked is going to be made straight. The rough ways are going to be made smooth."

And he goes on ..."Don't think that surface stuff is enough ... I may name the facade, but one is coming who is going to separate the wheat from the chaff and will burn up the chaff ... one who is going to Baptise us with the Holy Spirit and fire. AND, I am not even fit to untie his shoe laces ... I am not even fit to be his slave ...

Then the story goes on that John continued to preach this good news until he was thrown in jail, and killed. Killed by wealthy rulers who did not like to hear about the chaff in their lives.

Wait a second, where is the Good News here? ... this fire talk sounds kind of scary to me. Especially this part about one coming who is going to burn up the chaff ... one who is going to Baptise us with the Holy Spirit and fire. This sounds kinda strong ... a bit too fire and brimestonish for the United Church of Canada, don't you think. Maybe we should leave that fire talk to the fundamentalists ...

And its seems so out of season ... perhaps better left for Pentecost ... At Christmas, most people don't want to hear a fiery John the Baptist talk about one who is coming to set fire to the world. This John who tells us that the Good News is that the unquenchable "fire of God" is about to arrive. Unquenchable fire just does not sound like Good News, does it?

Yet, this is what John is calling Good News ... He is proclaiming that a divine fire is coming that will go beyond the facades down to the deep yuck of our lives ... down to the very chaff of our lives ... down to the secrets and lies and that it will begin the process of burning up that which is not life giving ...

And that can be a very scary process ... the process of coming to the truth of things. The truth of ourselves. Some of us long to have the yuck of our lives burned up ... but others of us wish to hold onto it ... to denial that the chaff is there ... we want to call the chaff something else and hold onto the false security it gives us. We try in vain to cover up the mountains of chaff that spill out behind the facade ... we pretend it is not there ... even though it is clear to us and others that it is there ...

And then there are others of us that know the chaff is there but do not even know its name. We know something is crooked but don't know how to make it straight. We cry out to God ... show me the way, because we feel so lost ... we need your help.

For many the chaff of our lives seems over whelming ... the facade has become too heavy to carry ... and something needs to change ... we come to know the need for God in our lives ... in our church ... and in society ... we realize that we need God to help us deal with the chaff ... So we ask God to help us deal with it...

And, when we ask, something miraculous happens ... the fire of God begins to come into our lives ... or perhaps it was already there and needed a fresh breeze to fan the flames higher ... from a small spark there forms a candle of fire inside of us ... a candle that begins to set fire to the chaff of our souls ... then as we respond to God's love in Christian discipleship ... when we bear fruit worthy of repentance something happens ...amid the scorched chaff something begins to appear ... golden wheat ... first a kernel, then another ...and over the years more and more golden kernels appear amid the blackened ash until there is enough to form into a loaf of bread.

And amid the crackling fire within our souls we hear a still small voice saying, "you are my beloved children .... this fire will never go out for you." I know all about you ... I know the wheat and the chaff ... I know who you are ... you are my beloved children ... and My fiery love will never go out for you.

Then we feel the warmth of God inside us ... amid the wilderness of our souls there is a lamp to light our path ... there is someone who is the light amid the darkness ... and he was born in a manger ... and they named him Jesus ... and he indeed is the Prince of Peace ... AMEN.

Sermon Matthew 3:12
by James Love