Third Sunday of Advent

Philippians 4.4-7; Luke 3.7-18

We continue with St. John the Baptist this week following on from last week. His message we see now it uncompromising and the challenge fierce - 'You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruits worthy of repentance.' St. John goes right to the heart of the matter with a question. What's driving you? Is it something somebody said? Has somebody or something pricked your conscience? What's made you head in this direction, in St. John's direction and ultimately in the direction of the Messiah; in the direction of God? St. John says we are a brood of vipers. He pulls no punches. I think by that, he's saying we are filled with poison and no better than crawling on our bellies. And we are all in it together, a 'brood', he says. We could all take offence because surely we are better than that? But he makes his point quite clearly then issues his challenge. If we are repentant and that's why we've come to him, why we've come to God then we should show it by bearing the 'fruit of repentance', he says. We should show we are serious by turning our hearts and minds to God again in real ways, so that it shows in our lives.

And we can't claim descent from Abraham as some sort of protection from the 'wrath to come' as he puts it. We can't claim some belonging to the Church as giving us some sort of salvation, that we've been born and brought up in the Church. That won't do, he says. God works in everybody if and when He wants to and can make us members, but more is needed, a response on our part. It's not good enough that we've been baptised and confirmed. So very many have, millions upon millions. But it hasn't done them any good and won't do because there's been no response to God's grace in their heart. There hasn't been the fruit of repentance.

And St. John says these things, makes us think so hard, gives us so great a challenge, because it's no less than God we've come looking for whether we knew it or not. And if we think we've come to someone less than God then we've got a rude awakening. Repentance will prepare us to meet with Him and St. John tells us what we should do to show the fruits of repentance. And here we have, prefigured, the Sermon on the Mount. St. John preaches much the same as Jesus, so much so that people think he's the Messiah. But he's simply helping people get ready for their meeting with God, from whom comes all grace and truth. Because that meeting will be their salvation. And that's the difference. That's why it needs repentance. The Saviour of the world is coming to meet with us and we need to be ready.

I think we tend to forget that at Christmas time, that Christmas is solely about God, about who and what He is. We forget because everything around it takes our minds and hearts away from Him. We see a baby in a manger but that's about as far as it goes. We forget that the baby is God. And we forget that Christmas is about His great love for His creation about His coming to us for our 'health and salvation'; which as far as the Church is concerned, is the same thing. And we forget that God comes down to us so that we can ascend to Him, so that having been made in His image we can take on His likeness also. His coming to us makes that possible. Had He not done so it would not be possible. He would be for ever distant. When people say that Christmas is for children they have truly 'lost the plot' because Christmas is for the whole of mankind.

And this is why St. Paul can exhort the Philippians and so we as well to 'Rejoice in the Lord always', not to worry about anything and to thank God in our requests to Him. This is why St. Paul can say that the peace of God will guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. It's because He knows what the incarnation means, He knows what the presence of Christ means and not just to himself but to the whole of the Church and the whole of mankind. Repentance brings that change of heart and mind that tunes us in to God so that we are able to give thanks to God in all things because our health and salvation are in Him and not in earthly and human things.

So we see that baby in the manger and we see God and see our salvation. Christmas is no less than that and that's the image we need to have in front of us if we are to make the most of Christmas. And for such great a thing is it not right to prepare properly, to turn the heart and mind to God in repentance and to show the fruit of that turning? We can do no less for such a great thing that has happened for us.