“The Good News of John the Baptist” (Luke 3:7-18)

Luke 3:7-18

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Pastor Tom Johnson, December 16, 2018

The Preaching of John the Baptist
Pieter Brueghel the Elder (1526-1569)

Our Scripture about John the Baptist ends with the words, “So, with many other exhortations, he proclaimed the good news to the people.” And we even affirmed that after the reading when I said, “This is the Gospel of the Lord.” And we responded with the words, “Praise to you, O Christ.” But I hope you smiled when you heard John the Baptist’s words described as good news—or at the very least wondered how that can be.

John begins his message to the crowds by calling them “a brood of vipers.” He called them a family of venomous snakes! They think they are daughters and sons of Abraham but John says they are the offspring of poisonous and fanged reptiles. Don’t think for a moment, John says, that you can rely on your pedigree. Just because you can trace your lineage to Abraham does not impress this prophet or God. He can make a child of Abraham out of inanimate objects like the stones that litter the ground. What does God want? He wants our lives to bear good fruit—fruit that comes out of true faith and repentance. He wants our lives to be a blessing to others. When people ask John what they should do. He is very descriptive and concrete. If you have more clothing than you need or more food than you need, share. When we see people in need and we have the resources, we should simply do the right thing and help out our neighbor. Tax collectors are told not to collect more money than they are supposed to. Soldiers are told not to intimidate, threaten, or falsely accuse and to be content with their wages. John simply tells people to see their jobs not as personal gain but as a way of glorifying God and blessing others. This is really John connecting their lives with the spirit and letter of the Law to love your neighbor as yourself.

How different it would be if we saw our various jobs and callings in life not as personal gain but as a way of blessing our neighbor! Sadly, there is something that prevents us from fulfilling the prophet’s vision of a more loving world. The bad news. John must preach the bad news because we cannot understand the good news unless we come to grips with our darker side. The common thread throughout John’s message is sinful self-centeredness. When we are so busy getting more stuff, money, and power that we lose our way. Our energy is all directed at ourselves. We are so preoccupied with personal gain that we do not see the need, suffering, and injustice around us. John makes a connection between our daily lives and the Word of God. He wants us to see relevance of the Royal Law—to love your neighbor as you would want to be treated. In other words, John wanted common folk, tax collectors, and soldiers to see that what we do in life has a real impact on people. That we are either filling this world with more venom and toxicity or we are helping to create a better world.

How relevant that is today! Who of us would not like to see less needy people around us—less abuse of power—less preoccupation for personal gain—less greed—less threats—less accusations? Who of us could not use more generosity, more kindness, more empowerment, more contentment for what we have, MORE LOVE? The good news is that is what John came to prepare us for! He called us to imagine a better world—more loving communities—more selfless people—a society that is not in competition with one another but a team working for the common good. And so people came to John for a Baptism of repentance. They came to have the ugliness, filth, and poison of sin washed away. They walked away with forgiveness and a clearer vision of how each individual life can make a real difference in the Kingdom of God.

But the good news gets even better. There is one coming who is even more powerful than John. He is so mighty that John is overcome by his own unworthiness. John baptizes with water. The one coming will baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire. The one coming will produce even more fruit worthy of repentance. The impact of his ministry will be even more far reaching. The life transformation he brings will not just be for those who are descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He will wash away the sin from those of every tribe, nation, tongue, and people. So, John points to Jesus and says, “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” He is the one who comes to make all things new—a better world today and a brand new world soon and quickly.

Startled at the solemn warning,
Let earthbound soul arise;
Christ, its sun all sloth dispelling,
Shines upon the morning skies.           
            (“Hark! A Thrilling Voice Is Sounding,” LSB 345 v. 2)

And so we pray, “Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.”

“Face to Face” (1 Thessalonians 3:9-13)

1 Thessalonians 3:9-13

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Pastor Tom Johnson, December 2, 2018

In his letter to the church in Thessalonica, Paul tells them his prayer: “Night and day we pray most earnestly that we may see you face to face and restore whatever is lacking in your faith.” Paul is a world traveler. He is a masterful church planter. He wants to see his sisters and brothers in the faith built up and their faith strengthened. He understands the importance of being face to face. That is his prayer, he says, night and day—he fervently prays that he can be personally present. He understood the importance of physical proximity long before Woody Allen said, “Eighty percent of success is showing up.” Of course, Paul’s letter is much more than words on a page. It is holy Scripture. It is the Word of God. He underscores the importance of close-knit social interaction.

When God first created humanity he saw all that he created and said, “It is very good.” But when he saw Adam in the garden alone. He emphatically said, “It is not good for the human to be alone.” We are social creatures. We interact, grow, learn, and communicate by the words we speak, the gestures we sign, the tones of our voices, the expressions on our face, the multifaceted body language we display, the energy and urgency of our whole being. Intimate communication is integral to our humanity. Close-knit social interaction is essential to who we are. We should not deny the eye, the nose, the ear, the tongue, nor our sense of touch. Matter matters. Presence matters. During the Advent season we long for the presence of Messiah. We pray, “Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.” God promises to be born into humanity—the eternal Son of God in the flesh. And Jesus promises to come again to us in glory.

Ten years ago, a Pixar movie came out called “Wall-E.” It was about a 700 year old robot cleaning up garbage on our abandoned planet. He was alone working in the fields of trash for centuries. And then he met Eva. Yes, the Adam and Eve connection. They go on a journey to a spaceship where the human race had escaped. And what they found is alarming. Humanity had devolved. They are all living self-centered, sedentary, virtual lives. Even though they are all on the same ship, they are constantly looking at their screens. They do not notice the person sitting right next to them. Their excitement comes from the next new drink or toy they could buy right from their tablets. Everything is delivered right to them. They don’t need to travel or interact with anyone. Sound familiar? Next time you take a walk downtown or go to a restaurant, look at how many people are looking at their phones and not the people right next to them. I myself am guilty as charged.

God calls us to increase and abound in love for one another. He calls us to be in community together—face to face—as we build each other up in the the faith. This is Paul’s prayer in our Scripture that together we grow in our love together and toward God. And God is there to enhance our relationships. That is the problem with living virtual lives through technology. The danger is when our phones, tablets, and televisions get in the way of what it means to be human, prevent us from being a sister and brother in Christ, and children of God. It is why a phone call, meeting for coffee, lunch, or going for a walk can be so powerful and bring peace to our relationships. It is no wonder why so many of us feel lonely and alone. We have forgotten or have grown apathetic about having intimate interaction with people. We end up neglecting our call to love God and love one another as Christ loved us.

And just how did Christ love us? Christ did not just love us from afar. He did not just have nice thoughts toward us from his heavenly throne. He did not just send positive energy to us over the prayer waves. He is the eternal Son of God who came from heaven to earth. He is the advent of God in the flesh. He comes to us face to face. He is born of the virgin Mary. He reveals his face to his mother, step-father Joseph, the shepherds, and the wise men. His face radiates the promise of God’s love and salvation for all humanity. Jesus comes face to face with people all over ancient Israel and preaches good news to them. He comes face to face with sinners, eats with them, and calls himself their Friend. He comes face to face to heal the sick. He comes face to face with the outcasts, the foreigners, and even those who arrest, mock, and try him. Jesus comes face to face with the scribes and Pharisees and challenges their hypocrisy. He comes face to face with King Herod and Pontius Pilate and reminds them of a higher authority and call to serve in righteousness. He comes face to face with the centurion and those who crucify him. From that world stage on the Cross of Calvary he offers forgiveness and eternal life. And just a few days later his face rises again in glory to give us victory over our sin, the devil, and even death itself. He comes to us in his Body and Blood from this Table.

At the end of the service, the blessing reminds us that God comes to us face to face—not just on Sundays but every day and hour of our lives.  “The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious unto you. The Lord lift up his countenance—his face—upon you and give you peace.”

Amen. And let it be so. Come, Lord Jesus.