Zephaniah 3:14-20; Canticle 9; Philippians 4:4-7; Luke 3:7-18
The Rev. Drew Brislin
In the name of the one Holy and Undivided Trinity, Amen.
As we continue our move through this season of Advent, this season of preparation, we now find ourselves a little more than halfway through our journey. You may have noticed that this morning we lit the pink or rose candle as is the tradition on the third Sunday in Advent. Today is sometimes also called Gaudete Sunday. This word Gaudete is Latin for Rejoice and has traditionally been a day in which we take a break during Advent that is often characterized by a period of fasting. It is a Sunday in which we find joy as we anticipate the coming of Jesus and the happiness and ultimate joy that his arrival signals. I even read that some popes have given out pink roses to people gathered to worship on this Sunday. So, with this being such a joyous Sunday, why do we get the “angry elf” John the Baptist as our friend Buddy the Elf might call him? John starts our Gospel reading this morning by calling everyone who had come out to get baptized a “brood” or the offspring of vipers. I can only imagine where that kind of prophetic preaching might land me this morning if I started out that way. But what should we take away from this message of John’s? Where is the joy in our Gospel reading this morning?
With Christmas music in full swing right now (my car stays on the Hallmark Christmas Channel 24/7) I’m sure many of you have heard the song You’re a Mean One Mr. Grinch multiple, multiple times and may have already watched How the Grinch Stole Christmas? cartoon or seen the live action movie where Jim Carrey brought this character to life. It’s a favorite during the holidays, especially for a lot of kids. I missed staff meeting this week; however, I learned that discussion of today’s Gospel led to the story of The Grinch as a way to look at John the Baptist’s story and his message this morning. This led me to review this story once again. As I began to review the story and listen to recaps of the staff meeting, I started to see our Gospel reading in a new light once again. This ability to continually see scripture in a new way is such a gift to us from our lectionary. So, a little background and brief review of the story of Mr. Grinch. The Grinch is a sour creature with a heart “two sizes too small,” who lives on the outskirts of town on a mountain overlooking Whoville. After getting frustrated with the commercialization of Christmas, he decides to sneak down the mountain and into town to steal everyone’s presents and food. As he is preparing to dump all the loot, he has gathered off the side of a cliff, he begins to hear the joyous singing of Christmas songs rather than the crying that he expected to hear. Assisted by the kindness of Cindy Lou Who, Grinch figures out that Christmas is not what he is upset about, it is the loneliness that he always experiences this time of year. After a few minutes of pondering, ole Mr. Grinch finally figures out what Christmas is all about and his heart grows three sizes too big. Mr. Grinch then decides to return all the gifts and food that he had taken and is subsequently invited by the people of Whoville to join in the Christmas feast. Dr. Seuss claimed that he himself was the inspiration for the character of The Grinch as his wife was experiencing health problems and he became dismayed with the commercialization of Christmas. These ill feelings during the holidays made him feel “very Grinchish” as he looked in the mirror on the day after Christmas. So many people experience this since of loneliness and
grief this time of year because of loss. For anyone who may be experiencing these feelings we will celebrate a Blue Christmas Service this Thursday in the chapel at noon where we will make space for those who do not necessarily find joy during the holidays. I wonder if John maybe sort of felt this same way, if he lost some of his joy as the crowd and religious leaders approached him seeking baptism because they believed that their status as leaders and inheritors of God’s grace because of their family lineage would guarantee them salvation?
While our Gospel reading this morning sounds rather ominous, apocalyptic and condemning, I think it still ultimately offers joy as it continues to promise us the coming of Jesus, God incarnate, who will show us a path to our ultimate happiness. I think once we can get past the whole “brood of vipers” imagery we can see that what John is calling us to do is really not that difficult and not all that radical. John is not even calling us to do something new. Isaiah warns us in the Old Testament that the tallest trees will be cut down, that the lofty will be brought and cast into the fire. This eschatological imagery so often is interpreted as the culling and separating of people and I think John gives us a new way to think about this imagery from Isaiah this morning. When John instructs the people to repent, they begin to ask him what that looks like and he offers up what I think is some very practical advice. He tells those who have two coats to share, tax collectors should collect on what is due and soldiers should be satisfied with their wages. John does not say stop doing your job, he does not demand divestment of property or glorify poverty, he simply demands justice and fairness. How differently do we hear this reading from Luke’s Gospel if we hear that the chaff being separated from the fruit is not people being separated but those habits and things in our own lives that interfere with our ability to be in relationship with each other.
Judaism was and is very much a communal faith. Christianity too is rooted in community. The sacrament of baptism is all about initiation into a community, it is not a guarantee of salvation. So many of those approaching John saw what he was doing, the act itself of baptism as the key to salvation. John sees things a little bit differently. He instructs the crowd to repent this morning as it approaches seeking baptism. John’s baptism done with water is all about dying to the old self and that means letting those things that interfere with our relationships with each other die as well. Rebirth is about reconciliation with our neighbors. Baptism and rebirth is all about living ethical lives that put the concerns of others at the center of but not necessarily at the expense of our own lives. What are the consequences of baptism? Can people tell by observing us that we bear the mark of Christ and are living as faithful observers? For us as Episcopalians we can look to our Baptismal Covenant to instruct us on this new way of life that we enter into and are often reminded of when we reaffirm it throughout the year. In Mr. Grinch’s story we certainly find repentance as we see his turning towards a new way of being in relationship with those to whom he once seemed to do harm and now seeks to bring joy. I think this is the message to us this morning. While he may have a very unique way of saying it in Luke’s Gospel, John is telling us that joy can be found in our relationships with one another. That our ultimate joy is to be found in Jesus and that it will be through him and his saving acts in the world that we will become the best versions of ourselves. This happens because God chooses to become one of us and to walk with us building a new community with us. This is certainly good news and something to celebrate with a pink candle this Advent season and be joyful about.
Amen