What shall we do?

 Sunday 12th December 2021 - Third Sunday of Advent

G.K. Chesterton once said, "Christianity has not been tried and found wanting. Rather it has been found difficult and not tried." It’s an interesting phrase. What does G K Chesterton mean?

I suppose there is much I could say about that. There are so many books written and many thousands of sermons preached. But Christianity boils down to the following this I feel.

Firstly, accepting what John says in his Gospel:

¹⁶ For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16

Then secondly accepting that we are sinful and we must repent.

Thirdly, again quoting John’s Gospel accepting that John 3:17 “¹⁷ For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.”  In other words, accepting Jesus as our saviour

Fourthly, having repented and turned around and accepted Jesus as our saviour we must live a life that is worthy of Christ, and seeking to reflect something of him in our daily lives.

I say all of this as it serves to help us think about the passage from Luke’s gospel, we’re looking at today.

You might have heard last week the opening six verses of Luke 3 where John tells of how he is preparing the way for Jesus and calling on people to repent and be baptised. In today’s passage John turns up the heat.

⁷ John said to the crowds coming out to be baptised by him, ‘You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?

John’s anger is directed at those who think that by getting baptised and saying they have repented, they get a Get out of Jail free card enabling  them to escape God’s wrath – as John puts is. It is not enough John says to be baptised we must  ⁸ Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. 

2000 years later the great Christian Martyr Dietrich Bonhoeffer expressed this as cheap grace and costly grace. He said:

Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, Communion without confession, absolution without personal confession. Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate.

What Bonhoeffer meant, just as John the Baptist meant is that Christ’s grace, Christ’s love, comes at a cost to us. Yes, forgiveness is freely given to us following repentance, but once we accept that forgiveness we have to respond. We cannot just sit back and think “Job done”.

As Bonhoeffer said:

Such grace is costly because it calls us to follow, and it is grace because it calls us to follow Jesus Christ. It is costly because it costs a man his life, and it is grace because it gives a man the only true life. It is costly because it condemns sin, and grace because it justifies the sinner. Above all, it is costly because it cost God the life of his Son

I’ve heard people who call themselves Christian but then don’t live out their faith in their actions referred to as CHINOs – Christians in Name Only. It is these that John would speak to today. Perhaps those that claim to go to church but would see refugees drown in the English Channel. Or claim to go to church but don't want to enforce the wearing of masks that prevent the spread of Covid, as this interferes with liberty

Turning back to our Gospel, Luke tells us that three distinct groups – “the crowds” “tax collectors” and “soldiers” then all asked the same question “What should we do?” Meaning having repented and been baptised what should they do?

John’s answers to these three groups gives concrete examples of ethical reforms they could make in their daily lives.

To the crowds John answers that if anyone has two tunics that person should give one to someone who has none. It is a reminder of the commandment to love one’s neighbour as oneself in Leviticus 18:18 – a commandment that Jesus later reiterates. And to do deeds of loving kindness. As the prophet Micah expressed it:

⁸ He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.
    And what does the Lord require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
    and to walk humbly^[a] with your God. Micah 6:8

John the Baptist isn’t calling for some dramatic revolution. He is just reminding “the crowds” that the solution begins with the individual. The first step to a redeemed world is for those who have to share with those who have not.

What of the tax collectors? At that time there were several types of tax. The Romans imposed direct taxes such a land tax and the Romans employed their own tax collectors to gather in that tax. But maybe the “tax collectors” John is addressing here are collectors of more local taxes such as tolls. Toll collectors paid the authorities in advance for the right to collect tolls. Therefore, the system was open to abuse, as the toll collectors would charge more than needed to ensure they got a return on their investment. John isn’t saying there shouldn’t be taxes just that such taxes and tax collection should be fair.

 Finally, the soldiers stepped up and said, “Preacher, what should we do?”

John looked at them, shook his head, and said, “No more of your power games.”

They clanked their swords, cleared their throats, and said, “What do you mean?”

John said, “No more manipulation to get your own way. No more threats for the weak. No more extortion, especially for money.”

There is no room in God’s coming kingdom for those who wish to throw around their power and take advantage of people who are already feeling worn down.

This is good advice for any follower of Jesus. You cannot act as if you are in charge of the world; the job is already taken. You cannot pretend that everybody needs to bow down before you; somebody else is already seated on the throne. In fact, you can’t even demand to get your own way, because God is the One who rules with justice and fierce mercy. The only people who are fit for the kingdom of God are the people who are satisfied with God as our ruler.

So having heard all of this, what should we do? What are our fruits of repentance?  If we are going to get ready for Christ to come and rule in our hearts, it will involve three things:

• Share with the needy.

• Sidestep every temptation of greed.

• Give up every form of abuse of power

This is what God wants from us today. For John the Baptist, as for Jesus who came after him, the words of a sermon must always be translated into deeds of mercy. The gospel frees us to give generously, to act responsibly, to love willingly. We therefore are to be bringers of good news, and in that moment, we know that the kingdom of God is at hand.

Photo credit - https://lwccyork.com/