Advent

December 11, 2021

Scripture Reading: Luke 3:7-18

John said to the crowds that came out to be baptized by him, ‘You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruits worthy of repentance. Do not begin to say to yourselves, “We have Abraham as our ancestor”; for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham. Even now the axe is lying at the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.’ –Luke 3:7-9

What happens after baptism? Baptism, for many of us, was a rite of passage. Some were baptized when their parents brought them forward in church shortly after birth, and they reconfirmed that when they were older. Others viewed baptism as publicly professing faith that Jesus was the Christ and accepting him as our Savior. Some became adults before making that commitment. Those coming to John for baptism did so in the hope of the prophesied Messiah, God’s anointed one coming to make all things right. John spells out our role in complementing the Messiah when he instructs those being baptized and those of us who now follow the Christ when he led them and us to bear fruits worthy of repentance.

If setting things right is the role of the Messiah, we are the workers called to take his love and ways throughout the world. How are we doing at that? Do we rest on our laurels because we confessed faith in Jesus, the Christ? As Luke suggests, John’s audience may think they have nothing left to do because they are Abraham’s descendants. We say we are baptized believers. In developing our ways of being, have we retained Jesus’s way of loving and shaping communities of love? Or are we moving further and further away from God’s righteousness and justice as we advertise a faith of our creation?

Advent is the time to evaluate our commitment to Christ’s ways to determine if we are bearing fruits worth repentance. What changes must we make to come into alignment with God’s righteousness and justice? What steps will we take to implement those changes?

Prayer: Lord, as we move closer and closer to your coming as God with Us let us also grow closer to your justice. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.