Advent
December 13, 2015

Scripture Reading: Luke 3:7-18

As the people were filled with expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Messiah, John answered all of them by saying, ‘I baptize you with water; but one who is more powerful than I is coming; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing-fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing-floor and to gather the wheat into his granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.’

 So, with many other exhortations, he proclaimed the good news to the people. –Luke 3:15-18

Cleansed by fire seems an oxymoron; after all ashes are messy. Yet we all have chaff of which to rid ourselves. Chaff is a good thing actually. The protective coat that surrounds a new seed as it grows to maturity. For the seed to become a plant, it must shed that coat. I like to eat pistachio nuts, actually I like to eat just about any nut. I buy the pistachios in packages where the shells have already been opened. In some instances, it is necessary to use a knife to widen the opening to get to the meat of the nut. Occasionally, the shell is so hard it did not crack at all, and I have discovered that if opened by force the nut is usually pulverized and rendered worthless.

Maturing in faith is like maturing in life. Before we can bear fruit, we must become a plant not just a seed. Before we can become a plant, we must let go of the things that shield us from growing into the person God created us to be just like the seed needs to be separated from the chaff. Once the chaff is gone, as hard as we may try, we can never climb back into it.

Of course, that is just a first step in an ongoing process of being in relationship with God, being nurtured in a community of faith, and becoming a nurturer in a community of faith.

Prayer: God grant us the courage to strive toward wholeness so that we might bear much fruit in your Kingdom. 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 American. Used by permission. All rights 
reserved.