So…
In the midst of all the craziness around
Advent we hear the Christmas Bells ringing: “focus, people”! Thank you, John!
One of the things I love so much about
John the Baptist is that he, especially in this Advent season, is the complete
Debbie Downer. We are all tied up in tinsel and bows, and John is all about repentance,
baptism, and forgiveness.
Repentance, of course, requires us to
admit, at least to ourselves, that we are off course, headed in the wrong
direction, totally lost. Okay then.
Not just confused, or fuzy about the
directions, but totally without our Garmin, Google Maps and Apple maps.
Repentance, as a word, suggests that we
are in need of a 180-degree turn, all the way the opposite direction from where
we were headed.
Do you remember the rules for what to do
when you get lost: hug a tree? The idea is to stay in place until someone finds
you.
Or how about the rule of threes, a stark
reminder of what can go bad in three seconds, three minutes, three hours and
three days. But the most important advice is this, once you realize you are
lost, stop getting more lost!
Repentance suggests an even more
aggressive strategy.
Look back and see f you can find the
path you were on following Jesus, and then go back there. Get on the trail, get
on track, get back in sync, and then follow the Master.
And John suggests another step: get
baptized and experience God’s forgiveness, God’s grace, God’s love, God’s
acceptance.
That is, don’t just rejoin the disciples;
make a memory of it. Do something to memorialize your new start. Yes, get back
up and dust yourself off as it were, but then take a moment, a public moment
and say, “hey, I got lost, but I’m back on track people. Let’s do this!”
Baptism is a sacramental way to do that,
but there are others. Testimonies are a good one. Tell folks your story. Make a
commitment. Join with others in a public way to not only get back on the path,
but intentionally join a group on the trail so there is some accountability,
for you and for them! And then tell them about your off the trail adventure.
You know, there are quite a few little
ones that have been born into our extended family over the past months, so
baptism is always a possibility on any Sunday!
And just so we are clear, if you’ve
never been baptized, we can make that happen!
But you can also choose to renew your
baptism at any time. Just ask! We would never deny a sincere follower of Jesus
the opportunity to say once again, I’m in!
So, if we are taking Advent seriously, repentance
should be part of the deal, and so should baptism, as well as the experience of
God’s love and forgiveness. It should be part of our time of introspection and
centering in the deepest meaning of our faith, during Advent.
We Presbyterians don’t rebaptize, it’s a
one and done experience. But renewing baptism, yes, yes, yes! Why wouldn’t we publicly
renew the symbol of our commitment to Jesus’ call to discipleship?
Discipleship is hard no matter when we
start doing it. Remember Jesus call to take up a cross and follow him. It’s even
harder when it is a culturally crazy time. So why not just suck it up now and
be disciples right in the midst of the crazy!
We could focus on sharing the good news
of Jesus’ love and acceptance with all kinds of sinners and tax-collectors and
fishermen and shepherds and used car salesmen and drug addicts and Walmart
workers and whoever else is on your list of “least likely to be picked for “saint
of the month!”
We could work together in teams like
Jesus’ disciples were, 2x2, or 4x4 and go and bring “good tidings of a great
joy,” to lots of folks who least expect it.
Of course, that might mean going against
some cultural norms and family expectations! We wouldn’t be able, perhaps, to
get all the presents wrapped or go to all the parties or decorate all the trees
or cookies or whatever.
It might be that we would be too busy
making sure God’s beloved lost children were getting back on track to worry about
all the hoopla.
But it would mean that we would be a lot
more like John, a voice crying in the wilderness, “make a pathway for the Lord!
Make it straight. Fill up every valley and level every mountain and hill. Straighten
the crooked paths and smooth out the rough roads. And then everyone will see the
saving power of God.”
It’s time to focus! On what really
matters. Jesus.
Advent is here.
Amen.
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