What to Expect When You're Expecting a Savior: Matthew 3:1-12 - Second Sunday of Advent

¹In those days John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness of Judea, proclaiming, ²“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” ³This is the one of whom the prophet Isaiah spoke when he said,
 “The voice of one crying out in the wilderness:
 ‘Prepare the way of the Lord,
  make his paths straight.’ ”
⁴Now John wore clothing of camel’s hair with a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. ⁵Then the people of Jerusalem and all Judea were going out to him, and all the region along the Jordan, ⁶and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.
  ⁷But when he saw many Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? ⁸Bear fruit worthy of repentance. ⁹Do not presume 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. ¹⁰Even now the ax 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.
  ¹¹“I baptize you with water for repentance, but one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. ¹²His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and will gather his wheat into the granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.” (NRSV)

This past summer, I passed by a billboard on my way to work that read: What to Expect When You’re Expecting a Teenager.

It depicted a dad hanging over the car keys to his excited teenage daughter. Given that I’ve been teaching our daughter to drive, this hit very close to home. I can think of nothing more intimidating for the parent of a teenager than this.

And the more I thought about it, the more I realized just how much my life has changed—and how much I have changed—since becoming a parent. I could easily spend the next fifteen minutes describing how much my priorities have changed; how much my personality has changed; and even how much my mindset has changed. Parenthood is one of a several life passages that changes you in ways you couldn’t have possibly imagined. What things have happened to you—or what decisions have you made—that radically changed you and your outlook on life?

John the Baptist was sent by God to announce the most significant event in human history—the coming of Christ, the Son of God, into the world. There is no single event, since the beginning of time, that has impacted humankind as much as Jesus. Given that, I consider John’s beastly appearance and rather abrasive speech as being rather appropriate—because Jesus will be turning the world upside down.

Just consider the way he speaks to the Pharisees and Sadducees who came for baptism: you’d think he’d be welcoming them with open arms—as opposed to calling them the brood of vipers. If we spoke such words to persons seeking baptism, I guarantee we wouldn’t ever baptize again.

But there’s a method to this madness: baptism isn’t just ritual and tradition. You are crucified with Christ. You die to sin and self. Think of our baptismal font as a tombstone for sinners who died with Christ, right here.

Christ is born as savior, but he is also born as judge—and it is only through his judgment, as terrifying as it is, that his plan of salvation can be fulfilled. God’s judgment destroys the power of sin—and we all need that. The world needs that. God’s judgment is a blazing fire consuming everything that stands in the way of Christ’s life from flourishing in you.

This is not an easy subject to talk about—and yet we cannot afford to take God’s judgment lightly. Minimize or ignore God’s judgment, and you devalue God’s mercies and grace; you reject God’s purposes.

The problem with Christmas is that Christ has practically nothing to do with our celebration. It’s become the high holy day for worshipping the almighty dollar, which buys things that make life good. We treat the manger as a petting zoo. We celebrate the baby Jesus but give no thought to his teachings, his cross, and the reasons why he was born in the first place. We welcome him to the world with little thought to how much he’s going to change that world—and us along with it.

Repentance is what we call that radical transformation that Christ accomplishes in you through both his judgment and his saving grace. Do you want to know how dramatic the change Christ can accomplish in you? It’s as big as the wolf giving up predation and living peacefully with the lamb; it’s the little child gleefully playing hide-and-seek with the snake. Christ gives you a new heart, a new mind, and a new way of life. But it’s up to you to embrace it—and this is where it gets tricky.

For some, the mere mention of judgment is terrifying. For others, the mention of judgment stirs up fierce resistance—because they don’t want their mind to change or their life to change, unless they choose it. For others, the mention of judgment stirs up arrogance—because they think that repentance only applies to other people, not themselves. They think they’ve got it all figured out.

There’s an old saying that the Gospel exists to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable. That describes John the Baptist’s ministry—and Jesus’—almost perfectly. Life in the world will never be the same when God steps into the world in Jesus Christ.

Therefore, if you are frightened by the state of this world, there’s good news.

If you are wearied and worn by the losses, challenges, and changes of life, there’s good news.

If you’re and you are among those crying out for food and shelter, peace, and justice, there’s good news.

If you know there’s a better way to live than the life you’ve been living, there’s good news.

If you messed up, given up, and hit rock bottom, there’s good news.

Christ has come, and his judgment and grace, working in tandem, are going to change you and your world in ways you can’t possibly imagine. It won’t always be pretty and painless, because new life isn’t without birth pangs. God’s judgment is not bad news, because Christ was not born to condemn you to hell! He was born to make a new creation. God’s judgment and grace work in losses, in trials, and in discipline so that new life can flourish in you. God’s judgment and grace free you from sin and death; something you cannot do on your own.

So what should you expect when you’re expecting a savior? You are going to change so much that someday, you won’t even recognize who you are today. But you will recognize Jesus in new and awesome ways as he lives through you, winning victories for life and love.