Fruit Baskets of Grace: Luke 3:7-18 - Third Sunday of Advent

⁷John 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? ⁸Bear 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. ⁹Even 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.”
  ¹⁰And the crowds asked him, “What then should we do?” ¹¹In reply he said to them, “Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none; and whoever has food must do likewise.” ¹²Even tax collectors came to be baptized, and they asked him, “Teacher, what should we do?” ¹³He said to them, “Collect no more than the amount prescribed for you.” ¹⁴Soldiers also asked him, “And we, what should we do?” He said to them, “Do not extort money from anyone by threats or false accusation, and be satisfied with your wages.”
  ¹⁵As the people were filled with expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Messiah, ¹⁶John 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. ¹⁷His 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.”
  ¹⁸So, with many other exhortations, he proclaimed the good news to the people. (NRSV)

A Christmas Gift by Brian Hathcock on flickr. CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Six years ago, a 59-year-old grandmother from Phoenix named Wanda Dench sent a text message to what she thought was her grandson’s phone, inviting him to her house for Thanksgiving. The number she actually texted belonged to seventeen-year-old young man named Jamal Hilton. When Jamal realized that this was not his grandma texting him, he asked if he could still come, and Dench said, “of course. That’s what grandmas do—feed everyone.”

Every Thanksgiving since then, Wanda and her family has welcomed Jamal to dinner. Their unexpected friendship proved especially meaningful this Thanksgiving, since Wanda’s husband died from complications due to Covid-19 earlier in the year. This story has so touched the world that Netflix is going to be making a movie about it. 

John the Baptist, on the other hand, is not quite as warm and welcoming towards the crowd that has come out to be baptized. He calls them a “brood of vipers,” and asks who told them to flee the coming wrath.

Though his words may be harsh, the coming of the Lord is not something to be taken lightly. If the mountains are bowing down, the valleys are rising, and the crooked ways are being made straight in anticipation, how much more then, must human beings change their ways?

Before the people could argue that they are already in God’s favor because they’re children of Abraham, or because they are already living a religious lifestyle, John warns that anyone who does not bear the fruits worthy of repentance will be cut down and thrown into the fire. 

The people ask, “what should we do?” John answers that those who have an abundance must share with those in need. Tax collectors must collect only what is owed. Soldiers must not extort money from anyone by threats or accusation. Personal gain must never take precedence over the welfare of others. To bear fruits worthy of repentance is to live, work, speak, and serve others in a way that personifies God’s love in Christ for all of creation.

Trouble is, repentance is never the path of least resistance. As sinners, we are “wired” to go through life pursuing our own self-interests. 

Change is contrary to our nature—especially the radical change Christ’s demands. We don’t resist change. We resist loss. A tax collector or soldier who repents may very well find themselves out of a job. When you are pursuing different goals, and living by a different set of values, you may very well be rejected by the people and communities that once accepted you. The more advantages you have over others, the greater the demands repentance puts upon you.

Ultimately, God’s kingdom is prevailing upon this world, and anyone who dismisses or ignores this truth does so at their peril. Why build sandcastles on the beach when you know the tide is coming in?

But why is Jesus coming into the world? It’s not to rain down hellfire and brimstone. He comes because God is love. And the fact that so many people show up to be baptized by John is, I believe, a sign that God is awakening the souls of the very people Christ is coming to save.

Even though “bearing fruits worthy of repentance” may sound like you must give up everything good in your life and submit to a life of hardship and deprivation, nothing could be further from the truth. The fruits of repentance are, in fact, just as much a blessing to you as they are to others. 

I don’t know anything about the faith backgrounds of grandma Wanda Dench or Jamal Hilton, but that simple act of hospitality has blossomed into a beautiful relationship that has both blessed them while at the same time inspiring the world.  

Just the same, God had something far greater in store for the tax collectors and soldiers who gave up changed their ways, along with the people who gave their extra cloak away to the neighbor in need. 

When God’s love becomes the prevailing force in your life, everything changes. We learn to live together as God intended. We recognize that God’s gifts, like our lives themselves, are always far better when they are shared. And though it is inevitable that repentance will result in losses, rejections, and hardships, they pale in comparison with the joy, peace, justice, and hope which come only from God.

Your challenge this week is to prepare yourself for all the ways God will be initiating repentance in your life, inviting you to break out of the old habits and routines and allow for God’s love to bring about something new and beautiful; to take risks to do the right thing; to give away something of value even if you don’t know what the outcome will be; to face your fears head-on and trust in what God can do.

Perhaps that will mean putting extra money into the tip jar when you order takeout; putting off doing something at home so you can volunteer your time; shopping in your neighborhood businesses instead of the national chains, cutting back on your discretionary spending in order to increase your financial support of this church. The world will not change until you change. 

What’s God’s kingdom worth to you if it costs you nothing? If you are not invested in it? But why should we live as though God’s promises are a fantasy? This is everything we believe in, and everything we are hoping for. 

Why not put yourself—and everything you value most—in whom your hope lies? 

The seeds you sow in faith today will bear the fruit that will keep us all in God’s grace until the day when God’s kingdom is fully revealed.