A Sermon For The Third Sunday Of Advent

"You brood of vipers! Even now the axe is lying at the root of the trees. His winnowing fork is in his hand. The chaff, he will burn with unquenchable fire." Luke 3, 7, 9, and 17

The Lectionary readings for The Third Sunday of Advent are:

Zephaniah 3:14-20

Philippians 4:4-7

Luke 3:7-18

The Joy Of Axe, Winnowing Fork, And Unquenchable Fire?

(Does The Lord Feel Near Enough To You?)

(Sing) Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say rejoice! The Lord is near!...

“Rejoice? Pastor, are you serious? Have you taken note of our crazy world; the wars, the suffering, the poverty, the natural disasters, the murders, and the evil? That is bad enough but let me tell you a little bit about my life, my health, my family, my job, my stress.”

“The Lord is near? Come on, pastor, how can the Lord be near when I’m trying to get ready for Christmas!... Here is my list: Decorations (inside and outside my house), Christmas cards, parties, shopping, family, travel, work deadlines, school exams… The Lord can wait. My focus is on Christmas!” (Yes, I hope the irony is obvious…but perhaps, real!)

I am sympathetic and sensitive to your spirit in Advent, and in some ways, I empathize with you. Rejoicing may be difficult right now. The Lord may not feel near. In fact, the Lord may seem distant…not only in Advent, but throughout the year.

Let’s put this in context from our Lectionary readings. Have you read Zephaniah lately?... I thought not. Let me summarize this short prophetic writing. Zephaniah likely writes on the eve of the fall of Judah to the Babylonians. He offers three chapters of destruction, doom, and judgment of Israel and all of the other nations. Then, in the final seven verses of the book that we read today he writes of joy because…God has not forgotten Judah. He proclaims that peace and righteousness are the telos – the end direction of God. Even before the fall of the nation, he prophecies that in time things will be made right because God is good and merciful. In retrospect, we know that the exiles did return; Jerusalem, the Temple and the walls, were rebuilt; and Judaism flourished. So expectantly, prophetically, Zephaniah exhorts, “Sing aloud…Rejoice and exult!”

What about Paul’s letter to the Philippians? Let me remind you, Paul writes that letter from jail! He was a victim of suffering for his faith and his missionary work. The Church was being persecuted under Pax Romana, which was no peace whatsoever. The Temple in Jerusalem had been destroyed and chaos likely engulfed the lives of these early Christians. Paul exhorts them, “Rejoice in the Lord always. The Lord is near.” In faith and hope he proclaims that the source of joy is to be “in Christ.” They can be confident in the power of resurrection, knowing that joy is an internal faith, hope, peace, confidence, and contentment that the Lord is near.

Destruction on the Old Testament horizon, imprisonment and chaos in the Empire, the context of the New Testament text…and a responsive rejoicing in the Lord’s presence are encouraged…. Maybe that feels a bit “Pollyanna” to you. Maybe it seems like Zephaniah and Paul, and by extension, I am in denial of reality…our day-to-day lived life in the context of gloomy news flashes, hectic lives, and personal pain. In fact, as you consider these Bible readings today, maybe you are more resonant with the gospel text. Maybe life feels more like the ominous warnings of John the Baptist; wrath to come, axe at the root of the trees, winnowing fork, and unquenchable fire. “I don’t see any rejoicing there, pastor!” Yes, I agree that there is no joy on the surface. That is not the tenor of John’s voice. And if the Lord is near, it is to separate the good guys from the bad guys. (Of course, you and I are good guys!)

Not so fast, my friend! Let’s take a closer look at this gospel reading. “You brood of vipers!” How might we apply John’s warning today? It is quite apparent that is what the Syrians are thinking about the al Asad regime. He finally got what was coming to him…and we might presume that there is a lot more unquenchable fire coming in his judgment day. And if not Bashar al Asad, pick your favorite tyrant de jour for the unquenchable fires. For the sake of justice, who in your estimation, needs to burn in the fires of judgment?

That, it seems to me, is how we typically interpret this winnowing process. But I interpret John’s warning differently because the traditional interpretation seems too simplistic to me. In judging lives lived, we are all more complicated shades of gray. More importantly, that is not a faithful interpretation to the entirety of John’s proclamation.

The chaff is going to be separated from the wheat. Remember something, chaff is the inedible husk around every grain of wheat. Let me tell you something about chaff; not the stuff we remove from wheat but another kind of chaff. When I was in public accounting one of my clients was a Department of Defense contractor. They made only one product, countermeasure chaff. Countermeasure chaff consists of thin slices of aluminum stuffed in a canister. When a ship or plane is targeted by radar they shoot off these canisters of chaff and the chaff creates a cloud that confuses the radar and prevents a missile from striking it. Chaff is the stuff that gets in between the missile and the target.

What if John was speaking individually to every person in that crowd in the wilderness…and by extension, speaking to you?... Does your life include some “chaff,” some stuff that gets in the way of the Lord feeling near?... I don’t believe in Purgatory, but I do believe in purgation, that God will bend us into shape for heaven and our chaff will be winnowed away. That, my friends is cause for rejoicing even if the word itself, does not come from John’s lips!

Do you see that clipart in your worship folder under the title of the sermon; the devil on one shoulder and the angel on the other? (By the way, if you are wondering, those are not my shoulders…but they are somebody else’s and it tells me that at least one other person feels the way that I do!)

In my experience of life, there are powers over me that draw me away from God (call them chaff, if you will). There are also powers that invite me into a closer relationship with God (call them the Holy Spirit, if you will). You might be aware that in the Letter to the Galatians, Paul calls the manifestatino of these powers the works of the flesh and the fruits of the spirit. It seems to me that in every human life the battle is ongoing!...

Note something in this gospel narrative; even the “bad guys,” the tax collectors and the military mercenaries search John out in the wilderness. He chastises them but he does not turn them away. He tells them what they must do, repent! The entire crowd is called to repentance…and by extension, as we find ourselves numbered in that crowd, so are we. Repentance is more than showing up for an hour on Sunday morning. It is a change of heart and mind, of allegiance and trust; an orientation toward God in the other 167 hours of the week!

Repentance is the winnowing or stripping away of the worldly stuff that gets in the way of our relationship with God. Cindy and I often reflect on our first-world problems – coveting, lusting, craving, desiring more – that leave us longing. Like this past Thanksgiving, our Airbnb on the scenic Oregon coast…was a little run down! If we can strip away the stuff – turn from the allure of that shoulder that says, “never enough” – we find on the other shoulder - Christ revealed, peace, wellbeing, that the Lord is near…and the ensuing rejoicing.

What does a repentant life, a life of faith and discipleship look like? I have a simple diagram. (Show flipchart with infinity sign.) For the Christian, contemplation and action are symbiotic; they feed and strengthen each other. Contemplation is to sit with the Advent/Christmas Bible texts and a devotional book, it is to sit at the manger or Christmas tree in your home. It is to gaze at your favorite Christmas ornament. Action is just what John defines to the crowd; generosity, pursuit of justice, and contentment with what is. At this time of year, I appreciate Christmas giving trees in the Narthex of churches. Action is advocacy, presence to those who are lonely, and random acts of kindness.

Is it difficult for you to rejoice on this Gaudete Sunday?... Does God feel distant?... Perhaps this is symptomatic of being pulled by the powers of evil, the temptation to acquisitiveness, and distraction; a buildup of “chaff” in your spiritual arteries. How might your condition be resolved? I would like to offer a bit of Indigenous wisdom.

An old Cherokee is teaching his grandson about life. “A fight is going on inside me,” he said to the boy. “It is a terrible fight, and it is between two wolves. One is evil – he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.” He continued, “The other is good – he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. The same fight is going on inside of you – and inside every other person too.” The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, “Which wolf will win?’ The old Cherokee simply replied, “The one you feed.”

Christ is coming again. God promises to bridge the gap between the world that we live in and the world that we long for. Our chaff will be purgated in the unquenchable fire once and for all. In the mystery of faith, that same Christ is already with us – Immanuel. That, my friends, is cause for rejoicing. (Sing) Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say rejoice.