In those days John the Baptist came to the Judean wilderness and began preaching. His message was, “Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near.” The prophet Isaiah was speaking about John when he said,“He is a voice shouting in the wilderness,‘Prepare the way for the Lord’s coming!Clear the road for him!’”John’s clothes were woven from coarse camel hair, and he wore a leather belt around his waist. For food he ate locusts and wild honey. People from Jerusalem and from all of Judea and all over the Jordan Valley went out to see and hear John. And when they confessed their sins, he baptized them in the Jordan River. But when he saw many Pharisees and Sadducees coming to watch him baptize, he denounced them. “You brood of snakes!” he exclaimed. “Who warned you to flee the coming wrath? Prove by the way you live that you have repented of your sins and turned to God. Don’t just say to each other, ‘We’re safe, for we are descendants of Abraham.’ That means nothing, for I tell you, God can create children of Abraham from these very stones. Even now the ax of God’s judgment is poised, ready to sever the roots of the trees. Yes, every tree that does not produce good fruit will be chopped down and thrown into the fire. “I baptize with water those who repent of their sins and turn to God. But someone is coming soon who is greater than I am—so much greater that I’m not worthy even to be his slave and carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. He is ready to separate the chaff from the wheat with his winnowing fork. Then he will clean up the threshing area, gathering the wheat into his barn but burning the chaff with never-ending fire.”
Matthew 3:1-12

Dear God, having grown up in a church that didn’t really observe the church calendar (Advent, Lent, etc.), I’m still figuring out the different Sundays between Thanksgiving and Christmas and what they mean. It was my wife, who grew up Episcopalian, who first taught me about some of these things. I had hear the word “Advent.” I had hear about “Lent.” But I didn’t really have any idea what they were about.

So now I’m here on the second Sunday of Advent. I’m preaching later this morning and it’s apparently time to talk about John the Baptist. I prayed through the verses above earlier this week as part of my preparation for this sermon. Now it’s time to make sure I have what you want me to say crystalized in my mind so that I can give someone this morning the message that you have for them. So what is that message?

Much like earlier in the week, what has stuck with me from the passage is the people who came to hear John. What were they looking for? What did they find? I think they were looking for happiness. But happiness is a pretty vague term. The Declaration of Independence calls the pursuit of happiness one of the unalienable rights you endowed to us. I doubt even they could have articulated it. They just knew their souls were unsettled. They were not at peace. Word had gotten to them that there was this weird guy out in the wilderness preaching and dunking people in water (he called it “baptizing?”). Now those people were telling their friends that they were experiencing you and life in a ways they never had before. They were happy.

There were other people, of course, who were watching. They were the people who were worried because they had never been able to give people happiness before. Why? What was the difference in the Pharisees’ teaching and John’s preaching? A few words come to mind: grace, mercy, love. John expected no less of the people than did the Pharisees. He expected them to repent and sin no more. But he added something that I don’t think any of them had ever seen–a symbolic cleansing. Come and be bathed as an outward expression of true repentance. Don’t just ask for forgiveness. Turn and sin no more. Abandon yourself. Humble yourself. Let go of yourself and live! Let me say that again–Let go of yourself and live! 

Father, as I finish my outline and get ready to be your ambassador, move beyond my weaknesses. Move beyond my failings. Use me despite how evil and selfish I can be. Use me beyond reason. Yes, I guess I’m asking you to work a miracle this morning. Use this vessel to reach that one person who needs to hear about the happiness you have in store for them.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen