Dec 16, 2012 Advent 3

Luke 3:7-18
 7 John said to the crowds coming out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? 8 Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. 9 The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.”

10 “What should we do then?” the crowd asked.
11 John answered, “Anyone who has two shirts should share with the one who has none, and anyone who has food should do the same.”
12 Even tax collectors came to be baptized. “Teacher,” they asked, “what should we do?”
13 “Don’t collect any more than you are required to,” he told them.
14 Then some soldiers asked him, “And what should we do?”
He replied, “Don’t extort money and don’t accuse people falsely—be content with your pay.”

15 The people were waiting expectantly and were all wondering in their hearts if John might possibly be the Messiah. 16 John answered them all, “I baptize you with[a] water. But one who is more powerful than I will come, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with[b] the Holy Spirit and fire. 17 His winnowing fork is in his hand to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” 18 And with many other words John exhorted the people and proclaimed the good news to them.

“What Then Shall We Do?”

John got their attention.  He broke through their blindness, pricked their conscience, penetrated their hearts so they asked, ”What then shall we do?”

It is a question we must ask too, for it is never enough to talk the talk; we must walk the walk.
We must let God get to our hearts and change our way of being, or at best were just sincere hypocrites, “honoring God with our lips while our hearts are far from God.”

And what is it we are to do?

We are to “bear fruit that befits repentance”.
Repentance means changing from the inside out.
To be authentic from the inside out?  How?

We are to “Share with the one who has none."_
“Collect no more than you are required to".”  That is, be fair.
“Don't extort money and don't accuse people falsely- be contented with your pay.”   Be kind

When I share with someone I identify with them; this is how we work out our salvation with fear and trembling.

The mark of a religious person is that he/she can be trusted to keep their word. Honest!

Being fair is being aware of more then just what is right; it is being aware of what the effects of a given act is on someone else, and not taking advantage of that person.

To live lives which show that our hearts are really changed is the on going task of repentance.  For to repent is to turn around again and again and again, and be opened to change;  open to becoming who we never thought we would be.