Sunday, December 16, 2018

“A Change of Heart” (Luke 3:7-18)


One of my favorite Christmas stories is Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas.  The Grinch is an anti-social individual who lives up in the mountains above Whoville and he really, really dislikes Christmas . . . especially Christmas as the community of Whoville celebrates it with all its noise and festivities.  He hates it!  He hates it so much that one year he decides that he is going to do something to put an end to it all . . . he would sneak down and steal everything related to Christmas—the decorations, the trees, the lights, and even all the presents.  In his mind he was certain that it would end all the noise and celebrating . . . finally he would have some peace and quiet.

And, that is what he does.

The Grinch sneaks down to Whoville and steals it all . . . every last bit.  Then he hauls it all up the mountain . . . gloating all the way.  Grinch believes that he has pulled off the perfect crime and solved his problem . . . but, then, he hears it . . . singing.  There is singing coming up the mountain as the people of Whoville gather together to welcome Christmas.  He can’t believe his ears.  It couldn’t be possible because he had taken everything that was associated with Christmas . . . how could they still be happy . . . how could they celebrate . . . they had nothing.  But, there they were . . . celebrating.


Perplexed, the Grinch wondered as Dr. Seuss explains: “And the Grinch, with his Grinch-feet ice cold in the snow, stood puzzling and puzzling, how could it be so? It came without ribbons. It came without tags. It came without packages, boxes or bags. And he puzzled and puzzled 'till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before. What if Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store. What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more.”


So, what happened then?  Dr. Seuss explains: “Well, in Whoville they say that the Grinch's small heart grew three sizes that day. And then the true meaning of Christmas came through, and the Grinch found the strength of ten Grinches plus two.”  With a change of heart, the Grinch returns everything to Whoville and joins in their celebration.

It came down to a change in heart. 

In our scripture reading we get the rest of the story about John the Baptist and his call to repentance.  Now remember that in the Jewish faith, to sin is to go down the wrong path or road . . . to repent is to turn around and go down the right path or road.  That was what we would call the Old Testament understanding of sin and repentance.  Yet, the people of the time that this story takes places do not see it quite that way.  Instead they see the baptism of repentance to be a sort of maintenance thing . . . like changing the oil in your car every couple of thousands of miles; or taking a bath to wash the dirt off.  It was something you did until the next time you needed it.  It made them feel good without having to really turn around, deal with their sins, and head in the right direction.  The baptism that John was preaching was one of turning around and going in a new direction . . . going in God’s direction.

Apparently, John got tired of the people misunderstanding what he was preaching.  In our reading this morning lays into the people harshly, calling them a “brood of vipers”.  He tells them that they are going to pay for their ignorance of his words . . . “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.” 

John the Baptist scares them with what he is saying.  He scares them so much that they begin to question him about what they must do to avoid this fiery picture he is painting.  They want to know . . . “What should we do then?”

He tells them to have a change of heart.  He tells them to love others, not by word, but by action.  If a person has two coats and see someone without a coat . . . give that person, the extra coat.  In not so many words, John is telling them that they are to love others as they would love themselves . . . treat others as you would want to be treated . . . and, to do it with actions and the way that you live your life.  He wants them to embrace this idea of changing heart . . . changing heart to let others in.  To let others into the family, the family of God.

The season of Advent can be a special time of the year for those of us who follow Jesus as we focus on preparing ourselves for the celebrating of the “gift” that is coming.  We can fill it with lots of decorations, pretty lights, wondrous carols, hymns, and songs . . . parties here and there . . . presents . . . all the wrappings.  We keep ourselves busy in our preparations for the coming of Christmas during the season of Advent.  Yet, we sometimes forget that this time of year in our spiritual journey is not so special unless it influences the ordinary, non-special moments of our lives . . . unless we have a change of heart.

Remember that Advent is a season that is grounded in yesterday, today, and tomorrow.  We celebrate the Christ who has come, we anticipate the Christ who will return, and we work on the Christ where we are in the present moment.  Jesus came to change the world . . . to make them turn around and head in God’s direction . . . to do God’s will.  As the followers of Jesus, the expectation is upon us too.  We are expected to change the world.

That is a pretty tall order.  How are little ol’ us going to change the world?  We are not Jesus . . . not John the Baptist.  No, we are just every day, ordinary people . . . not spiritual super heroes.  And, that is a problem.  Too often we do not see ourselves as being very spiritual . . . at least not in the biblical sense that we read in our bibles.  We don’t think that the ordinary things that we do in our homes, work, or play matters much when it comes spiritual implications.  But, we are wrong.  Everything that we do is spiritually important.  What we do has the power to make a difference in someone’s life.

John the Baptist does not tell the people to rise up and overthrow the powers that be when he talks of change.  Instead he tells them to consider the things that they do for others . . . those who are in their lives, and those who they encounter.  He encourages them to love them.  In doing this, one practices one’s faith . . . one makes a difference.  It is a change of heart.

In my heart, when I pray during our prayer time on Sunday morning, I think that it is important to ask God—during the time of confession—to not only helps us to turn around in our repentance, but to also give us the strength to not only turn around but to walk down that path of new direction.  In other words, to not only turn around, but to give us a change of heart to live our lives as God desires us to live them.

To have a change of heart.  That is the goal of the Advent season . . . to have a change of heart.  John the Baptist preaches it . . . Jesus shows us.  The rest is up to us as we stand on the nexus between Advent and Christmas.  We have turned around . . . turned around because, like the Grinch, we know that the gift we are preparing to receive is more than something that comes from a store . . . that it means a whole lot more.  It means embracing God’s desire for love . . . love of God, love of others.  It means having and living a change of heart.  Amen.

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