Br. David Vryhof

Matthew 11:7-15

In recent years, a prepackaged Advent series called “The Advent Conspiracy” has become quite popular in certain churches. It has the laudable goal of focusing on what’s really important in our preparation for Christmas by encouraging people to buy less, to give more to charity, and to spend time with their families rather than just spending money on them. The program seems commendable but there’s something that seems to be missing.

I wonder what John the Baptist would have thought about it. John pops up everywhere in our Advent readings and with good reason. He was the most popular preacher of his generation. Jesus claims that “among those born of women no one has arisen greater than John the Baptist” (Matthew 11:11). People walked for miles just to see him, drawn by his unusual lifestyle and his dramatic, even theatrical, preaching. He was a sight to see, for sure, but they also found their hearts captured by his message. Hordes of them found themselves welling up with tears, telling God how sorry they were, and lining up to be cleansed in the River Jordan. Even those who came just to see the spectacle went home drenched with baptismal waters.

John didn’t mince words. Preparing for the coming Messiah required repentance. Without repentance no one could enter the kingdom of God that Jesus was bringing. When they asked him what they should do, he replied, “Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none; and whoever has food must do likewise.” To the tax collectors he said, “Collect no more than the amount prescribed for you.” To soldiers, “Do not extort money from anyone by threats or false accusation, and be satisfied with your wages.” Repentance was not just a spiritual about-face, but one with very practical implications for daily life. John insisted that they “bear fruits worthy of repentance” (Luke 3:10-14, 8).

Not everyone embraced John’s message; some saw that they had too much to lose. To these, John says (and I’ll paraphrase this), “You snakes! Who warned you about the coming judgment? I’m here to tell you that the days of resting on your laurels are past! Don’t think you can whip out your “members only” temple gold card – your theological credentials won’t count for a thing on that day! Don’t brag about your spiritual lineage or that you’re Abraham’s offspring; if God wanted more children of Abraham, he could turn stones into a whole gang of them. But that’s the problem, isn’t it? Your hearts are dead, like stone, and God is looking for living trees producing juicy spiritual fruit. If I were you, I’d get serious about this because I’m here to prepare the way for Somebody much stronger than any of us who is coming real soon. He’s coming with a very sharp axe and will chop down and burn all the dead trees that aren’t producing fruit! You’d better act fast!” (Luke 3:7-9).

Needless to say, John’s message shook people up. It would shake us up, too. But maybe we should take this call to repentance more seriously. Advent is not just about preparing for Christmas, which is the main focus of “The Advent Conspiracy.” Advent proclaims a message of God’s coming judgment and calls us to heartfelt repentance that paves the way for the good news of Christmas. Maybe we need to repent for how we celebrate Christmas itself! What if we are the people who have become stone-cold in our faith because we’ve allowed the secular conception of the holiday to suffocate genuine piety and deep reflection on the meaning of Christ’s advent in our world?

Nobody wants John the Baptist at their holiday party. He’s a messy guest. And he can be so shrill sometimes. You can’t get through a single verse of “The Little Drummer Boy” before John is insisting that you confess your sins and get your act together – now!

But I hope we still have room for John in our churches at Advent. His voice is calling out, and it’s a voice we need to hear!