What Then Should We Do?

“And the crowds asked him, ‘What then should we do?’” Even the tax collectors and the soldiers asked him, “And we, what should we do?” And the lawyers and judges, the nurses and doctors, the teachers and the stay-at-home moms and dads, even the priests and deacons asked him, “And we, what should we do?”

It’s Gaudete Sunday. We’ve lit the pink Advent candle. We’ve begun to anticipate celebrating Christmas and especially finding the gifts that mysteriously appear under the tree. Why then do we hear John the Baptist’s thundering exhortation? Why do we hear his answers to the plaintive questions of the crowds?

All the other Scripture readings for today tell us to rejoice. Following his recitation of the judgments of God on the people of Israel, the prophet Zephaniah now calls on them to rejoice: “Sing aloud, O daughter Zion; shout, O Israel! Rejoice and exult with all your heart, O daughter Jerusalem!” In the canticle from the prophet Isaiah, which we said in response to the reading from Zephaniah, we hear a similar theme. Looking ahead to the return from the Exile in Babylon, the prophet exhorts the people “Cry aloud, inhabitants of Zion, ring out your joy….”

Most important, we hear the call to rejoice in Paul’s letter to the Christians at Philippi. Written from prison in 64AD, this was Paul’s last letter. We heard the opening section of the letter last week, in which Paul gave thanks for the help and support he received from the Philippian Christian community. Now, at the end of the letter, Paul twice commands the Philippian Christians to rejoice. The Latin for the command to “rejoice,” gaudete, gives us the name for this Sunday.

In seeming contrast to all these commands to “rejoice,” in our Gospel reading we hear John’s pronouncements and promises of judgement. We even hear him fulminate at the crowds who come out to be baptized by him: “Brood of snakes! What do you think you’re doing slithering down here to the river? Do you think a little water on your snakeskins is going to deflect God’s judgment?” And then the evangelist tells us that, “with many other exhortations, he proclaimed the good news to the people.” Good news?

Advent is strange. To begin with, it’s counter-cultural. Out there, we’ve been celebrating “Christmas” since Thanksgiving – or even before – and for many people, the Twelve Days of Christmas begin today, rather than after Christmas day. Moreover, in Advent we live in three time zones at once. We look back to the past, to the past even before the birth of Jesus, we look to the future, to the coming celebration of Jesus’ birth and to Jesus’ Second Coming, and, we acknowledge Christ’s coming to us in the present. But Advent also has two faces, both of which are reflected in today’s readings. It has a joyful aspect, in which we rejoice at the coming celebration and trust in God’s future, in God’s promises of a renewed creation. And Advent also has an aspect of judgement, in which we are called to reflect on how we live our lives as we wait for God’s coming, God’s coming at Christmas, in the future, and in our lives now.

How then are we to live? What do we see in our readings? In John the Baptist’s exhortations, we are asked to recognize that God’s call to repentance, to changing our way of life, is addressed to all of us. While Matthew directs John’s hard words at the religious leaders, here in Luke, John’s exhortations are to the “crowds.” John is not shouting at the Scribes or Pharisees, he is shouting at ordinary people. And not only ordinary people but also the hated tax collectors, who colluded with the Roman occupiers, and even with Roman soldiers themselves, who enforced Roman rule. He was especially critical of those who claimed special status as God’s chosen people, reminding them that “children of Abraham are a dime a dozen. God can make children from stones if God wants.”

John also calls the crowds to recognize that immersion in water is a symbolic act that reflects an inner commitment to draw closer to God. But it is a commitment that has to be realized in concrete acts, in concrete individual and communal behavior. So, if those who were baptized were serious about preparing to greet the one who will baptize us “with the Holy Spirit and fire,” they must be generous with their worldly goods, honest in their business dealings, kind and compassionate in their personal relationships, and content with their station in life.

With all these prescriptions, John also asked the crowds to recognize what Barbara Brown Taylor called “an altar in the world.” That is, they were to understand that their ordinary lives, their daily lives, were sacred and holy. Although John himself was a desert ascetic, who wore garments of camel’s hair and ate locusts and honey, he did not ask people to follow him into the wilderness. Instead, he asked them to show their commitment to God’s way in their day-to-day lives. Moreover, they were to trust that God was at work in them and in the world, and that God would deliver on God’s promises.

Don’t we hear a similar message in the letter to the Philippians? After commanding these new followers of Jesus to “rejoice,” Paul also exhorts them. He calls them to “forbearance,” or as The Message puts it, “Make it as clear as you can to all you meet that you’re on their side, working with them and not against them.” Moreover, they are to let God’s nearness change their behavior now, by behaving more compassionately with others, and by trusting that God is aware of their needs. If they do, again quoting The Message, “Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.”

Not surprisingly, our canticle and reading from Zephaniah echo Paul’s call for a deeper trust in God in all that we do. As Isaiah puts it, “I will trust in him and not be afraid. For the Lord is my stronghold and my sure defense….” Similarly, Zephaniah calls the people to trust in God’s promises, most especially God’s promise that, “I will make you renowned and praised among all the people of the earth, when I restore your fortunes before your eyes says the Lord.”

What then should we do? The virtues to which John the Baptizer calls us twenty-first century followers of Jesus are good for all seasons. Perhaps, though, it is especially important to hear John’s message at this time of year, when the “Christmas season,” tends to overwhelm us. Make no mistake: we too are part of the crowds who heard John’s exhortations, and we too must change our lives. First, we too are called to realize that ultimately no human status will save us. We will not be saved through our class, our caste, or our ethnicity. Neither will our possessions, our wealth, or our attainments save us. We will not be saved solely because we are Episcopalians. To paraphrase John, we cannot say to ourselves, “We have Thomas Cranmer as our father,” as if that alone guaranteed us special treatment before God.

Like the crowds who heard John, we are also called to be generous. As we scurry to find the perfect Christmas gift, as we worry if we cannot afford everything on our children’s gift lists, do we remember those who have no coat? Right in this parish, you can be generous with hats, scarves, gloves, and diapers. Can you donate to food banks, the Outreach Center, or Serenity House? National and international charitable organizations abound. Episcopal Relief and Development is an especially worthy organization, as it works in disasters in this country, including one right here in Gallia County, and in partnership with church organizations overseas. Consider supporting them with a monthly donation. Or how about organizations working on environmental issues? Two to consider: the National Parks Conservation Association, which works to protect our own national parks, and the World Wildlife Fund.

Like the tax collectors who heard John, we are also called to be honest in all our dealings. And that includes honesty with ourselves. Self-examination, as twelve-step programs repeatedly stress, is an important practice. I invite you to practice reviewing your day or week regularly. Like the Roman soldiers, we are also called to contentment, to “bloom where you are planted,” as we used to say. Ambition and the desire for transformation, challenge, and growth, are all important parts of maturity. Yet, we are also called to contentment, to staying grounded where we are, doing our best to be Christ for others where we are. And, of course, we are called to kindness and compassion, to gentleness or forbearance with all. Random acts of kindness are wonderful, but the deeper challenge is to see all people as children of God, to see Christ’s face in all those whom we meet and treat them as we would treat Christ.

So is there good news after all in John the Baptist’s message? My sisters and brothers, here’s the good news. We can trust that God loves us so much that God wants to transform us, that God wanted to gift us with God’s son to provide us with a model of how we are to live, and that ultimately God gives us God’s Spirit to guide us in what we do. “The Lord is near.” The Lord is always near, walking beside us, not just at Christmas, but now and forever. What then should we do? “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say Rejoice.”