“Tis the Season”
November 25th, 2007
Matthew 3:1-6 - John the Baptist could have been called “Wild John.” With his clothes made of camels hair and his diet of locusts and honey, John lived an ascetic life in the wilderness. Then one day, he came to the people announcing that they should prepare themselves “for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” His message is as relevant today as it was then. Advent is almost upon us. Indeed, the kingdom of heaven is coming near once again. Let us prepare ourselves to receive the gift of the Christ child.
Matthew 3:1-6
1. Does anyone remember the musical “Godspell?” It is sort of a hippie version of the gospel of Matthew.
A. I remember the first time I saw it. Blank stage, no music. One voice. “Prepare ye the way of the Lord.” Over and over as the character of John the Baptist came onto the stage.
B. Prepare ye the way of the Lord. One by one more people joined in - like a movement that was growing - until the stage was full of young people dancing and singing, “prepare ye the way of the Lord.”
C. In the play, as in the gospel lesson that was read for us today, John the Baptist is the “voice crying out in the wilderness,” preparing the way of the Lord.
2. As I reflected on this scripture lesson, I could not help but think of an experience that I had last Christmas season.
A. I did something that I never do except in cases of absolute necessity. I went to the South Coast Plaza mall in order to buy a Christmas gift.
B. The first blessing of this little adventure was that I found a parking spot relatively close to the mall. But the real blessing came only minutes later.
C. As I walked up to the mall, shoppers of all shapes and sizes walked past me in all directions. They walked with such speed and purpose, I wondered to myself whether or not there was some blockbuster sale going in the mall that I was missing out on.
D. As I approached the mall doors, I noticed a small, somewhat elderly man in a Salvation Army uniform ringing his bell as people raced by. Whenever he noticed someone either entering or exiting the mall, he would hold the door open for them and after they had passed, he would return to ringing his bell.
E. I couldn’t help but think of the poem that I shared with you last year “Ring Out Wild Bells” by Alfred Lord Tennyson. “Ring out the false, ring in the true. Ring out the grief that saps the mind,
 for those that here we see no more;
 ring out the feud of rich and poor,
 ring in redress to all mankind. Ring out a slowly dying cause,
 and ancient forms of party strife;
 Ring in the nobler modes of life,
 with sweeter manners, purer laws.”
F. As the shoppers passed by this humble man, probably thinking very little of him other than what a nuisance that bell of his really was, it occurred to me that this man was ringing out the wild bells of the kingdom of God. He was a voice crying out in the wilderness.
G. His tiny bell cried the tune of John’s warning, “repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”
H. Ring out wild bells.
3. John the Baptist was nothing, if not wild. In fact, Matthew goes to great pains to point out that John was not what we would call a member of “polite society.”
A. He was probably not going to receive an invitation to any of our Christmas parties.
B. His clothes - camel hair. His food - wild locusts and honey. All kosher, but a little “out there.”
C. The New Interpreter’s Bible points out, “The description of John’s clothing and food serves to separate him from elegant society and to identify him with the wilderness that was to be the scene of eschatological renewal.”
D. What that means - the God who sent his son into the world in the humblest way possible was not going to announce the beginning of his public ministry with a reception at the Crystal Court.
E. Jesus’ ministry was announced to the world with the wild bells of John the Baptist. That is how our God does things.
4. And Wild John’s message was a simple one indeed. “Repent, the kingdom of heaven has come near.”
A. We hear that, we think of sports events with the person holding up a sign. Or some disaster where there is a person holding up a sign, “Repent, the end is near.”
B. Or the TV evangelist standing before his congregation, “I repent in dust and ashes.”
C. First of all, repent probably does not mean what you all think it means. Dictionary.com - “to feel sorry, self-reproachful, or contrite for past conduct.”
D. Repentance in the gospels is different. The word - “metanoia,” which literally means “to know after.” In this context repent means to change one’s mind.
E. It is more than being sorry, it means being different.
F. Repentance is the sequel to apology, not the apology itself.
G. Wild John’s message was short and to the point - repent, and get ready to see all things made new.
5. My friends, we are about to enter into one of the most joyous seasons of the year, one of the most hopeful seasons of the year, one of the holiest seasons of the year.
A. Starting next week - we will light candles. We will have a wonderful party at the church. Our children will sing. We will go caroling, etc.
B. Next week, we begin our journey that ends at the foot of the manger.
C. It has always been one of the sad ironies of life for me - the holiday that the church has given to the world has been usurped by Macy’s and Best Buy, by the Hallmark Channel and Hollywood.
D. The birth of Christ - God made flesh - is almost majestic in its simplicity. And yet, the best way that our culture knows how to honor this moment is with a sale.
E. Can you hear the words of Wild John screaming from the wilderness? “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”
6. Recently I read an article in the paper about how retailers are preparing for “Black Friday,” the day after Thanksgiving and the busiest shopping day of the year.
A. Prognosticators were prognosticating, and commentators were commenting.
B. And everyone was talking about what a poor showing on Black Friday might mean for Christmas.
C. And then, this past week, I read an article in the paper about how donations to food banks are down this year (I am proud that our youth spent last Sunday afternoon doing their part to alleviate that problem).
D. And I did not hear the voice of the prognosticators were prognosticating or commentators were commenting.
E. But, I did hear Wild John chime in with his thoughts. ? “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”
7. My friends, next week we begin the season of Advent. Next week we begin our journey that ends at the foot of the manger.
A. Let us not be distracted by the bells and whistles.
B. Let us not turn our back on the road that God has paved for us.
C. Let us heed the words of Wild John and prepare ourselves for the kingdom of heaven.
D. The child is waiting for all who will make the journey.
E. Tis the season. Tis the season…for the birth of the Christ child. Amen.
Sermon delivered 11/25/07 at Light of the Canyon United Methodist Church, Anaheim Hills.
