Have A Radical Christmas

There once was a man who was kind of a bum. Talented and successful, he neglected his wife and his children, his work and his friends, his community and his colleagues. He drank too much, lost his temper too often, was cruel too many times. Then one day he had a tremendous religious experience and was transformed totally. He became a good and loving husband, a generous and sympathetic father, a diligent and creative worker, a loyal friend, a dedicated member of his community. He was sober and kind and patient and gentle. At first everyone rejoiced in the change. They said that they had known all along that he was a good man. Then they realized that the change was for real and that, to continue their relationships with him, they would have to change too. He lost his wife and his family and his job and his friends. He went back to being a bum and got everything back.
Today, in great Advent tradition, we have John the Baptist coming out of the wilderness, wearing wild animal skins—kind of an Old Testament prophet costume—looking, acting, probably smelling wild. But his message is even wilder. He’s preaching repentance. He is not genteel or polite, and he’s not there to spare peoples’ feelings. If anyone is offendable, they will be offended. He cuts right to the chase, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near. You have been waiting for the Messiah, pay attention – he’s coming.” He is saying to anyone who will listen: “repent, get ready, prepare the way of the Lord.” Cut through all the distractions, eliminate the nonsense in your lives. Stop turning away from God. God is searching for you so quit running after stupid stuff. Let him find you.
Surprise, surprise: There are “religious” people who have a problem with John. He’s not one of them. Plus, he’s popular; his message of radical change threatens to upset the status quo. And, they’re about to find out just how radical John is. Pedigree and lineage—values so dearly held by the religious people—are meaningless to this wilderness weirdo.
On the television show M*A*S*H, Dr. Charles Emerson Winchester III made it clear what separated him from everybody else: "I’m a Winchester," he would say. For him, it was his family name that made him superior to everyone else. Other people do it in different ways. One woman received her education at Harvard and found a way to work Harvard into every conversation. That’s what John the Baptist was dealing with here. John the Baptist was completely unimpressed with the very thing that the religious people had built their lives upon. They were the "children of Abraham." It’s like they said, “I’m a Winchester.” That settles it. That’s all you need to know.
Then comes John the Baptist, who tells them, in so many words, “That don’t mean a thing.” Now you probably know where this is going; maybe you sense how John translates to our situation. We can hear him now. "Just because your name is on the membership roster, just because you give an offering, just because your parents or grandparents were in this church, just because you are a volunteer, just because you are the minister; none of those things alone are what saves you. Just saying, “I’m a Winchester," “I’m a Lutheran,” “I’m a Christian,” doesn’t make it so. What’s in your heart? What’s in your mind? That’s the question.
John shows up during this “most wonderful time of the year;” He crashes the “Winter Holiday Party” and makes a scene that we dare not ignore. “Repent!” he says. Take a look at your life, see where you have put your priorities, where your treasure really lies. To "repent" means literally to "change one's mind." When you repent of sin, you're saying, "I thought it was a good thing, but now I know it's not.”
Repentance is not a once-in-a-lifetime event, but a daily action. We need to “die daily to our sin,” as Martin Luther reminds us. Richard Jensen says it powerfully, “the repentant person comes before God saying, ‘I can’t do it myself God. Kill me and give me new life. You buried me in baptism. Bury me again today. Raise me to new life.’”
Repentance is to stop running after everything else and see that God is pursuing you. Repentance is to make decisions for God each day that show your connection to Him. Clothes, status, the right friends or address means nothing – only the fact that God has claimed you and loves you. Repentance – live like it is true.
And still there’s a Pharisee in us, who says, "What I want out of Jesus is help for this life. If He gets me out of a jam, or cures my sickness, or keeps me wealthy and prosperous and out of most trouble, well, that's the savior I'm looking for. I'm not really concerned with those abstract concepts like final judgment, resurrection of the dead, heaven or hell or eternal life. I want a savior who's going to show results." But if this is the Savior you're looking for, you'll pass right by Jesus. He sacrificed Himself to make you holy with God, not popular or successful. He warns that the world will persecute the Church. He tells you that He disciplines His children and even uses affliction and weakness to strengthen our faith. If you're looking for a savior to make this world paradise, you'll go by Jesus; He came to deliver you from this world to everlasting paradise. Better change your mind while there's time. In other words, repent.
Repent, repent, repent…there’s that side of us that just doesn't want to be righteous, that wants to hold onto sin. That sinner in us constantly tempts us with thoughts like, "Jesus is so loving that I can hold onto this sin. Maybe it makes my life easier. Maybe I'm afraid to live without it. Maybe I just like it. Maybe I'm addicted to it. At any rate, the savior that I have in mind is one who tells me that those sins are okay, that he'll save me anyway." That's a popular idea of Jesus, too; but it's not the Jesus the Scriptures proclaim.
That Jesus says, "Let you hold on to sin? I've already carried all your sins to the cross and suffered them there. The only way you can have them now is to take them back from Me. I didn't go to the cross to let you hold onto poison; I swallowed it all!" Do you see? To hold onto sin now is to say that you want a Savior who dies for most of your sins, but not all of them. It's to say that Jesus isn't quite so holy that He won't let a few sins go by. That's not the Savior Jesus Christ who promises forgiveness and eternal life. Change your mind while there's still time. In other words, repent.
We look forward to our Christmas celebration in just a couple weeks' time. But the King is just as near to you as He was to Mary the day of His birth. He’s here for you in Scripture and at His Supper table. His kingdom of radical forgiveness and new life is here for you, if you want it. Stop running. Surrender control. Trust in Jesus and live like you mean it. Clear a path for God to come in and demolish your old self; then watch as he crafts a beautiful new person. Don’t wait. Change your mind.