Readings for the Day:
Sermon:
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Original Manuscript:
One of the greatest modern classics about preparing for Christmas is Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol. In it, we get the character Scrooge, a grumpy and greedy old man who thinks of nothing but himself and his money.
But that's not who Scrooge really is, and that's what the three spirits who come are really trying to show him. Scrooge once had friends and fun as a young man. When he sees Tiny Tim, his heart goes out to him. Scrooge even despairs to see what the future might be if he continues on as he is.
Through looking at past, present, and future, Scrooge sees who he really is. He is not the mean and miserly man we see at the beginning, but he has become such through his choices and circumstances. Through the guidance of others, mainly the spirits of Christmas that visit him, Scrooge is able to see who he really is inside.
We too have that part of us inside that is good and wholesome. It's called the Holy Spirit.
Just like Scrooge, we sometimes need the voices of others around us to tease out what the Holy Spirit is actually saying to us and where it is guiding us in our lives.
The Spirit is the sign to us that the Lord is near, which we experience in the Sacraments and in the theme of our readings this morning. The Spirit comes into our lives through Baptism, and is strengthened for us in Confirmation. We call down the Spirit every week in the Eucharist so that we can further feel the presence of God in our Lord Jesus Christ through the bread and the wine at Communion.
Through our readings, we also learn that, just like Scrooge with his money, we have things in our lives we need to sift through before we can listen to what the Spirit is saying.
That is what John the Baptist is saying to us directly through our reading from the Gospel according to Luke. His words might seem harsh to us at first. We are called "a brood of vipers" because we have turned away from listening to God. We are warned that just as Scrooge's money and status could not save him, we too cannot be saved by our pride or status, for "God can raise up the stones to be children of Abraham." There is nothing in it of ourselves that we can do to save us and bring ourselves back to God.
But God can bring us back. He can make us whole again. He can open up our hears to listen to the Holy Spirit and remember that the Lord is near.
That is why John the Baptist calls us to repentance, to turning around from our past ways, just as the spirits of Christmas call Scrooge back. Those things that do not belong to us and get in the way of hearing God, those sins, they keep us from that core inside us, that resurrected self we have through the gift Christ Jesus gave us of the Holy Spirit. Those things keep us from being able to hear what the Spirit is saying to us. They keep us from being who we truly want to be. But when we let go of those past sins and desires and instead reorient ourselves, we remove that which blocks us from hearing God. We align ourselves more fully with God, and so we can hear and see Jesus in our lives more clearly.
Sometimes we need a John the Baptist to shake us up and help reinvigorate our desire to see that not only is the Lord near, but He is right there with us in the Holy Spirit which resides in each and every one of us. Sometimes we need that voice to help us prepare and listen better to what God is saying to us, for God is always speaking to us whether or not we stop and actually listen to the voice of the Lord.
So, in this season of Advent, who is your John the Baptist calling you to further align yourself with God in order to feel God's presence and listen to His voice? For those of you who have been on a retreat, attended Cursillo, or even just taken the time in your lives to sit still in your home and spend time with God, you know the power of God's presence and of listening to His voice. For others, you may have experienced that presence in the words and voices of others. Don't let the power of those moments die. Let them continue to mold you and prepare your hearts to let Jesus in.
For those of you who may not have had an experience like this, stop and listen to the words you hear today. Ask God to be more fully present in your life, and keep your ears open. God is always speaking to you. You just need to find the courage to hear what it is God has to say.