What Should We Do?

Based on Luke 3:7-18

You have been traveling for days. Others have joined you on your journey through the wilderness. People from all over are making their way out to the desert to hear from a prophet named John. A large crowd has gathered to hear a word from the prophet and to receive from him a baptism for repentance. The crowd quiets down as John steps up, eager to hear what he has to say. He opens his mouth and shouts, “You offspring of snakes! Who warned you to escape the coming wrath?” That’s a provocative opening statement.

Maybe there’s a reason why John lived his whole life in the wilderness. No social skills! Can you imagine going all that way into the desert only to be called names and humiliated by the person you came out to see? Some who were more sophisticated about the crude nature of prophets may not have been surprised and even expected John to lead off with salty language. Prophets are known for using provocative language that gets a rise out of people. It’s the smooth talking prophets that tickle the ears of their listeners that you have to be concerned about. But I imagine there were a good number of people who were put off by John’s opening words, and maybe a bit defensive. Who is he to call me the child of a snake? Does John wish I would have stayed away so that God’s wrath could get me? How rude.

John may not have been everyone’s cup of tea. But he stands in a tradition that is a gift for the rest of us. Like drill sergeants and no nonsense supervisors, we need people who will speak hard truths, who are direct and to the point. We sometimes need someone who will give it to us straight, no chaser. Sometimes we don’t need the teaspoon of sugar to help the medicine go down. We need prophets who tell us the plain truth of the matter in a way that gets our attention and communicates that this is serious business.

When John saw this crowd, he wanted to make sure they knew that what John was up to was serious business. He didn’t want them to get the impression that they could get off easy just by going out into the wilderness and getting wet in the Jordan river. It wasn’t enough to say “I’m sorry” when it came to all they had done that had offended God. They couldn’t rely on being descendants of Abraham to escape the wrath of God and being cut off from the people. John wanted the crowd to know that just showing up wasn’t enough. If the people wanted to escape God’s wrath, they had to live differently. They had to do life differently. They could not continue to behave the way they were and expect to avoid judgment.

So, John let them have it. If they want to come out here to receive the word of the prophet, good. If they want to repent of the way they have been living and want to make a change, good. If they want to mark that repentance by receiving a baptism of purification in the Jordan, good. But it’s not enough if they want to avoid the wrath of God. They cannot leave this place in the desert and go back to business as usual. They had to live differently, or this was all a big waste of effort. All God cares about is what people do. That’s what people will be held accountable for, the kind of life they live.

Here’s the bottom line of John’s message to the crowd. Time’s almost up. The wrath of God is coming. The ax is lying at the root of the trees and getting ready to be swung. If you aren’t bearing good fruit, if you aren’t living right, then God is going to cut you down and throw you in the fire.

That message was enough to get the attention of the crowds. They were properly provoked and alarmed. John had given them a dose of truth and they were engaged and determined to not get struck down by that divine ax. So, the crowd cried out to John, “What should we do?” They want to be trees that produce good fruit. But how?

I can almost see John rolling his eyes. “You all don’t know what to do? Are you really that clueless?” John gives the crowd simple, practical examples of what producing good fruit looks like. If you have two tunics, give one to somebody who doesn’t have a tunic. If you have extra food, give it to somebody who doesn’t have any food. In other words, share. Tax collectors asked what they should do. John told them to be fair. Soldiers asked what they should do. John told them to not take money from people and be satisfied with their wages. Don’t be greedy. Don’t abuse your power.

This isn’t complicated. Do you want to avoid God’s wrath and produce good fruit? Put your love into action. Do good. Share. Be fair. Practice the golden rule. Express love with deeds. That’s it. You don’t have to believe the right things. You don’t have to know all the answers. You don’t have to say the right words. The fruit God is looking for is simple acts of kindness and generosity. You know, like what we learned in Kindergarten? If you can do that, then you will be ok.

I thought of John’s message when I caught a clip of an interview given by Bob Dole. I don’t know if it was the last interview he gave but he was clearly well advanced in years when he gave it. He said that every day he would try to make a difference in one person’s life. He said he didn’t always meet that goal, but he committed to always work at it. That is an admirable goal to set. Make someone’s day each day of your life. Bearing good fruit.

The homily at Bob Dole’s funeral was given by the Senate chaplain Barry Black. He did not serve the Senate when Dole was there, but he did help him in the process of building the World War II memorial. About Dole, Black said that he didn’t wear his religion on his sleeves. It was his deeds that demonstrated his faith. Black said that Dole lived his life in the words of someone who said, “I want to see your sermon instead of hear it.” Or, in the words attributed to St. Francis, “Preach the gospel at all times, using words only when necessary.” Bearing good fruit.

One of my favorite times of the week is around 6:50 on Friday evening. CBS evening news ends their broadcast with a segment of Steve Hartman “On the Road.” Do yourself a favor and go to YouTube and type in the search box “Steve Hartman on the road.” You will be inspired by one story after another of people doing something simple, an act of kindness, that has an impact that will warm your heart.

There is a story about a high school that was plagued with fights. Over a period of days over twenty young people were arrested. It was out of control. In response, a group of men took it upon themselves to hang out at the school. They greeted the students in the morning. They wandered around the halls during the day. They said goodbye to the students at the end of the day. They joked and teased the kids. They occasionally gave “the look.” The presence of this group of men changed the atmosphere of the school overnight. Hartman said to the group of men, “None of you are social workers. You do not have masters degrees in social work. You are not trained in law enforcement. No education degrees. What are your qualifications?” One of the men said, “We are dads.” They talked about how for many of these kids they do not have any male role models in their life. They said that these students are all their kids. They act like dads for these students. And it has made all the difference. Bearing good fruit.

There is the story of a general store in a small town in Vermont that was on the verge of closing. Why? Because there were literally no employees. The last worker had quit. It left the owner alone to run the store. But for the community, this general store was the heart of the town. So, people took it upon themselves to do the work that needed done, whether it be stocking shelves or running the cash register. Retirees, professionals, people who just had spare time, they would come in and work at the store, volunteering their time. All these people did it because they didn’t want to lose that store. Bearing good fruit.

Closer to home. Debra, the director of the Free Store, was sharing with me a story about the recent Holiday Express Breakfast. She said that as a family was going along to get their breakfast of pancakes and sausage, one of the kids, with a big grin on her face, said, “This is like Bob Evans!” Bearing good fruit. A neighbor in Westgate put out on Facebook that her husband was coming home from the hospital after having back surgery and asked if anyone had a wheelchair they could borrow. At Parkview, we have a couple that are never used. So, I met her at the church and loaned out the wheelchair. She brought it back when they were done with it and expressed gratitude about how helpful that chair was so that her husband could get around the house. Bearing good fruit.

“What should we do?” That was the question that the crowd asked John the prophet. Maybe John rolled his eyes. Maybe not. But actually, that’s not a bad question. I invite you to carry that question with you. Have that question on hand when you are confronted with a situation. When you learn about someone in need, or a problem in our community, ask yourself the question, “What should I do?” And then, listen for a response. It doesn’t have to be hard or complicated. It can be as simple as sharing what you have. Do you have spare clothes, spare food, spare time? Share what you have. Bear good fruit.