IN THE LIGHT OF THE KINGDOM COME


Matthew 3:1-12
 

Singer/songwriter Greg Brown, in his song, “Waiting,” claims that “Everybody just waitin’ their time away.”

 How true for the Season of Advent!
 
We spend our time waiting in line at the grocery store, our carts brimmed with dried fruit and nuts, Christmas hams and that particular brand of eggnog that Aunt Myra loves. 
 
We’re waiting for a parking space that doesn’t require a two hour hike and a shuttle to get to the entrance of the mall.

As we creep ahead slowly in heavy, holiday traffic, we are waiting for our turn at the intersection, waiting for the green light.

 We’re up at dawn waiting for the doors of the big-box stores to open so we’re sure to get that must-have, can’t-live-without electronic gadget or that wonder toy that sings, dances, teaches our children to speak four languages and cures the common cold. 

 We’re waiting with fingers crossed for that package being shipped from Amazon.com, hoping makes it in time to appear on Christmas morning under the tree.

Everybody is waiting for something – listen to our prayers, “Your kingdom come, your will be done …”
 
John the Baptist knew what he was waiting for.  He proclaimed, “Here comes the Kingdom of Heaven.”  That’s why we light a pink candle on the third weekend of Advent.  We are declaring that we believe that part of the good news of Jesus Christ is that the Kingdom of God is coming, the Kingdom is near!

But for many of the Pharisees and Sadducees who came out to the river to hear what the hairy, weird-looking guy was saying, it wasn’t good news.  They wanted righteousness on the cheap.  Both the Sadducees, who were in the back pocket of the Romans, and the Pharisees with their legalistic adherence to the law, were sure that they could get into the Kingdom on the coat tails of Father Abraham.  They believed that their genealogy gave them permission to put their time in at the temple, make the required sacrifices and then go out and do what ever they wanted.  And why not?  Everyone else was doing it. 
 
John didn’t mince any words when he told them just how well that wasn’t going to work for them, didn’t he?
 
There are a lot of us who are trying to get by on the cheap today.  Maybe we feel because we’re members of a charter family of our church or we come to church and put money in the plate or because we’re tax paying, law abiding members of the community that we’re entitled to get into the Kingdom without giving ourselves totally to Christ.  We leave the church and go out into the work place or to school or about our business in the community and do whatever it takes to get along and get on.  Nobody would ever guess that we are Christians.  But, hey, why not?  Everyone else is doing it.
 
John’s message to the Pharisees and the Sadducees and to us today is that there’s no such thing as cheap righteousness.  Grace in the Kingdom is expensive.  It cost God the life of God’s son, and it demands a change of hearts and lives, and will not, out of love for us, accept anything less.
 
It calls us to a life of integrity that begins with that moment of reality check that brings us to our knees with a contrite heart, when we turn away from sin and the ways of this broken world and back to God.  It calls us to intentional living where we put into practice the Law of God’s love into every aspect of our lives in each minute of every day.  It asks us to give our hearts and lives over to the transformational journey of discipleship in Jesus Christ.
 
This is the season of Advent, and John the Baptist reminds us, “Change your hearts and lives!  Here comes the Kingdom of Heaven!  Live intentional lives of integrity so that everyone who meets you sees Christ in everything you say and do.”
 
Everybody is waiting for something.   Some are waiting to see the light of Jesus.

What are we waiting for?  How will we respond to the light of the Kingdom come and to those who come seeking Christ?

 

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