TURNING TOWARD

In those days John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness of Judea, proclaiming, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” This is the one of whom the prophet Isaiah spoke when he said,
“The voice of one crying out in the wilderness:
‘Prepare the way of the Lord,
make his paths straight.’”

But when he saw many Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruit worthy of repentance. Do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our ancestor’; for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham. Even now the ax is lying at the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. “I baptize you with water for repentance, but one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and will gather his wheat into the granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”

(Matthew 3:1-3, 7-12)

In our Advent devotional readings, we have revisited the story of John the Baptist several times this week, and each time, I have to smile. As we reflect on the gift of Advent Peace, we read that John calls his followers (and perhaps us), “a brood of vipers!” His additional name-calling warnings do not bring peace to my soul. But John’s message in Matthew 3 is an important one for Advent, reminding us that the kingdom of heaven has come near and now is the time to repent, as we prepare our hearts to receive Christ Jesus once again.

In this call for repentance, this call to turn from our sin, we are truly gifted to know the rest of the story.

Jesus does come, and he invites us to follow him. As his followers, we witness his acts of mercy and healing. We hear his stories, such as the one of the prodigal son with the loving father, and of the shepherd who searches for his lost sheep. We learn from his wisdom of a new way to live, as in the Beatitudes. We are invited to come to him, weary and burdened, and he will give us rest. Finally, as we remember his terrible agony, we also recall his words, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” *

Because of Jesus, today we can find the Peace in repentance. Our turning away from our sinful nature is–most of all–a turning toward God; the God whom Jesus reveals as loving, forgiving, gracious, merciful, healing, restoring, welcoming. Our turning toward God is always for our good, our peace. Any “burning of the chaff” will be done in love, in gentle corrective wisdom within our souls. Because of Jesus, repentance transforms into a joyful invitation to keep turning toward God, often and in everything!

Yes, we can turn to God in our sorrow and regret for the sins we have already done. We can turn to God when we are tempted to do wrong; when we are impatient, reactionary, revenge-seeking, unloving, selfish, prideful, unkind. But we can also turn to God when we are sad, hurting, frustrated, or lost; when we need to be comforted, healed, listened to, calmed, assured, forgiven. We can turn to God in each of our everyday moments to find wisdom, discernment, companionship, and every need for our soul’s well-being.

We can turn to the One who will lovingly tend and nourish us to “bear fruit that is worthy of repentance”–fruit that is healthy, helpful, and holy.

* Stories are from Luke 15; Beatitudes are from Matthew 5; Jesus’s invitation to come to him is in Matthew 11; and Jesus’s words of forgiveness are found in Luke 23.

(Photo by Karen; Bible passage is NRSVUE, found at https://www.biblegateway.com/)