Sunday, December 16, 2012
Philippians 4: 4-7
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
In this passage from St. Paul’s Letter to the Philippians, the mindset of Paul is clear, he expected the soon (near) return of the Christ, who will take charge of all the world and set up his Kingdom, so …why worry? …be happy! St. Paul was probably 2000 yrs off on his expectation of Christ’s return so can we be expected to live this way in the 21st century, considerate of others, at peace with our circumstances, without fear, in prayer and with a grateful attitude? Can “gentleness” be the post resurrection new normal for the believer regardless of when the Christ returns?
Some may say no! There is no way that such a life can manage to flourish in our winner take all culture. We cannot succeed with a gentle spirit in this slash and grab America. Besides, someone may call us a pansy doormat! Mistakenly, St. Paul is slammed for not living in the real world! They say, today we must fight for our place in the world and our own worldly expectations, be they money or respect.
If life is merely our own personal circumstances, is not the description used by John the Baptist, “you brood of vipers”, appropriate?
Luke 3: 7-18
John said to the crowds coming out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves ‘We have Abraham as our father’. For I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.”
“What should we do then?” the crowd asked.
John answered, “Anyone who has two shirts should share with the one who has none, and anyone who has food should do the same.”
Even tax collectors come to be baptized. “Teacher”, they asked, “what should we do?”
“Don’t collect any more than you are required to.” he told them.
Then some soldiers asked him, “And what should we do?”
He replied, “Don’t extract money and don’t accuse people falsely-- be content with your pay.”
The people were waiting expectantly and were all wondering in their hearts if John might possibly be the Messiah. John answered them all, “I baptize you with water. But one who is more powerful than I will come, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand to clear his threshing floor and to gather his wheat into the barn, but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire. And with many other words John exhorted the people and proclaimed the good news to them.
Remember John the Baptist was an old school believer in the divine reality. The folks were coming to his baptism because they were not living the faith of there fathers. They may have been religiously correct but their selfish lifestyle had proven to be personally destructive. The baptism with water was a new beginning, a new start at life with a gentle spirit and considerate of others. A life that reflects the Ten Commandments of old. Could it be that the old normal may be the new normal with God?
Could we not assume that there is only one forever normal in the heart and plans of God? The forever normal that was intended for we humans from the beginning. A destiny that every generation, every rebellious generation has walked away from but the inward desire to live life God’s way ever beckons. Sin is selfishness, a self centered life that tangles the intentions of God in each of us. Most people, at one time or another, would like to be free but we are our own trap.
John the Baptist knew that his water baptism was not a long term fix for the people. When asked if he was the Messiah he deferred to one amongst them that is more powerful than he, one who would baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire. This other personage was to bring a separation, a winnowing of the sin that tangles and the spirit of mankind that longs to be free to live the forever normal. A purification of sorts that may be signaled by the fire that appeared above the disciples heads at Pentecost. A similar context would be the lake of fire in the book of Revelations.
If you or I were God, we certainly would send to earth a Messiah or Christ with the sledge hammer of judgment, a hammer that even the best of us deserve. But not so the God of mercy who is about a grand abiding concern for all his folk. The Messiah would bring the purification fires to give us greater opportunity to live released from our selfishness.
The baptism with the Holy Spirit is about purification which will establish a community of persons sharing the concern of God and that concern with each other. That community is the forever normal in action. Every religion, every believer, every church should ask if that kind of action is happening in their context? Despite all the spiritual freedom we have been blessed to possess, do we ask God to light the fires in our lives? Fires that will give us the opportunity to live the forever normal.
On the other side we will experience the fire of purification. Why not begin in this life to experience just a taste of the joy?
G.Goslaw
Landers, Ca
