I am sure you’ve heard that Time Magazine named President-Elect Donald Trump the 2024 Time Person of the Year. He is the only person to have been selected twice.
Let me clarify before I continue. I just want to prepare you for the upcoming year and new administration so you won’t feel tortured for the next four years. We must discern what God wants us to do, whichever side we are on.
I am registered Independent. I don’t vote for the primaries; I don’t vote within a party line; I only vote in the general elections after doing extensive research, contemplative prayers, and spiritual discernment. Paul said,
“Those who are spiritual discern all things.” (1 Co 2:15a).
I believe Christians should make decisions based on discernment rather than party affiliation because that was what Jesus was. The Pharisees and Sadducees were the parties of the first century, equivalent to the Republicans and Democrats of our time. Humans are wired that way—some lean left, and some lean right. Birds of the feather flock together!
As you read in the Bible, Jesus did not belong to any side but was crucified by both sides. Jesus made decisions based on spiritual discernment. If you ask me which party I belong to, I belong to the Spiritual Party because that’s what my Boss belongs to. So, when discussing politicians, I am not endorsing any affiliation.
I know many of us are in the same situation. A late elder told me she registered as a Democrat but voted across the party line based on her discernment. She and her husband were independent, so I said, “Why didn’t you register as Independent.” Then she explained that there was no option to register as an independent in those days. You only have two boxes to check—Democrat or Republican.
So, she and her husband decided to register for each party—she registered as a Democrat, and he registered as a Republican. When elections come, she and her husband pray carefully, research thoroughly, and vote based on their discernment. Sometimes, they vote for the opposite sides.
You have heard that every election is a choice between the lesser of two evils. Those who think they are choosing between an angel and a devil don’t understand humans’ sinful nature.
Now, back to the Time Person of the Year. For the past four years, the media have portrayed Trump as an evil man. But now, after he won, some media personnel rushed to the Mar-a-Lago to kiss his ring; you might have heard that in the news. They were shameless. Of course, they have to look after their bottom line.
On the other hand, many Americans value the country over their egos. As Americans, we root for our team to win, but when victory is decided, we unite and root for the country. Many countries in the world look forward to our failure. If we stay divided, our enemies will win. Our founding fathers named this country “United” States of America with this vision. Jesus said,
“Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will stand.” (Mt 12:25).
Jesus’ last prayer on earth, in the Garden of Gethsemane, was that his people would live in love, unity, and harmony. As Americans, we should root for the success of our democratically elected leaders so that our nation won’t lay waste but continue to be a beacon of light in the world. The election is done; the advent of Trump is here. Whether you like him or not, it’s time to harmonize for the nation’s sake.
To be in harmony, we must sacrifice our egos and practice grace. Grace is love in action. I know it’s not easy. Looking around the world, you see that egos rule and divide nations. This week, we saw a nation collapse, and the dictator fled. As Christians, we must be different.
The nature of ego is division, and the nature of grace is harmony. As humans, we often give in to our egos, but deep inside, we know that Someone above is watching us. There will come a day of reckoning. But those who have overcome their egos and live in love and harmony have no fear of judgment day because they know God will judge based on love, as we read in Mathew 25.
John the Baptist entered the scene in the first century of Israel to warn people about their ego-driven lives and divisions and inform them about the advent of Jesus the Judge. His proclamation made people reflect on themselves. Some came to him for the baptism of repentance and bear fruits, but some continued their ego-driven and divided lives.
As Christians, we don’t fear the advent of Jesus and his judgment because we are forgiven people living with a clear conscience. So, we celebrate the coming of Christ. Still, we must frequently reevaluate our lives to ensure we live by higher values and bear the fruits of the Spirit, which is actualized by grace. That’s why we attend church every week, to recenter our lives and surrender our egos.
Advent is a season of reflection (which is why we use purple for the season). Based on the scripture lesson on this Third Sunday of Advent, let us prepare our hearts and minds to welcome Jesus the Judge by reflecting on whether we are bearing fruit worthy of repentance. So, let’s begin!
The scripture lesson for today is from the Gospel According to Luke 3:7-18. [Listen to the Word of the Lord!]
John said to the crowds that came out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8 Bear fruits worthy of repentance. Do not begin 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. 9 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.”
10 And the crowds asked him, “What then should we do?” 11 In reply he said to them, “Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none; and whoever has food must do likewise.” 12 Even tax collectors came to be baptized, and they asked him, “Teacher, what should we do?” 13 He said to them, “Collect no more than the amount prescribed for you.” 14 Soldiers also asked him, “And we, what should we do?” He said to them, “Do not extort money from anyone by threats or false accusation, and be satisfied with your wages.”
15 As the people were filled with expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Messiah, 16 John answered all of them by saying, “I baptize you with water; but one who is more powerful than I is coming; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 17 His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”
18 So, with many other exhortations, he proclaimed the good news to the people. (Lk 3:7–18).
[Blessed are those who delight in God’s Word. Thanks be to God!]
It’s near Christmas, and we all want to hear a positive and hope-filled message. So, it seems a little bit daunting to tackle terms like “brood of vipers” and “the wrath to come.” However, behind these harsh realities, there is hope and grace. All we have to do is make our paths straight.
According to some Middle Eastern mythology, young vipers are born by biting and tearing open their mother’s womb, killing the mother as they crawl out. So, calling someone a “brood of vipers” means they were an ego-driven bunch. So, God’s wrath is upon these mother killers. John told them how to turn around.
“Bear fruits worthy of repentance. Do not begin 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.” (Luke 3:8).
The Israelites believed they had a “Get Out of Jail Free” card because they were the chosen people, and God had promised Abraham to protect his descendants. John said only their fruit could prove they have the legitimate descendents of Abraham. At that moment, their behavior dishonored Abraham, just like the brood of vipers.
God doesn’t need them to keep his promise to Abraham. John said, “God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham.” It means God could give life to the lifeless rocks to accomplish His greater purpose, and God did by turning the Gentiles into his covenant people. Spiritually speaking, Christians are children of Abraham.
It does not mean that we replace the Jews because this warning also applies to us today. If John were here today, he would say, “Do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We are Christians’ and think you are saved; God is able from these dry winter leaves to raise up children of grace.”
John said that we must show the fruits as the proof of the children of grace. Otherwise, we will appear ego-driven like the brood of vipers rather than the children of Abraham. Then John compared us to trees. The purpose of a tree is to bear the intended fruit, or it becomes useless and gets cut down. He said,
“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.” (Luke 3:9).
Here, John said, we must not just bear fruit, but good fruit. This analogy is one of Jesus’ favorites. Jesus expects us to bear fruit, more fruit, and much fruit. He said that God gets annoyed by the unfruitful trees. He also said,
“You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles?” (Mat 7:16).
Here, Jesus is saying that the brood of vipers will not come out of the children of Abraham. Jesus also said that he would not recognize them when he came. Just imagine if Jesus came and did not recognize us. What a disaster it would be. What should we do to prevent it from happening?
And the crowds asked him, “What then should we do?” In reply he said to them, “Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none; and whoever has food must do likewise.” (Luke 3:10).
Most people might see this as a teaching of charity. However, if you put it in the context of the gospel, it’s not just about charity but grace.
The tax collectors and soldiers asked him, “What should we do?” He told them not to abuse their power. If you have grace, you will be charitable. If you have grace, you will not abuse power. If you have grace, you will do the right things in your own context.
Because John’s words were refreshing, powerful, and transformative, people wondered if he was the Messiah, the savior.
John answered all of them by saying, “I baptize you with water; but one who is more powerful than I is coming; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. (Luke 3:16).
Notice the word “powerful.” John recognized that people felt the power working in him made them think he was the Christ. But there was someone more powerful than him to come. John baptized people with water, symbolizing repentance, meaning change to live a better earthly life.
Jesus would baptize them with the Holy Spirit to live a heavenly life. Notice the difference is between an earthly life and a heavenly life. You can study philosophy, exercise stoicism, practice religions, etc., to live a good and ethical life, but that’s still the earthly life. What Jesus gives you is beyond earthly ethics but eternal ethos.
That’s what John was talking about when he compared his teaching with Jesus’. As powerful as his teaching is, his way is still Human’s Way at best, but Jesus’ way is Heaven’s Way at least. His baptism with water is symbolic because he couldn’t wash away their sins but provided them a stamp to mark the turning point.
Jesus’ baptism with the Holy Spirit is transcendent. It means forgiveness of sins, and his baptism with fire means he has the power to judge, to cut down, and to burn them as chaff or unfruitful branches. But as John 3:17 said, he came to save us not to burn us. John just wanted to indicate that he had the power to burn but he rather not use it. That’s grace and mercy. That’s why it’s good news.
That’s the main difference between most religions and Christianity. In Chinese, it’s called 人道 (Human’s Way) vs. 天道 (Heaven’s Way). Zhuangzi, my favorite philosopher, asserts that his teaching is Heaven’s Way and that Confucius’s teaching is Human’s Way. He is like a Chinese prophet laying the path for Jesus.
I don’t want to get too philosophical, but John’s point here is to help us differentiate Human’s Way from Heaven’s Way. We cannot put Jesus in the same league as others, including himself. He said that he is not even “worthy to untie the thong of his sandals.”
The passage ended by saying,
So, with many other exhortations, he proclaimed the good news to the people. (Luke 3:18).
Even with all the scary images sounding like bad news, John’s message is good news because it’s about salvation, not condemination. It’s good news of grace for those who long to wash away the past and live a fruitful future with a clean slate. The baptism of the Holy Spirit is the baptism of grace and the empowerment to grace it forward and make miracles in life.
The entire passage centers on one sentence for Advent reflection, “Bear fruit worthy of repentance.” The first fruit you bear is to bring harmony in this divisive world. That’s what “agape” love is about. It’s about harmony. That’s why Jesus said,
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.” (Mt 5:9).
Since Jesus is the Son of God, known as the Prince of Peace, God will be pleased to call the peacemakers children of God. That’s the fruit we bear. Christians are called to be warriors of peace. How do we do that? It all stems from grace—the grace we receive and the grace we give.
We don’t know what the future brings, but we know one thing: Jesus expects us to grace it forward. Let’s do it together!
That’s it for today! Until we meet again, keep your light shining brighter and broader, and harvest the fruit of profound felicity, freedom, and fulfillment.
Amen!
Bye now!
