2. Sunday in Advent, 12/09/2012

Sermon on Luke 3:1-6 (Rev. Standard Version), by David M. Wendel

"Repentance for the Forgiveness of Sins"

[1] In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiber'i-us Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of the region of Iturae'a and Trachoni'tis, and Lysa'ni-as tetrarch of Abile'ne, [2] in the high-priesthood of Annas and Ca'iaphas, the word of God came to John the son of Zechari'ah in the wilderness; [3] and he went into all the region about the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. [4] As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, "The voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. [5] Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be brought low, and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways shall be made smooth; [6] and all flesh shall see the salvation of God."

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

"Repaint and Thin No More"

There once was a young man who decided to paint his house for the first time. So, he bought what he thought was the right amount of paint and then went home to get started. As he went along, however, he realized he wasn't going to have enough paint, and as expensive as paint is, he decided to add a little water, and thin the paint so that it would go farther. As he painted side by side, he would begin to run out of paint, so again, he'd add a bit of water. Finally, he did get the house painted and it didn't look too bad, until it rained. The paint was so thin in places, it washed right off. Standing outside his house, the young man was troubled and embarrassed, unsure what to do next. Whereupon an older man drove by and yelled out the window of his car, "Repaint, repaint, and thin no more!"

Do People Today Understand Sin and Repentance?

I wonder if today young people might hear that cute story and ask, "What? I don't get it...repaint?" Because, you see, you have to understand repentance, and sin, to get the joke. And I'm not so sure young people, or older people, for that matter, really get repentance any more. In our world, and increasingly in the Church, "sin" just isn't politically correct, talk of "sin" makes people feel "bad" and "guilty", so that we hesitate to bring up that four letter word, that has three letters, "sin", and if we're unwilling to talk about sin, then there's really no need to bring up "repentance" either. In fact, since the Lutheran Book of Worship was first published in the early '70's, a rite for confession and forgiveness at the beginning of Sunday worship has been optional, as the rubric, or instruction says, "The Brief Order for Confession and Forgiveness MAY be used before the Holy Communion service." That's seems to be when un-sinning sin in the Lutheran Church got started--in the '60's and '70's, when the mantra was "anything goes, so long as you don't hurt anyone." And it's deepened and worsened since then. So that not too long ago I heard a liberal Lutheran bishop state, and I quote him, because I was there, as he said, "I don't really think of sin as individual acts of disobedience anymore. I just think of sin as the brokenness of the world." And there you have it. If we just see sin as the brokenness of the world, then no one is really guilty, no one sins anymore, and so there is no need for repentance. And it follows, of course, that there is also then no need for a Savior, Jesus Christ to save us from our sins. If we dismiss sin all-together, and no longer believe that people commit individual, personal acts of disobedience against God and our neighbor, then the whole Christian mission falls apart and is unnecessary! There would be no need for evangelism, no need to spread the Gospel, no need to share the good news of forgiveness, life and salvation in and through the death and resurrection of Jesus. And similarly, there would be no need for the voice of John the Baptizer, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, to prepare the way of the Lord, making his paths straight, filling valleys, making mountains and hills low, the crooked straight and the rough ways smooth. If there is no sin and no repentance, then there is no need for any of this--biblical stuff; no Advent, no Christmas, no incarnation of God in Christ.

We Need the Messengers of God

All of which goes to prove why we so desperately need not to do away with John, the messenger, and his message for us and for all people to "repaint, and thin no more!" For ignoring sin, and doing away with the call for people to repent of their sin, leaves us as we are, wallowing in our disobedience, free to do as we wish. Which would really seem bizarre, for how would you then describe how and why we hurt others? If it's not because of sin and disobedience and our ability to do evil to God and our neighbor, what is the cause of it? We know that people still sin, because we know that people still hurt each other. And not just each other, but sin hurts us all--God, our neighbor, and us! And that's why God sent messengers, through the ages, to call people to prepare the way of the coming Messiah, by repenting of our sin--because it is through repentance and forgiveness that barriers are torn down and unity, harmony and peace are restored, making the world ready for the coming of the Christ, so that finally, all flesh shall see the salvation of God. Because don't we Lutherans know that sin causes disharmony, hatred, turmoil and tension in our lives and in our world? Don't we Lutherans know that when we don't obey God's commandments, relationships are broken, trust is lost, and people harm each other? Whether it's failure to worship God, disrespect for parents and others, adultery, fornication, theft, murder, anger, bitterness, greed, jealousy--whatever the sin, it hurts our relationship with God and hurts our relationships with others. So that barriers to Christ's coming are erected and upheld by our sinfulness. When John the Baptist talks about preparing the way of the Lord, making His paths straight, filling potholes and leveling out the mountains and valleys, what is he talking about but healing the consequences of sin, by calling people to repent, and so to receive forgiveness? This is how blockades and obstacles to Christ's coming are removed--by repentance and forgiveness of sins. Our homes, our hearts and our lives are healed, when we live lives of repentance, and so receive forgiveness. And what is repentance? How do we receive forgiveness?

Repentance Requires Five Elements

The tradition of the rabbis in Judaism agreed that repentance requires five elements: recognition of one's sins as sins; remorse, or sorrow for sin; desisting from sin; restitution when possible; and confession. This is what it means to truly repent. We frequently talk about repentance as a literal "turning away" from sin, from your past behavior, and that's an accurate description. But what does "turning away from" mean? It means recognizing that you have sinned--that your behavior is sin against God and neighbor. It means being sorrowful for what you have done, and how you have hurt God, yourself and others. It means desisting from the sin--not doing it any longer! And then, it means making restitution--making amends--making up. And interestingly, then the rabbis tell you to confess your sin before God.

Confession is More...

People are sometimes surprised in private confession that more is involved than simply saying the words. Yes, confessing before God is one aspect, but along with that, is action. Confession includes remorse, desisting from sin, and amendment of life--making a change--figuring out how you will keep from committing this same sin in the future. Private confession is not a test, or putting the penitent on the spot, but when we repent, and are asking for forgiveness, it is time for honesty--for being honest with ourselves, and with God. That's what breaks down barriers, and fills the valleys, and makes the way of the Lord smooth and ready for Jesus to come to us. That's how we prepare the way of the Lord. And that's what we're called to, not just during Advent, but especially during Advent. That's why you and I are being called, today, to live our baptisms, by living lives of repentance, for the forgiveness of sins. Which means, today, that we are being called to take stock of our lives, to consider where and how we continue to sin, and how that sin is breaking our relationship with God, and with others. So that we can, now, this Advent, before Christmas, hopefully, repent, so that we may receive forgiveness. So that we can now, go to our husband or wife; speak with brothers or sisters, co-workers or friends, to address the breaches we have in our relationships at home, at work, in our families, in our church, to repent, and confess, and begin to heal these relationships, so that forgiven and forgiving, we may be at peace with one another, and with God, as we prepare the way of the Lord; as we prepare for Christ's coming into our hearts and lives, this Christmas. That is the call of Advent--and that is the reason for Advent.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

The Rev. Dr. David M. Wendel
Columbus, Ohio
E-Mail: dwendel@thenalc.org

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