Luke 3: 7-17

We all need truth tellers; people who when asked how they see a situation or behavior will respond honestly and truthfully. We may not always like what truth tellers have to tell us, but we do need them. Truth telling is different than offering constructive criticism. Those who offer constructive criticism tend to enjoy being critical. They like to emphasis the negative instead of offering observations. Truth tellers respond to a request. When asked or invited to offer their observation they respond with "the way they see it." Truth tellers often share what is known to most, the kind of things we can’t see about ourselves.

Truth telling is never easy, in part because we live with strong denial. We have a great ability to justify ourselves; to not hear or see things about ourselves that are obvious to others. Truth telling involves honesty. We are not real good at honesty, for honesty involves our ability to set aside our agenda. Depending on what is going on with us or the circumstances in which we find ourselves, our agenda manifests itself in one of two ways both of which are dishonest. The first is, out of a fear of hurting others and causing them pain; or out of a desire to avoid conflict and have others not like us we will hedge our bets and not respond openly. The second is just the opposite.  Because of our anger or pain or a desire to hurt or belittle another in order to make ourselves look good we will inappropriately attack, offering opinions that are not helpful. In either instance the agenda is not to speak truth. Truth telling is never supposed to be about us. Our concern is always for the well being of the other.

This is why truth telling involves our being aware of our agenda. It involves our responding out of love for others, not anger with or at another. It requires a belief in the redeeming love of God which affirms that if those involved are open God's love can redeem any and every situation. It trusts that in the long run the truth does set us free, as it leads to a healthier relationship with God, our neighbor and self.

While standing squarely in the tradition of Old Testament prophets, John the Baptist was a truth teller. If our focus is only on the phrase "brood of vipers" it is hard to see this. No doubt some rejoiced as they heard John's words thinking John was not talking about them. They stood there smiling, thinking, "You tell them John." But then John brings it closer to home, as he starts talking about the "faithful."  

John asks, "Do you think being one of the nice ones is enough? It is not. Bearing fruits worthy of repentance is about more than just being nice. Don't say you have Abraham as your ancestor; don't rely on your heritage, your baptism thinking it affords you special privileges, it doesn't."

If we are honest, we know John is talking to us. We may not want to hear the call to repentance, but we need to hear it. We need to hear it because we have a tendency to minimize God's call, to minimize God's expectations of us. We do not do all we can to bear fruits that are worthy of repentance. Every time we try to justify or rationalize our actions and positions, we prove how guilty we are. This may be a harsh truth, but it is a truth nonetheless.

When confronted with this truth those in this morning’s story asked, "What can I do?" John very simply and specifically told them; share your abundant resources, don't take what is not yours, don't bully, or intimidate those who are weaker than you, don't hoard or deceive, be grateful for what you have. The message is, if we do these things, it will become easier to see God because God's righteousness has everything to do with justice and mercy. This becomes obvious as we live more justly and mercifully. The Advent congregational prayer we used this morning says it best as it reminds us that each of us can do something."

We have no way of knowing if the people took John's advice; if they heeded his words and repented, that is turned back to God. Certainly the opportunity was there to do so. It sounded like the interest was there. The question is, "Did the interest last?" Did the commitment continue? The bigger question for us is, "Does or will our interest last? Will we follow through? God does God's part. Will we do ours? William Sloane Coffin describes God’s part this way. "God redeems as well as judges, somehow God's mercy always seems to out run justice." Thankfully this is so.

What is our part? Acceptance and repentance, which leads to our taking action; our responding in a way that offers the world God's healing and hope. Again, quoting this morning’s congregational Advent prayer, we are reminded.

"Even as we acknowledge our participation in these problems, each of us has the power to choose to do something over nothing. Our hands can build, heal and give comfort. Our feet can walk with those who suffer and are oppressed. Our eyes can be opened and our minds sharpened to detect injustice wherever it may be found.  Our tongues can speak truth to the powerful and name the evils we see and experience.

In other words, we can be truth tellers. We can tell others through word and deed how we define faithfulness.

In truth God asks nothing less of us. If we let it happen, God can and will empower us to be truth tellers. All we need to do is own the truth that John is "talking to us." He is reminding us not to rely on our baptism, but to claim it, to draw upon it and use it.  

We are to do this not because of what we think it promises us. We are to claim and use our baptism to enable us to "find power and hope in the coming of Christ to bring with God a new blessing on the earth." (Advent prayer)  For in so doing we will discover what each of us can do to proclaim in word and deed how God’s truth, mercy, justice and love is not for some, but for all; not just some of the time, but all of the time. Amen.