Sunday Worship - Advent 3 (Gaudete Sunday)
This Sunday’s services will be at the usual times of 9.15 am at St Agnes' and 11 am at St Thomas', and this week they will be our annual Toy Services. Donations of toys in good condition will be gratefully received, and will be passed on to the local Women's Refuge along with the donations from this week's Worship for all Generations.
Our annual family Christingle service is at St Thomas’ Church, 3 pm on Sunday. It will be lovely to have the service in church once again - although the children were able to enjoy a Zoom Christingle in their own homes last year. All you need to bring is an orange, everything else will be provided, and the collection from the service will go to the Children's Society.
The latest guidance from the Government, the Church of England and Manchester Diocese is that wearing face coverings in places of worship is now mandatory for all over 12s unless they are exempt. All of the other precautions remain in place to ensure the safety of everyone who attends our churches, and we will regularly monitor the situation and update our risk assessments accordingly.
If you're not able to be with us in person, you can find the Gospel for today, a reflection, prayers and some hymns below.
This morning's first hymn is "Gaudete"
Today's Gospel
Luke 3:7-18 What then should we do?
John said to the crowds that came out to be baptised by him, "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 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. Even now the axe 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."
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." Even tax collectors came to be baptised, and they asked him, "Teacher, what should we do?" He said to them, "Collect no more than the amount prescribed for you." 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."
As the people were filled with expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Messiah, John answered all of them by saying, "I baptise 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. 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."
So, with many other exhortations, he proclaimed the good news to the people.
Our second hymn today is "Wait For The Lord"
Reflection
What then should we do? - I’ll come to that in a moment but first let’s pick up where we left off last week.
As David pointed out in his sermon last week, John had undoubtedly spent a considerable amount of time “hanging about” in the wilderness and in spiritual preparation for his role as a messianic prophet. He might have been seen as eccentric with his humble clothing of camel’s hair and diet of honey and locusts. He is God’s messenger - a voice crying out in the wilderness proclaiming the baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sin, paving the way for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
As this passage begins it is clear that John already has a significant following with some even questioning whether John himself is the Messiah. So, imagine what the crowd must have thought when he starts preaching and refers to them as a “brood of vipers”. His demeanour and preaching style seem stark and aggressive, especially as he then goes on to challenge them about their heritage. The claim that being descendants of Abraham, Isaac and other important ancestors is meaningless would have been a massive and almost blasphemous statement to make.
But John was not rejecting the lineage of the crowd, rather he is telling them that no one, no matter what their background or heritage has an automatic entitlement to be forgiven and enjoy the benefits of the promised kingdom. Or to put it another way, just turning up to get baptised and saying sorry for their sinful ways was not going to escape the wrath of God.
Which brings us back to the question the crowds asked John - “What then should we do?”
In language similar to that of the one who would come after him, John responded with examples that showed that we should change ourselves and look at how we treat our neighbours. John gave real examples based on the people in the crowd. The tax collectors of the time were renowned for adding extra tax and ‘skimming a little extra off the top’ for themselves - John made it clear that this was wrong. The soldiers were in a position of power because they were part of the Roman occupying force, but John again made it clear that was not an excuse to act without integrity or abuse their power. Moreover, as a general point he told the masses that if you have more than you need you should share it with those who have little whether that is food, clothing or even money.
What then should We do? When we look around the world and its troubles, it perhaps feels like a daunting or even impossible task to make a difference. What can we do to sort global poverty, fix corrupt economic powers, feed the starving, house the homeless and so on? But no one is asking us to fix the whole world - even Jesus didn’t do that! Instead, he gave himself to the world - one person at a time and one moment at a time and he changed lives. He demonstrated how we can change the world step by step by relating to each other as human beings. By loving our neighbours – even if they are not known to us. How we can make a difference by each and every act of kindness – be that giving food, clothes or just love.
If we want to bear the good fruits of repentance, we need to examine our own behaviour towards others and as well as saying sorry - looking at what we can do not only as individuals but as a community. If we can’t individually solve world poverty, what could we do? Maybe buy Fairtrade goods where we know producers are paid a fairer return for their efforts. If we can’t afford to solve the homeless crisis on our doorstep, what could we do? Maybe put some money in the beggar’s cup instead of averting our eyes or walking at a distance. Better still say a kind word at the same time to let them know they are loved. If we can’t afford to feed every hungry mouth, what could we do? Maybe donate to the foodbank or even volunteer to help at the many care centres like St. Barnabas. Or maybe make that donation to Christian or The Salvation Army this Christmas.
The good news is, that whilst each small act of kindness and humanity may not put the whole world right, each act will continue to hold the door open for the coming of “the one who is more powerful.” The good news is that our Lord has shown us a better way of relating to our neighbour he has offered us alternative priorities and shown us how we can all be a dwelling place for God.
So perhaps the question may not be ‘What then should we do?”, but moreover, “What then will you do?” Let us ponder and respond to this with Hope and anticipation as we wait patiently for the coming of our Lord in this advent period.
Paul
Our prayers
Almighty and everlasting Father,
Forgive us when we forget how well-off we really are,
Forgive us when we feel hard done to,
yet have relative comfort in our lives,
Forgive us when we get our priorities wrong.
We pray for the wisdom and courage
to examine our lives and actions more closely
And the confidence to change our ways
so that we too can make a difference
and bear the fruits of our repentance.
We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen
This morning's final hymn is "Lo, He Comes With Clouds Descending"
