December 15, 2021

Bear fruits worthy of repentance – Luke 3:8

In the gospel from this past Sunday, John speaks to the crowd “with many exhortations” proclaiming the good news. He also calls the crowd a brood of vipers, which I said indicated that they were the offspring of corrupt systems and people that preyed upon those living on the margins, or the less fortunate, or others not of the right race, gender, or religion. We also are a brood of vipers because we are the offspring of corrupt systems which relied on stolen land and stolen labor to build this country.

But John makes the point that, even though the crowd is a brood of vipers, it doesn't mean that they, or we, are destined to become vipers. John points out that there is still time to change. Our past sins don't have to define who we are, but it is necessary to repent of those past sins whether or not we actually participated in them, because we still benefit from them. John reminds us that there is still time to repent, still time to turn to the Lord, still time to repair the damage done to bring good news and joy to the world.

He told the crowd to bear fruits worthy of repentance. If you have two coats, share with those who have none. Treat everyone equitably. Don't use unfair methods when dealing with others. If we do these things, and the things of Jesus, then our words and actions will promote the good news of the kingdom of God and we will be that much closer to seeing it on earth as it is in heaven.

All of these things are good fruit, things that build up the kingdom of God on the outside. But it is just as important to think about those things which build up the kingdom of God on the inside. While John didn't address this, Paul did. In his second letter to the Corinthians, Paul writes, “I fear that there may perhaps be quarreling, jealousy, anger, selfishness, slander, gossip, conceit, and disorder.”

These things Paul wrote about are real life examples of “what you sow is what you reap.” If we sow seeds of dissension, quarreling, slander, gossip, and the like, these things will grow up to choke off the good news of the kingdom; and no matter how good we look on the outside, we will surely be rotten on the inside – dried up, withered, decayed, and easily toppled.

The counter to the above is to sow another kind of seed – the seeds of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. These are seeds which can be sown on the outside, but it is just as important to sow them on the inside. In dealing with our fellow Christians and fellow parishioners, let us work to sow the seeds of the Spirit which will strengthen us and lead us to produce good fruit.

We all have the ability to sow any number of seeds. We all have the ability to sow seeds of two kingdoms – the kingdom of Satan or the kingdom of God. The problem is that sowing the seeds of Satan is easy. It's easy to quarrel, to become jealous or angry, to be selfish and conceited, or to slander and gossip. It takes a little more work to spread love and joy, to work for peace, to have patience, to be kind and generous, to remain faithful and gentle, and to maintain self-control.

As we begin another year, let us resolve to sow seeds worthy of the kingdom of God, bearing good fruit, and living the good news in thought, word, and deed.

Blessings,