John the Baptist and Repenting

John the Baptist, cousin of Jesus, is probably my favorite non-divine character in scripture. He's blunt, to the point, and knows his place in the world is to prepare the way for the Savior. In Matthew 3:1-12, he gets grumpy and calls the religious leaders snakes.

When the highly religious folks show up to see John baptize the masses the Pharisees and Sadducees come out and John is surprised to see them. "Who warned you about what’s coming? Are you here to participate…or just to watch from the sidelines?"

John calls them a pack of snakes, because they are so sure of their righteousness through their bloodlines and kinship laws that they do not take care of the widows and orphans.

John is furious at them. Although they are in a position to help others, they chose to strike like snakes and wound they very ones they should help

John paints a harsh picture of the judgment which awaits the people. The only way to avoid judgment is to REPENT! Turn around and head in a new direction.

So why repent? In his defense of the Augsburg Confession Philip Melanchthon, Luther’s 2nd in command, discusses repentance and what it means in the lives of believers. He calls it putting to death our sinful ways and bringing to life good fruits. (Apology of the Augsburg Confession, Article IX)

When we feel terror because of our sins, we turn from them and change our ways. Our faith in God’s mercy consoles our terrified spirits and good works simply flow from us.

Think of a time, when you know you made a mistake. The fear of punishment paralyzed you, you couldn't work, eat, play. Now, imagine if instead of punishment, you were told: "Did you learn something? Are you sorry? Good, try not to do it again. Now turn around and get on with your life"

As believers, every day we are called to stop of our sinful ways and to seek comfort in our baptism and God’s mercy. Once forgiven, we stop dwelling on the past. Once forgiven, we stop worrying about future punishment and become a co-worker in the kingdom of God caring for those in need.

Because God forgives, we let go of our fears, and receive the gift of moving forward in Christ's light. As we move forward we bring the light to others.

This week, may you experience the joy of being set free by God's forgiveness.