Today we meet John the Baptist, a fiery prophet clothed in camel’s hair, living on locusts and wild honey. He bursts onto the scene in the wilderness with a message that is both urgent and unsettling: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” Last week we heard about complacency with the return of Jesus coming at an unexpected hour like an unexpected thief in the night. But John’s words cut through complacency, calling people to turn their lives around now and prepare for the coming of Christ whose coming is imminent. Repent – the kingdom HAS come near.
The focus is not on John—it’s on us. John’s message asks: How do we prepare our hearts for the Lord’s arrival? John doesn’t preach in the temple or marketplace but in the wilderness. This message is not intended to stay within the 4 walls of our churches but to go out into the wilderness where the people are who need to hear this message. The wilderness is a place that can be hostile. For Israel, the wilderness was where they learned dependence on God during the Exodus all the while not knowing what they would eat and drink having to rely on God providing heavenly manna and miraculous water from a rock. The wilderness for Jesus was a place of temptation by Satan where he did not eat or drink for 40 days where he relied on his heavenly Father to provide for him rather than turning rocks into bread. For Elijah the wilderness was a place where he was fed by ravens and thought he was all alone and wanted to die. For us, the wilderness might be times of uncertainty where we hunger and thirst for righteous, where we feel all alone and where we wait for God which become times of Spiritual growth.
So what we learn from John the Baptist, Israel, Elijah, Jesus and others is that sometimes God calls us into wilderness spaces so we can truly hear Him and learn to rely on God and grow spiritually. John’s central message is repentance. Repentance is more that just feeling sorry for what we’ve done but turning around, reorienting life toward God. The Greek word for repentance is – metanoia – meta – to change – and noia – our minds and being. It’s a change of our physical and spiritual orientation. Listen again next time to the questions asked when we have confession of sins – Do you confess that you have sinned and do you repent of your sins? And: Do you intend, with the help of the Holy Spirit, to live as in God’s presence and strive to lead a holy life – even as Christ has made you holy.
Repentance is understanding that at all times we are living in God’s presence. Which is what John meant when he said – the Kingdom of God is near. It is here – with us – now Repentance is active: it bears fruit.
As John said – bear fruit in keeping with repentance. John warns against empty religion—“Do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our ancestor.’” We could say – do not presume to say to yourselves – I go to church regularly – I give to the offering regularly. True repentance shows a change in being – in justice, mercy, humility, and love. And also abandoning our sinful lifestyles. We heard that from St Paul in last week’s reading: Let us lay aside the works of darkness and put on the armor of light; let us live honorably as in the day, These works of darkness, as Paul calls them, seem enticing and offering a freedom of lifestyle – no accountability – but they entrap us.
Repentance is not about guilt but about freedom—turning from what enslaves us to embrace God’s kingdom. It’s not always easy to break out of those lifestyles or encourage others to do so. They seem so freeing but become addictive and entrapping. John uses what seem like harsh images: you brood of vipers – an axe at the root of the trees, unfruitful trees thrown into the fire, chaff burned away. But sometimes harsh words are needed to show harsh realities of sin. These are not threats for fear’s sake, but reminders that God’s kingdom is decisive—it demands a response.
The fire John speaks about is both judgment and purification. Christ’s baptism with the Holy Spirit and fire refines us, burning away what is false so that what is true may shine. God’s kingdom is very active in drawing us away from things that take us away from God. It confronts us with a choice: Will we bear fruit or continue as dead branches?
John’s mission from God is to prepare the way for Jesus. And he can only do that by pointing away from himself to Jesus: “He who is coming after me is more powerful than I.” Likewise, Advent is about preparation—not just for our Christmas celebrations with friends and family, but preparing hearts to receive Christ. We prepare by repentance, by turning away from things that separate us from God and making room for the Holy Spirit to work in us. Let us not be like that first Christmas where there was no room at the inn for Jesus but let us always make room in our hearts for him. And that means clearing away those things that work against the Holy Spirit: pride, greed, and fear, so that love, joy, and peace can take root.
John the Baptist’s voice still cries out today: “Prepare the way of the Lord.” And let us remember that: In our wilderness moments, God is near. In our repentance, God brings freedom. In the fire, God purifies and renews. So let us not only hear John’s cry but respond—bearing fruit worthy of repentance, living as people ready for the kingdom of heaven because it is near. So John’s words invite us to a personal response. How will we prepare the way for the Lord this Christmas? How can we bear fruit in keeping with repentance in our families, workplaces, and communities to show that Christmas is more than just holidays and feasting? The answer is not a long list of perfect deeds but a life of humility and dependence on God.
As we stand in this moment of Advent again this year, we are reminded that the kingdom of heaven is near. Our response is faithfulness—receiving God’s mercy, living out repentance, and walking in the power of the Spirit until the day when Jesus will gather his harvest and make all things new.
