Nah, Let’s Be Honest…

Well, John definitely got their attention didn’t he?  Maybe it was the eclectic wardrobe, or the fad diet, or the strangely familiar Messiah descriptions.  Nah, let’s be honest: He scared the bejesus out of them.  With talk of wrath and chopped trees and fire they weren’t interested any longer in more gradually graded hiking paths and salvation.  They were scared into action.  “What then should we do?”  Even the tax collectors and soldiers were shook!

For John, repentance was the first step.  But it seems that the crowds that were gathering around him, those vipers, if you will, weren’t too interested in the next step.  Don’t you find it odd that the crowd was all in on what they could do RIGHT NOW?  Share coats and food?  Sure thing.  Don’t take more than is required?  Check!  Don’t extort with false accusations and threats? Gotcha!  But what’s next?

John continues to share the good news of Jesus Christ.  He continues to prepare his way, but you know what?  The crowd is silent, barring a few murmurings of whether or not this guy is the Messiah.  Not a single, “well, who is it then?”  There definitely isn’t a follow up “What then should we do?”  Let that sink in for a moment.  John is telling them someone more important is coming after him and they are still stuck in the present moment, short term insurance mindset.  That’s all well and good, they are thinking but we need to be worried about the now.

Nice to know things have changed right?  (insert your own sarcastic pause here.)  Because who hasn’t made the rash decision based on anxiety or fear?  If we’re being honest this anxiety is one of the main driving forces of this secular season we are in.  If you only, buy this one thing, or try this one diet, or practice the right type of mindfulness, we’ll be made whole, right? 

Our own “what then should we do” takes on so many different and not always helpful forms. Thankfully we have in this season of Advent an antidote to all the external pressure, noise, and anxiety.  We have, if we choose, the option to embrace a spirit of hopeful expectation.  Waiting hopefully and prayerfully, not for the next big thing that offers a temporary (if we’re lucky) boost or satisfaction, but for the biggest thing there is, the promise of Jesus.  Jesus, the Good News, the living Word of God in whom we live and move and breathe, is our hope, our Savior, and our King.  He is no quick fix, CYA hedge for our general well-being.  He is the reason for our being, the author of our lives, and the consummation of all the Lord desires for each of us, His children.  What then should we do?  Seek Him.  Serve Him.  Listen for Him.  Prayerfully await his glorious return.

Fr. Jeff Huston

Chaplain

St. Augustine Canterbury Association

Oklahoma State University