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Revd Sara's Reflections for w/c 15th December 2024 - 3rd Sunday of Advent

Lisa Wenmouth

Bible Reading: Luke 3:7-18 Advent 3

John the Baptist is angry!

In this week’s Gospel reading, we hear one of the best ‘put downs’ in the whole Bible! John the Baptist, surrounded by crowds of listeners, calls them a ‘brood of vipers.’ This is not a recommended technique in the Methodist Local Preachers and Worship Leaders training…

This passage, along with that famous moment when Jesus turns the tables over in the temple, often raise an important and difficult debate for us as Christians today: is it okay to be angry?

Do you have a view on this? Are you someone who gets angry quickly, or someone it is difficult to provoke? Do you think this affects your discipleship?

There is a strong tradition of ‘righteous anger’ in Christian people, and much of it has motivated people to bring about the kind of social change that Jesus seems to have been preaching and teaching about. As one wise teacher has put it: ‘be careful of what makes you angry, it might just be God’s way of prompting you to do something about it.’ Yet, that

still raises important questions about where the line is, and what we do with our anger. There is also, of course, a strong tradition of non-violence within the Christian tradition and many of us might agree that any anger that leads to violence is misplaced. But anger that motivates non-violent protest, or fuels the energy to bring about social change in healthy, peaceful ways might well be a positive force in the world. What’s your opinion? This is

something you could discuss with trusted friends and Christian leaders. 

John is angry because there are clearly people around him who are pretending to be religious without backing this up with a way of life that showed true repentance and transformation. The way ahead was not then – and is not now – pious religiosity but a costly choice, which was about to be embodied in Jesus. This choice involved setting different priorities and living in a new way. In other words, not simply trying to be good or follow the rules but taking the risk of being baptized, of encountering the Holy Spirit, of totally transforming the way you live.

Can we make that sort of radical change today? What does that look like for you this week?

How often do you hear the word ‘religion’ in negative ways? What can you do to change the ‘religiosity’ in your life / church community into a force for good in the world and community around you?

Lots to reflect on this week. Make some time to pray about your responses to these questions, you might like to write them down or sketch, paint, craft a response.


May you go out with peace,

Into this time of busy-ness and consumerism,

May you be a person of sanctuary and calm,

Channelling righteous anger where needed,

But never driven to violence,

Offering a different way to do Christmas,

To experience it as a time of love divine, all loves excelling.

Amen.


love and prayers Revd Sara





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