The Vine: Dec. 16, 2024
“Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me. I am the Vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing”
This is a weekly reflection on the previous week’s sermon text. Each week there will be a devotional related to the scripture for the week, along with questions for reflection/discussion, as well as prayer. Feel free to make this a part of your individual spiritual growth throughout the week or utilize in small group settings (growth groups, Sunday school, etc.)
“John said to the crowds that came out to be baptized by him, ‘You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruits worthy of repentance. Do not begin to say to yourselves, “We have Abraham as our ancestor”; for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham. Even now the axe is lying at the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.’
And the crowds asked him, ‘What then should we do?’ In reply he said to them, ‘Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none; and whoever has food must do likewise.’ Even tax-collectors came to be baptized, and they asked him, ‘Teacher, what should we do?’ He said to them, ‘Collect no more than the amount prescribed for you.’ Soldiers also asked him, ‘And we, what should we do?’ He said to them, ‘Do not extort money from anyone by threats or false accusation, and be satisfied with your wages.’
As the people were filled with expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Messiah, John answered all of them by saying, ‘I baptize you with water; but one who is more powerful than I is coming; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing-fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing-floor and to gather the wheat into his granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.’
So, with many other exhortations, he proclaimed the good news to the people.
”
There are many ways to begin a sermon. One way is to begin with the scripture passage itself and explore the context of the text. Another way is to begin with a story and then connect back to the scripture. A preaching professor once told me, “If you start with the text, get to real life as soon as possible, and if you start with a real-life story, get to the text as soon as possible.” There is not one “right” way to begin a sermon. However, I can’t imagine beginning a message with the words, “You brood of vipers!” If John the Baptist preached this message in any of our seminaries, he would be held after class for a lecture on how not to begin a message.
It's a wonder anyone stuck around to hear the rest of John’s message. Let’s be honest, it’s not that endearing to be called “children of snakes”. Not only did John call out the crowd, but he also called out their ancestors. It was his way of saying, “It doesn’t matter what Abraham believed or did, the real question is, ‘What are you going to do?’”
John’s message was one of repentance. To repent is to turn towards God. It is to confess that we might not be headed in the right direction and need to get things in order. Whether we want to hear it or not, I believe all of us need to hear that from time to time and thank goodness every Advent season we encounter John the Baptist to remind us of our need to repent. When we repent, we recognize our need for a Savior and the good news that life can and should be different. True repentance is responding favorably to the good news of God’s grace and acceptance of us in Christ. We then live differently considering God’s grace, doing good works not so God will love and accept us but because God has already chosen to love and accept us.
I’m a practical person and really like how John gave specific answers to the question from the crowd: “What then should we do?” John answered, “Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none; and whoever has food must do likewise.” In other words, “Share with others.” Then when the tax-collectors asked him the same question, John responded, “Collect no more than the amount prescribed for you.” In other words, “Stop cheating people.” To the soldiers John said, “Do not extort money from anyone by false threats or accusations and be satisfied with your wages.”
There is a general response to repentance, but there is also an individual, contextualized response for each of us. Whatever our situation in life, we should all be willing to ask Christ the following question: “What then should I do?” But more important than simply asking the question, is doing something in response when we get the answer.
PRAYER
Loving God, we thank you for accepting and loving us in advance through the gift of Christ. We are reminded that you initiated your relationship with us, but at the same time call for repentance that leads to bearing fruit for you. Help us to ask, “What then should we do?” and be obedient to the answers you give us. Amen.
Questions for Reflection:
Why did John the Baptist start his message with the words “You brood of vipers.”?
Why would anyone travel to the wilderness to hear this message?
What is the purpose of repentance?
When was the last time someone told you the truth about yourself? How did you respond?
In your specific context and in a spirit of repentance, what do you think God might be calling you to do?
PREVIOUS WEEKS
To view all previous devotions go to https://fumc-rr.org/the-vine