Friday 11 December 2015

2nd Sunday of Advent 6 Dec 2015 Sermon

2nd Sunday of Advent 6.12.15 Hard words

When parish missions were ‘fire and brimstone’ the people would crowd in to hear about the dangers of going to Hell.

Now, preaching tends to be much softer and basically assures people that they are loved by God and on course for Heaven. And crowds are down!

The false prophets of the Old Testament would tell the people what they wanted to hear, even if it was not true. The same thing happens today.

Ultimately we want the truth, even if it hurts. Better to hear a hard word which does some good than a soft word which does nothing.

Yet many today want the Church to soften its message further and further, to abandon all its hard teachings, in the hope that it will attract more people.

Clearly it will not have this effect. For one thing if the Church only repeats what the world says, there is no reason to come to the Church. If everyone is good and everyone is saved, why come here, unless for the social life? But that can be found in other places too.

The figure of John the Baptist gives us a clue as to what we need, and what we seek.

John’s message was repentance. There are many things wrong with the world and these have to be addressed. We all need to change certain things we are doing; to lift our game. It hurts to give up things we are used to, but we are going to discover much better things in their place.

And John delivered this message from a penitential life. As Our Lord pointed out: You would not expect such a message to come from a man who was dressed in luxurious style and indulging in physical comforts. He was self-denying, showing by example that we must all be disciplined and focused on the things that really matter.

There is a certain hard edge to all this which cannot be escaped. We have to face reality and deal with it at the root. We want to hear the word that will lift us out of the doldrums and enable us to achieve something better.

And although it has a hard edge it is in the end soft in its effects.

The Church does actually make it easier after all, as we point out how to live in a way which will lead to happiness. This is like a bird discovering it has wings to fly. We come to see that God’s way is the best and only way for the whole thing to work.

So it is that people were attracted to John’s preaching even though they knew they were going to get something a bit hard to digest. They wanted to hear it.

Deep down people do not want to be told just to be the same as everyone else, because they sense that will not be a solution. The world is in too sorry a state for us to stay the same! Something has to change.

There is a yearning for a deeper solution. Many regard the Church as the very last option, but are still fascinated by what it says.

The Church has to be different from the world, but the best outcome would be for the world to be the same as the Church! All people should be children of God and disciples of Christ.

It is the world that needs to change, not the Church. The Church, certainly needs to change as far as human sinfulness is concerned, but not our doctrines. We do not lower the bar; it stays where it is and we learn to jump higher!

John the Baptist, in his other-worldliness, reminds us that there is something better and deeper than what we see around us. May he continue to inspire us.

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