3rd Sunday of Advent

Gospel Reading: Luke 3:10-18

10 When all the people asked John, 'What must we do?
11 he answered, 'If anyone has two tunics he must share with the man who has none, and the one who has something to eat must do the same.'
12 There were tax collectors too who came for baptism, and these said to him, 'Master, what must we do?'
13 He said to them, 'Exact no more than your rate.'
14 5ome soldiers asked him in their turn, 'What about us? What must we do?' He said to them, 'No intimidation! No extortion! Be content with your pay!'
15 A feeling of expectancy had grown among the people, who were beginning to think that John might be the Christ,
16 so John declared before them all, '1 baptise you with water, but someone is coming, some­one who is more powerful than I am, and I am not fit to undo the strap of his sandals; he will baptise you with the Holy Spirit and fire.
17 His winnowing fan is in his hand to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn; but the chaff he will burn in afire that will never go out
18 As well as this, there were many other things he said to exhort the people and announce the Good News to them.

Meditation

On the third Sunday of Advent St Luke gives us a glimpse into the personality of that wonderful person, John the Baptist. In your meditation, let him remind you of great people you have known.

In verses 10 to 14 John speaks openly. Notice how he has a different word for each group which questions him. Notice too how the soldiers feel that even they can get a word of salvation.

Verses 15 to 18 give us a further insight into the kind of per­son John the Baptist was. He may have said these words in a moment of discouragement, in which case they express his trust that God would complete what was lacking in his ministry. But perhaps they tell us of his humility in the midst of his extraordinary success as a preacher.

Prayer

'The bread you do not use is the bread of the hungry.'  St Ambrose

Lord, we thank you for people who are direct and honest like John the Baptist.
When we ask them what we must do, they don't beat around the bush but tell us openly: those who have two tunics must share with those who have none, and those with something to eat must do the same.

Lord, John the Baptist knew his people.
When the tax collectors came for baptism he told them exactly what they must do, and so too with the soldiers.

Lord, we pray for the church today.

'We all want to be famous people, but the moment we want to be some­thing we are no longer free.'  Krishnamurti

Lord, give us the humility of John the Basptist. When a feeling of expectancy grows and our followers begin to think that we might be some kind of Messiah, help us to declare before them all that we are merely baptising with water.

There is one who is more powerful than we are and he baptises with the Holy Spirit and with fire.

'We are a resourceful people but deadly scared of our own natively-inspired success.' Clifford Sealey, Trinidadian poet

'Something happened between me and the earth. The land recognized me.'
Earl Lovelace as he landed on African soil for the first time, November 1991

Lord, we thank you for the moments of grace when we feel we are connected with the whole of creation and all of our history.
We know then that your winnowing fan is in your hand, that evil is merely chaff which you will burn in a fire that will never go out, whereas we are your precious wheat which you will gather into your barn.