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"New Lives For Old""When it was the right time, John the Baptizer began tellingpeople a message from God" - so says our Scripture lesson today.John the Baptist (as we call him) is obviously known for baptizing people.Actually, he should be remembered for his message - he should be "Johnthe Preacher" not "John the Baptizer" because it was his direct,confrontational preaching that made people remember him. It was hispreaching mouth that got him in trouble, not his baptizing hands. Hismessage? Repent! He told Herod, the ruler of Galilee to repent fortaking his brother's wife, Herodias, as his own. Herodius plotted with herdancing daughter to have John's head - literally - killed as if he were anannoying gnat flying about in the royal box.But Jesus said, "The truth is that John the Baptizer" is greaterthan anyone who has ever come into this world."...(John 11:11)"Before John came, the law of Moses and all the prophets toldabout the things that would happen. And if you believe what theysaid, then John is Elijah. He is the one they said would come. Youpeople who hear me, listen!" (John 11:14)It was the right time for his message of repentance. Before wecan get new lives, we have to dump a lot of junk out of the old life. That'sa two step process - being sorry for what you have done and asking Godto forgive you for all of it.There's a time of repentance built into every communion service,where when we confess our sin, "God is faithful and just to forgive usof our sin and cleanse us from ALL unrighteousness."No wonder John's message was also a welcome one - many peoplewanted to hear it, and to hear it that had to expend a good deal of effort.John planted himself in the middle of nowhere. He set up shop in thewilderness and anyone who wanted to hear what he had to say had to goto a lot of trouble to get there - borrowing the neighbor's donkey perhapsor setting off on foot with enough water for the journey, and going downlonely trails infested with bandits.To hear John preach you had to trek way off into the blazing hotdesert, traverse relentless hills of thick sand and make you way down tothe Jordan River, far away from any city.He was particularly hard on people in organized religion, thePharisees and Sadducees. They didn't go there to hear him except tohear enough so they could find a way to do him in - after all, if he becametoo popular their temples would be empty of people - worse yet theiroffering plates would be empty."You bunch of snakes!" John said, "slithering down here tothe river. Do you think that a little water on your snake skins isgoing to make any difference. It's your life that got to change, notyour skin! If your life is changed, people will be able to tell. You'llbear fruit. And don't think you can pull rank because you are adescendant of Abraham. Descendants of Abraham are a dime adozen. God can take these rocks and make them into descendantsof Abraham. What matters is your life. Is your life green? Is itbearing fruit? Because if it is dead wood then it goes into the fire.Repent! The Kingdom of Heaven is near!"My advise to you is, "Live your life understanding that onlywhat's done for Christ will last."What are these things? Acts of kindness, Works of charity, Visitingthe sick, comforting they who mourn, being more concerned about thewelfare of your wife or husband or significant other than your own.Carrying about with you a spirit of good will and acceptance. Not beingjudgemental, Not complaining.At our last minister's meeting, one of the ministers came with aband on his wrist. Each time you complain about something, you have tomove the band to the other wrist. The goal is to see how long you can gowithout having to do that. How about YOU? Could you last only anhour - a day - a week? The program's goal is to go 21 days. Are all ofyour branches green - or just a few of them. (A Complaint Free Worldby Will Bowen.)I have a senna polifida tree that isn't doing well at all. I have fiveof them in a row. They have exuberant, plentiful yellow blossoms. A fewweeks ago, they all began to bloom - well not all - the one at the endlooked sick - and I thought it was dying. I checked it for any pests thatmight be destroying it, but nothing was to be seen. I hate to tell you this,but I am one of those persons who believe that one species can talk toanother - should talk to each other. I spoke to the tree. I moved itsbranches. I showered it with a little more water than the others. Now, itis in bloom! - not riotously like the others, but a nice grouping of blossomson the branches that were not dead after all. Those that are - thedeadwood, I assume I will have to trim off.This is then the place in the sermon where you need to decidewhat deadwood you need to get rid of - repent of. Anything that keepsyou from your goal of Christlikeness has to go. Repent! "He will burnthe useless part with a fire that cannot be stopped."God is speaking to us today - moving OUR branches, nourishingus with His love - the God who can make our branches bloom with goodworks. "He will separate the good grain from the straw, and he illput the good part into his barn."All you have to do is make a conscious decision to give priority tothose things that will grow your spirit.The Network of Spiritual Progressive is committed to fostering anew consciousness so that we allow ourselves to know that the mostsignificant and rewarding part of our lives comes through:*Acts of love and generosity*Kindness to humans and animals*Caring for and giving to other without expectation of reward ora "return on the investment of our time and energy.*Work that is fulfilling both in its process and in the sense it givesus that we are contribution to the public good.*Awe at the grandeur of creation*The experience of being recognized on the deepest level of ourbeing and recognizing others in that way.*Acknowledging our connection to something larger than ourselvesand seeing our lives in the context of service to the ultimate triumph oflove, goodness, justice and peace.That's fine for us, but how are we doing as a nation, as a world?Is it time for a call to repentance there? Is the world getting better orworse? I always say that progress is backwards. Waiting the other dayfor replies to several e-mails and needing one in particular, I had anamazingly brilliant thought - Why not use the telephone?! That way Iwould get an immediate answer, and it wouldn't be just words on a pagebut hearing the vibrant, wonderful voice of the friend I was calling, and Iwould be able to get a feeling of how he was doing - not just by thewords, but by the tone of voice.And the internet - much as I love Google - I was appalled by thecruel trick played by one teenager on another - the one, a girl, pretendingto be a handsome young man, communicating with her neighbor a fewdoors down, getting her very attached to "him" then having him dump hersaying all kinds of cruel things to her. Only after she had hung herself, didher parents learn that there was no such young man, only a girl down thestreet playing tricks on an unsuspecting, sensitive soul. What is happeningin our world. Young people are getting more and more cruel to each otherand to the adults around them. The suicide incident was part ofa program depicting the growing cruelty and irresponsibility being manifestedin our young people including a college student who, driving drunk, killedone girl and made an invalid of another. She fled back to her native Peruwhere she continued to drink and drive and even wrote a song braggingabout her driving experiences. Where is John the Baptist when he's needed?Who will call us to repentance - we all have things of which we need torepent. Jesus will.Jesus calls us to repentance, not to make us feel bad aboutourselves, but to free us from the darkness and deadness that drags usdown. Then he setts us on a pathway of service and fulfillment - heads usfor home - the eternal home He has prepared for us from the foundationof the world.One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after;that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, tobehold the beauty of the Lord, and to enquire in his temple. For inthe time of trouble he shall hid me in his pavilion: in the secret ofhis tabernacle shell he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock.And now shall mine head be lifted up above mine enemies roundabout me: therefore will I offer in his tabernacle sacrifices of joy;I will sing, yea I will sing praises unto the Lord.Change your hearts! And show by the way you live that you havechanged. A good indicator of that is your checkbook which will showamong other things how much you give to yourself and how much to God.I hope everybody got the pledge letter from our church Treasurer,Edwin Scharlau - how anybody could resist it I just can't figure. Sincethere are more of you here who haven't pledged than have, I assumemany of you didn't get it. He referred to all the special moments thechurch provides you - your wedding, your child's baptism, agranddaughters 1st birthday, delicious food, the incomparable karaokiesinging by church members, dancing the "chicken dance at the Octoberfest,- sitting in your pew with some of the same people around you week afterweek, being greeted at the church door as you walk in, the sermons forchildren, the sermons for serious Christians. He says, "I'm sure youhave your own moments you look forward to on Sunday mornings athe Miami Beach Community Church - from the spiritual to thesimple. " Then he suggests that we all bear the fruit of good stewardship,that the Church can go forward in strength and its message heard. Bearfruit. "Change your hearts and show by the way your live that youhave changed!" (Mt. 3:8)Today's message is "Repent!". May we pray. Each of us Lord,have things for which we repent, things we have done, things we havefailed to do, things for which others cannot forgive us, things for which wecannot forgive ourselves. Even the remembrance of them grieves usseverely. In these moments, as we repent earnestly of our sins, "Forgiveus all that is past and grant that we may evermore serve thee innewness of life to the honor and glory of Thy Holy name. Amen.Sermon Notes(Not edited nor proofed)The Rev. Dr. Garth R. Thompson Pastor, M.B. Community ChurchA sermon is a simple truth told by someone whobelieves it to people he knows and loves (Phillips Brooks)December 9, 2007 10:30 a, m. Matthew 3:1-122nd Sunday in AdventMay the words of my mouth and the meditations of our heartsbe acceptable in Thy sight, O Lord, our strength and our redeemer.http://feeds.feedburner.com/MiamiBeachCommunityChurch