Be the Change

 Zephaniah Luke 3:7-18

December 15, 2024

 

I think Prophets were kind 

of like the news analysts of the time,

the op-ed writers of their era, 

or the political bloggers

They didn’t really address personal, 

individual problems

they always looked at the whole country or world

and told everyone where they went wrong

from the top down, and what the possible

consequences and sad fates were: 

They knew doom and destruction would fall on everyone.

 

Although the prophets used ancient terms,

the analysis of their times sounds a lot like that of ours:

corrupt and greedy leaders, religious leaders who’ve lost their way,

the apathy and hopelessness of the people,

and a lack of compassion for the poor and outcast.

 

And then, like now, the prophets knew that the country

and the world  were not on a good path,

but everyone felt unable or unwilling to

do anything about the situation.

 

Zephaniah is not a big player in the prophet hit parade.

He’s called a minor prophet.

This book or letter is only three chapters long.

the first two chapters are the same kind of analysis

that we’re used to hearing from the prophets,

God is not happy with Israel who refuses to get their

act together, destruction will be coming in one form or another.

And then they will want God, but they’d grown so distant

from God, they won’t know how to find God.

The word Zephaniah means “ Yahweh hides.”

 

They say Zephaniah was written pre-exile period

meaning before the Jews were conquered

by Babylon and other countries.

In other words, it was a time when things were still hanging together,

but there was a sense that things  could fall apart at any time,

the fabric of the society they knew was crumbling.

 

But after this inevitable destruction and collapse,

Zephaniah goes on, there is hope, God doesn’t stay hidden forever.

The collapse will be followed will be followed by rebirth and resurrection, 

God will be there and the relationship with

God and God’s people will be restored

and things will be back on the right track.

 

As we heard in the part we read today,

Zion is God’s daughter, and God will renew her,

her fortunes will be restored and everything will be

better than it was before.

 

And the evidence that the time has come will be this:

All the oppressors will be dealt with,

the lame will be saved and the outcast will be brought home.

 

Things will come back together,

but they won’t come back together in the same way.

Things will be reassembled in God’s image

things will be done in God’s way.

 

This seems to be a theme in all the prophets, major and minor.

Falling apart, coming together,

and the new way will be closer to God’s way.

They always end with a hopeful analysis of the future.

But it is always kind of passive on the people’s part.

God will be the one to rebuild.

I mean, the people were active in creating the mess, but

God is alone in bringing things back together.

  

Now we have John the Baptist, who is our prophet

news commentator for the coming savior.

John the Baptist is saying basically the same thing

as Zephaniah and the prophets have been saying,

but in a much more colorful inflammatory way.

It was better for ratings, I guess.

 

“You brood of vipers, who told you

you could escape the wrath to come?”

He made a spectacle of himself and people did pay attention.

No one will be able to escape the consequences.

Everyone was in the same boat. Rich and poor,

faithful and not faithful, we’re all children of snakes.

 

But even though it’s more of the same as from other prophets,

it’s different. John is talking to individual, regular people,

not just to whole nations and rulers. He’s telling them and us,

that we have a role to play in this whole thing.

 

The people there asked him “What exactly should we do?”

Now, I’m not sure what they were expecting from John the Baptist,

but he was living like a wild man, alone in the wilderness,

eating bugs and just whatever he could find on the ground.

 

Maybe they thought he would tell everyone

to drop out of normal life, wear a camel’s hair coat and

and eat locusts and twigs with him in the wilderness

and wait for God to reappear.

 

But no. John tells them:

“If you have two coats, share one with someone who has none.

If you have any extra food, share that too.”

Then he tells the tax collectors not to over collect from people,

and he tells the soldiers not to extort money from vulnerable people.

 

He’s not telling them leave their lives

and hide in the woods and wait.

He’s telling them to go back to their cities and villages 

and just behave differently, 

to not use their position or job to take advantage of other people, 

to treat others with kindness,

and fairness and justice,

in other words, to be the change in the world.

 

Like Zephaniah, John is saying that after the problems and distress

to come, God will be reordering the world in this new way,

but in a little shift from Zephaniah and the prophets of old,

John is saying that we have an opportunity to be part  

of the reconstruction, part of the rebirth, part of the resurrection.

We are participants in the change that

God has in store for the world.

We don’t even have to wait for the

destruction and the wrath to come

we can start the reconstruction and rebirth now.

 

We aren’t merely passive recipients of God’s good will,

God will work through our hands and feet and mouths.

And we will be signs that the resurrection is happening.

 

We will have an active role in dealing with the oppressors,

saving the lame, and bringing the outcasts home again.

We are the agents and the sign of God’s new order in the world.

 

When we treat someone with kindness who doesn’t deserve it,

when we forgive, even when someone isn’t sorry,

when we treat all people with respect,

when we welcome the stranger,

when we love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us.

When we do those things that we can do right now,

We become part of the God’s restoration.

 

And all the stuff we do together,

Like serving in our food pantries, working with Backpack Buddies,

Habitat for Humanity, caring and nurturing others,

praying for each other, making our congregation a

place of welcome for all, when we write letters to leaders,

when we stand up for what’s right, when we pray for others,

when we forgive and understand, when we share grace,

whatever we do to help reform the world in God’s image

those are all signs that God’s plan is already working,

and we are a part of it.

 

As we sit and wait for Christmas, for Jesus to return,

and whatever else we are waiting to face in the coming years,

John is reminding us to not lose the light of Christ in our hearts.

 

Even when everything around us seems dark and evil,

Even if the whole world loses their way,

the light of Christ in our own hearts can be our hope

and can even be the hope in the world.

 

John Baptized with water, but there is another coming

who will baptize with fire. A fire meant to light us up and move us.

And that is why the word John had in the end was good news

for those at the Jordan and for us right now.

 

You, Brood of Vipers!

Who told you to flee from the wrath to come.

Don’t run away from the troubles of the world.

Go back there and do something about it!

Be the change that you want to see.

 

And have faith that God will save the lame,

gather the outcast,

and will change our shame into praise.

Know that God will bring us home.