We don’t hear many “Brood of
Vipers” sermons in the Lutheran church. It’s not that we don’t all need and
even welcome a stern word now and then it’s just that Lutherans draw the line
at being called poisonous reptiles. We’re happy to sing “Chief of Sinners
Though I Be” and confess that we are by nature sinful and unclean but call us
snakes and we might hiss at you. But with or without the snake reference this
may be more of a true word for us than we’d care to admit. While we don’t
presume to be children of Abraham we bet on being children of grace and bearing
fruits worthy of repentance is often a postscript not a priority. Like those
who came out to be chastised and challenged by John the end of our confession
must be “What then should we do?” Of course the question, as important and
necessary as it is, follows God’s answer for Christians of the Lutheran flavor.
God’s forgiveness does not depend on our doing; our doing depends on God’s
forgiving. True repentance anticipates absolution and in the freedom of forgiveness
one cleans out the closet and gives away the extra coat. The good news of
John’s exhortation is the end our comfortable relationship with dishonest ways
and vain striving after wealth and power. And all of this is made possible by
the “more powerful” One who follows John, the only anti-venom for a brood of
vipers.
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