Vespers on the Wednesday of Ad Te Levavi – December 4, 2024Psalm 24; James 5:7-10St. Matthew 3:1-6
In the Name of the Father, and of the T
Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
When placed side-by-side, the preaching
of St. John the Baptist and St. James might seem in conflict. St. John preaches
with urgency, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!”[1]
The voice crying in the wilderness is desperately calling for the repentance of
man. Now is the time to repent. Do not tarry, do not wait. Now is the time for
repentance, not later.
But St. James calls for patience. “Be
patient until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious
fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and
latter rain.”[2]
This seeming conflict can be resolved in three ways: historically,
theologically, and practically.
Historically, St. John and St. James
are addressing two different audiences at two very different times. St. John is
calling Jerusalem, all Judea, and the region around the Jordan to repentance.[3]
He is preparing the way of the Lord in a very present and historic sense. He
has been called by God as the final prophet of the Old Testament to prepare the
hearts of the faithful to receive the Christ. Our Lord is walking among these
people, and it is urgent that they be prepared to receive them.
Those who hear the preaching of St.
John the Baptist are in a dangerous position. They have the testimony of the
Scriptures, the Old Testament. They also have the preaching of the Pharisees,
who have turned the Messiah of God’s Word into a warrior of the state. They are
looking for someone to arise and lead them to a new political state, one they
can call their own. The hope of salvation is the hope for an independent
country, without foreign influence. The faithful who hear the preaching of
John, hear of the Messiah who will save them from their sins. They hear that
the promise of the holy city is the promise of eternal life with God. The
overthrow of their invaders is the overthrowing of their sin and all those who
would persecute them for their faith.
They are in a precarious position because not only do they have these opposing preachers calling out to them, but they are soon to see One who claims to be the promised Messiah. They will have to determine if He is in fact the One who is to come or if they should look for another.[4] They must witness not only the teachings of the Christ, but His suffering, death, and burial. And, of course, His resurrection. But for the moment, they have the words of John and the words of the Pharisees and they must discern which aligns with the Word of God.
For those who have ears to hear, who
recognize the voice of John as the voice crying in the wilderness, they must be
prepared. They must be prepared through repentance and the forgiveness of sins.
Their hearts are jagged with sin and must be planed smooth to receive the
Christ.
St. James is preaching to those who
have seen and heard the teachings of Christ, His sufferings, death, burial, and
resurrection. They have the sure and certain Word of God that has transformed
their hearts from jagged stones to hearts of flesh. These faithful are now
anxious for the final coming of the Lord. They look for the Last Day and anticipate
its coming at any moment. For many of them, this causes distress. ‘The Lord is
coming very soon and yet there is so much to do!” Especially at this time of
year, when many of us are entertaining friends and family, we understand this
anxiety. There is always one more thing that needs cleaned, one more dish to
prepare, one more load of laundry to put away.
For those of St. James’s day, this
anxiety could even lead to abandoning the faith. ‘Christ said He would return
but He hasn’t yet. Maybe He isn’t the Christ.” It comes a bit later in history,
but there were even Christians who sought martyrdom. They would purposely turn
themselves into the Roman or Jewish persecutors, believing that by sacrificing
themselves they would become more holy. While it is true that those who are
martyred for the name of Christ are especially blessed, nowhere does Christ
call us to foolishly throw ourselves onto the fire. That is, in fact, against
the commandments of God, especially those commandments concerning vocation. It
is against both the errors of pride and despair that St. James is calling for
patience among the faithful of Christ.
Historically, we see that St. John and
St. James are preaching in two different situations on either side of the death
and resurrection of Christ. Theologically, their preaching is also harmonious.
Repentance is a matter of urgency. Now is the time to repent of your sins. Now
is the time to throw yourself onto the mercy of God that He would forgive your
sins for the sake of His Son. The Lord admonished Cain, “If you do well, will
you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for
you, but you should rule over it.”[5]
Sin is always waiting at the door, seeking to devour your soul. The more it is
ignored, the larger and more ravenous it becomes. And, the more you ignore your
sin, the more oblivious you become to it. Repentance is a matter of
urgency.
The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand and the Lord may reveal Himself at any moment. Watch yourselves, that when He returns, you are not caught in the midst of sin. “The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light… But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.”[6]
At the same time, “do not worry about
your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what
you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?... Therefore
do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What
shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your
heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first
the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added
to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry
about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own
trouble.”[7]
Anxiety is contrary to faith. Whether about
the needs of daily life or the final coming of Christ, do not worry. Do not be
anxious. The Lord will give you meat in due season and when the harvest is
ripe, He will return to gather His faithful wheat into the heavenly barns.[8]
That doesn’t mean we sit idly by and await the coming of the Lord. St. James
compares our waiting to the farmer awaiting the harvest. If the farmer doesn’t
tend the field, the seeds will be devoured by birds and the young plants will
be choked out by thorns and thistles.[9]
Although we are to be patient regarding the coming of the Lord, we are to tend
the field of our faith through repentance and prayer.
And this is where the texts are united
practically. If you think of your soul as the field, then we are to urgently
tend the field. It is what lies before us. Tend to the field by repentance and
faith. Tear out sin by the root and work tirelessly to increase the quality of
the soil. This work is attending to the Word of God and prayer but also
attending to your vocations. Serve your neighbor as a faithful wife, father,
son, or daughter. Children, be diligent in your studies so that you can grow
into serving your neighbor in other ways. Parents, be diligent in teaching your
children, both the faith and the virtues necessary for life in this world. Care
for the things you’ve been given and those beloved souls placed into your care.
Do these things with patience. Your
reward is guaranteed. The Lord has given you the Kingdom in Holy Baptism and He
will not take it away from those who wait on Him. Do we urgently and fervently
pray for the final coming of Christ? Absolutely. Every time we pray, “Thy
Kingdom come,” we pray that Christ would return to gather us home. But we need
not pray with anxiety. We may pray urgently and with patience, resting in the
promises that have already been fulfilled, even if our fleshly eyes and ears
can’t see or hear it.
In + Jesus’
name. Amen.
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