How did John say it? How did he say these words? Was he loud? “You brood of vipers!” Or quiet? “You brood of vipers!” Was he disappointed? “You brood of vipers!” Or just tired? “You brood of vipers!” Was he so exasperated that his words almost came out as laughter? “You brood of vipers!” Or was he seething with righteous indignation? “You brood of vipers!” We can’t know for certain what John’s voice sounded like or exactly how he spoke these words. What we can know is how our ears hear his words: “You brood of vipers!”

Happy Advent, by the way. By now you know that today’s Advent theme is joy. Nothing like some good old-fashioned hellfire and brimstone to plant the seeds of joy in our lives. I get the feeling that John’s primary concern was not joy. He seems most concerned with grabbing the attention of his crowd. And grab it he does. And once he gets their attention, he gives them a hard word.

There are many different types of hard words. We know them well. There are those that are hard to hear, like John’s. And those that are hard to say. They are hard, not because of their difficulty but because of our complexity. Words like “I was wrong” or “I need help” or “I’m sorry.” These words are hard to say because of the muzzles of pride, stubbornness, and selfishness. But these hard words need to be said. They need also to be heard. For as hard as it is for some of us to speak these hard words, it can be even harder to hear them.

But all words, especially hard words, need to be heard, or else they are simply noise. That’s how communication works. And, say what you want about John and his lifestyle, one thing was certain: John was a good communicator.

Perhaps it is my Texas bias, but I picture John preaching with a sort of cowboy swagger. Even though he was wearing camel hair, he comes off as a gunslinger. Only his guns are loaded with a hard word instead of silver bullets. Like all good gunslingers, he is not afraid to use wield his weapons. And when he fires away, his word is precise and cuts right to the heart of the matter. He doesn’t fire blindly into the crowd. No, he speaks directly to every heart and every ear within range of his voice. And his words are hard.

John is preaching to the same crowd that has come to be baptized. His message is clear. You can’t just walk through the waters of baptism and be in good standing with God. This isn’t a religious ceremony you participate in for the purpose of escaping judgment; don’t come here to clear your conscience; this baptism is not simply about covering your … sins. You don’t walk through these waters because you have to, want to or think it is the proper thing to do. John wants to make it clear that repentance, repentance is the key. The straight word we heard last week, “Repent and be baptized,” is now a hard word. It is hard because it requires evidence in our lives. Fruit must be produced. It doesn’t matter what your lineage is, who you know or what your last name is. Neither does it matter how religious you are or how much you say you love God. Your life is a tree, and if it does not bear fruit, beware of the axe!

It is easy to feel entitled, to feel we are owed something, even from God. We do our best to be good people. We go to church two or three times a week, we serve on committees, we host the Christmas party. Sure, we can do more, but which one of us couldn’t do more? We are good people. John’s hard word forces us to look at our lives and ask if we are bearing fruit. It does not matter if you have perfect attendance, can recite the books of the Bible, or even take notes on the sermon. What matters is whether you have repented. And if you have, your life will show it. You will bear fruit.

Now that is a hard word. It is hard for us today, and it was hard for the crowd long ago, but they heard it. We see this in their response: “What then should we do?” In other words, “How do we bear fruit?”

John provides some very specific examples for his listeners, and they seem pretty reasonable, even to our ears. Share your coats and your food. If you collect taxes, don’t collect what you want in order to pad your own pockets; only collect what is required, not a cent more. If you are a soldier, don’t use your position and authority as a way to scare people out of money and get cheap favors. Basically, John is telling the crowd to share and be fair. This is the fruit that is proof of repentance.

“Well, I can do that! In fact John is doing me a favor. I’ve been meaning to clean out my closets and pantry. It is time to donate some clothes and food to those who are in need. After all, ’tis the season to think of others.” Now, before we think John is simply helping us to get a jumpstart on spring cleaning, we need to be aware of the hard word that is really being spoken. John’s brood of vipers, the people he was preaching to, if they were to do what he said—to share food and coats, to live ethically—that would be a new way of living and thinking. It would be different. It would be repentance.

We all have too many coats in our closets. There is a surplus of food on our shelves. This time of year we are constantly reminded of our need to give, to help those who are less fortunate because we have so much. And we do have a lot. I think if we are honest with ourselves, we feel guilty about it. We feel guilty about having too much. The more we hear about those who are without, the more guilt we feel, and we end up giving from this place of guilt.

Guilt is not a fruit of repentance. Guilt sometimes leads to small acts that can better a situation. Those acts then makes us feel better, but only for a short time. Once we rid ourselves of the guilt, we go back to the same way of living until the guilt builds up and surfaces again. Repentance is different. Repentance leads to a change of life, and the change of life brings healing to our lives and to the world around us. Repentance leads to transformation.

If you feel compelled to give away coats and food after worship this morning, please do so. People need them. But the hard word John has for us is that repentance is what we are called to do. John’s message is the same as the message of Jesus, and that hard word is to repent. To approach life differently and to do so because we are children of God. Instead of looking at the world as a realm of personal gain, a playground where we pursue our own interests at the expense of all others, instead performing charitable acts driven by guilt, we, as children of God, should live repentant lives. Lives concerned about others, those who are without. Lives that bear fruit. Lives that are transformed. Repentance leads to transformation. Guilt does not.

Our two-year-old daughter, Avery, loves to look at Christmas lights. Every time we get in the car, it takes her as long as it takes us to start the engine to say eagerly, “Christmas lights?” So these days we take a little longer to get where we’re going. We turn down some neighborhood streets and bask in the glow of Santas in snow globes, motorized reindeer, and Charlie Brown nativities. About every fifth street, we encounter “the homes.” You know the homes I’m talking about. The ones that go overboard. They have the snow globes, the reindeer, a handful of Santas, a tribe of snowmen and two or three different nativities. This does not include the lights. Oh, the lights. I must confess that when I see these homes, Advent themes don’t run through my head. Gaudy, tacky, ridiculous. That’s what I’m thinking. My daughter sees them differently. On one occasion, we rounded the corner to behold a small planet of lights. My wife, Jamie, and I mumbled. Avery gasped. “Oh, Mommy,” she said, “soooo pretty.” Christmas through the eyes of a two-year-old is a transformative experience. Thank goodness some people go overboard; that way the rest of us can be transformed.

Repentance is going overboard. It is looking at the world through new eyes and living life in a way that is different, a way that is transformative. The result is not just fruit; it is fruit that transforms the world.

We should be living repentant lives, lives that bear fruit. This is the hard word. And the hard word is hard to do. It is hard to live differently from the world we are surrounded by. It is hard to change when it is so easy to stay the same. Now we can feel guilty about this, or we can go overboard. The good news this Advent is that the hard word is worth it. The hard word is really a good word. For when we live repentant lives, when we live out the hard word, hope comes into our life. Peace comes into our life. Joy comes into our life. And we are transformed.

This past year we have gone overboard. This church, Wilshire Baptist Church, has gone overboard. The list of ways is long. There have been numerous trips all over the world. Trips for our youth, singles and Adventurers. A new choir was started that has increased the size and depth of our worshipping community. We began a partnership with KidsHeart Africa. There have been two trips to Kenya, with more planned in the years to come, and already a brand-new child development center is being built there. We are helping start a church in Rockwall where a former pastoral resident is the pastor. Add to all these the many lives that are impacted every Sunday and Wednesday through worship and programming, and it is clear that we are going overboard. All of this and more happen as a result of your giving. So thank you. By the way, there is still time to give for this year if you need to catch up! What we do here, the ways we go overboard—this is how we live lives of repentance. We as a church repent by living differently in the world. We go overboard with mission trips and church starts, and lives are transformed.

As I mentioned all that we are doing here at Wilshire, I saw your smiles. Your eyes lit up. That, that is part of the transformation. You have felt it in your lives. It feels different from guilt, doesn’t it? It is the difference between buying presents for those you want to give gifts to and having that list of people who you have to find something for because you know they are going to do something for you. There is a difference. Repentance leads to transformation. We are transformed by the hope and the peace and the joy that come with repentance. The proof is in your eyes, in your smiles, in your hearts.

We know what we are called to do. We know also how we fail to do it. The hard word has been spoken to us by John. Now is the time to repent. Now is the time to live lives that bear fruit. Now is the time to go overboard. Amen.