Good Fruitcake: The Dance of Joy

Third Sunday of Advent

Scripture: Luke 3:7-18

How can you tell its Christmas? The fruitcake has come out of hiding. Let me be very clear. I HATE FRUITCAKE. Please do not send it to me for use as a doorstop, hammer, fireplace brick or any other of its fine uses. I do not like it Sam-I-Am. I do not like fruitcake and ham! In my research I discover the main reason for the dryness and icky texture of fruitcake is of course because its made of dried fruit - whithered little chewy bits of what was once live, vibrant and juicy. In our scripture today, John the Baptist points out the same thing in the faith of the people.

John the Baptist is preparing the people for the coming of the Messiah - just like we are supposed to be preparing for the coming of the messiah. He gives us a message to help us get ready for the gifts that God will bring us. His first message: Realize.

Realize who you are and what you are doing. You Brood of Vipers! - Now, that's a nice greeting for Christmas. How would it be if I sent all my Christmas Cards saying "Dear Vipers. Your time is up. Change or be destroyed. Love and Peace, Rev. Kellie" - because that's what John is saying - he points out the religious lives the people have been living are nothing but withered dried repititions of ritual - with no life, no spirit, no honesty and no good fruit. "Make no mistake," John tells them. "The tree that doesn't produce good fruit - (in other words - the fruitcake tree) gets cut down!" This Advent take some time to look at your faith and your life - is your relationship with God vibrant, alive and thriving or just a withered old cycle of go to church, go to work, pay the bills, pray over food? After you get a chance to see where your faith truly is - Redo.

Redo the priorities in your life. You can tell the difference between fruitcake and pie. One is dry, withered and nasty, the other full of sugar, taste and goodness. If you can tell your faith has become dull ritual or spiritless wandering - then redo your priorities. "What should we do," the Vipers ask John. "If you have two coats, give one away. If you are a tax collector, collect only what is due," is his answer. Be right in life and right with God. Get rid of materialism, greed, selfish desires. Stop cheating yourself. Stop cheating God. Be a faithful partner. Give quality work. Do your own homework and be thankful. Check the priorities you have for you life. Where is God, and the worship of God, on the list? Is your life producing Good Fruit? In not, then change it. Once you start living the kind of good life God desires there is only one response: Rejoice.

Rejoice in your faith. After the nasty viper crack and some serious talk about trees and fire the Bible says John went on to preach the GOOD NEWS. Rejoice - its true, you have a problem - but GOD has the solution. God is ready to make the tree of your life full and vibrant again. While researching this sermon I discovered a number of websites with fruitcake recipes. Oddly enough, most of the recipes involved the use of some kind of alcohol. Now what does that tell us? It tells us fruitcake is so terrible we even have to get IT drunk to enjoy it! But among the websites I found was the "Society for the Preservation of Fruitcake" - people who simply rejoice in the tradition, fun and (so they say) flavor of fruitcake. Although I will never agree with them - I can understand their spirit. They rejoice in what is good. On this day of Joy when we seek to dance with God in lively steps - let us take a moment to realize where we are in faith, redo our priorities, and rejoice in the God who loves us.