A few years ago as the world watched the beginning game of the World Series in San Francisco, there was suddenly an interruption of the opening interview. The screen blinked and went blank. The station finally resumed with a special news bulletin: The San Francisco metropolitan area had experienced a serious earthquake. We watched live as the huge fire in the marina area burned. A remote camera crew was there and we saw firemen fighting the fires. The scene I remember the most, however, was a group of people standing around just looking at the destruction and the fire. All of a sudden a policeman came up to the crowd and yelled: “What are you people doing, just standing there? You need to get prepared immediately! Go home and fill your bathtubs up with water! Get ready to live without city services for 72 hours! The sun will set in another hour and your time is running out! Go home and get prepared!”

A long time ago, another man was sent to get people to prepare.  His name was John the Baptist. His message was an urgent one: “Why are you not getting ready?” he yelled to the Hebrews.  “Why are you just standing there?  Don't you see that your time is running out? You need to be preparing the way!  Making the path straight! Go and get ready!”

We heard the first part of it last week:  Prepare for the coming of your Savior by repenting of your sins and trusting in Him for forgiveness!  That’s how we get ready for the coming of Christ.  For Christmas.  Today’s message is directed at those who are still standing around and not really doing anything about it!  John was speaking to people who thought they didn’t really need to repent or change their lives because they were descended from Abraham, and that made them children of God.  But John pointed out that, by the way they were acting, they were actually children of a snake, the Devil!

So friends, John the Baptist’s message for us to help prepare us for Jesus’ coming still is “Repent!”  But today he is making it very clear that repenting doesn’t mean just saying that you have changed or will change and standing around and not doing anything about it.  When we repent, there will be fruits of repentance!  Show your faith by what you do!  Show how prepared you are for Christmas by the deeds of love you do in thanks to God!

One of the most famous Christmas stories ever written is “A Christmas Carol” by Charles Dickens.  It centers around a gruff, miserly character named Ebenezer Scrooge.  Then there’s the Cratchit family, a God-fearing, loving family with a little crippled boy named Tiny Tim who is always saying, “God bless us, every one.”  Bob Cratchit worked for Scrooge.  This is a story about conversion.  And Scrooge needed converting.  He was a despicable character: a selfish, arrogant, hard-hearted, mean-spirited, uncaring, unsympathetic, unchristian tightwad. His famous response to Christmas, “Bah! Humbug!” has come to symbolize this disillusioned spirit.

As the story unfolds, Ebenezer Scrooge is visited one night by some ghosts who subject him to a horrible haunting.  Scared out of his wits by the ghosts, Scrooge is forced to see himself as he really is.  The visits of the ghosts and the Christ-like unconditional love of the Cratchit family, who keep on loving him even though he has treated them horribly, combine to convert Ebenezer Scrooge.  And now with a second chance, he changes completely!

A skinflint no more, he becomes instead an ever-loving grandfather type.  He loves Christmas now.  He gets into a loving spirit of the season, sending presents to the Cratchits and a large amount of money to charity.  He dresses up and goes to his nephew’s house for Christmas dinner and announces that, of all things, he is giving his clerk, Bob Cratchit, a nice raise!  Talk about a conversion!  Here we see a life turned around!

Why are we so fascinated with this story?  It’s not just that it’s a well-written classic piece of literature.  There is something more here.  You see, the truth is, this is our story.  Deep down inside, we all can relate to Ebenezer Scrooge!  Whether or not the story actually speaks about his spiritual conversion, we can relate, because we all need help.  We all need to face up to ourselves, and see what we are actually like.  We all need to be converted from selfishness to love, from unbelief to belief, or better put, we all need a Savior!

This is the good news we celebrate at Christmas!  2000 years ago, God looked down and saw the sick, disillusioned Scrooge-like spirit of the world, and He knew that would not work, so He sent his Son to save us and change us and show us a better way.  Christ came to change us from greedy, selfish, disillusioned people into generous, loving, gracious, servant-like people. 

And that isn’t just a feel-good story.  Christ really did save us.  From something worse than dying a lonely miser’s death.  He saved us from ourselves.  He saved us from heading into an eternity without Him.  He saved us from the damage our sins would do.  He gave us forgiveness and promised us an eternity with Him.  You have been saved to live a new life!  God has the ability to raise children to life out of life-less, dead stones.  You and I, who were as lifeless as stones, have been raised up to live a new life!

And that means that we need to “produce fruit in keeping with repentance.”  We need to live differently now!  Notice what happened with Scrooge, once he realized the truth.  He went out and changed his life completely!  He gave instead of taking.  He was generous instead of stingy.  He served instead of demanded.  He lived out of joy instead of anger. 

Likewise, when people asked John the Baptist “What should we do then?” he told them: “Share with each other!  Give to the needy! Don’t be dishonest! Don’t use your power to get what you want.  Don’t lie!  Be content with your pay!” In other words, John was saying, “If you have stopped living a life of sin, and started living a life of faith in your Savior, then LIVE like it!

When your life is changed by the Holy Spirit, who has led you to faith in your coming Savior, you will find the motivation to live differently.  Some years ago, I received an email warning me about the “Advent Virus.”  It said: 
 “Warning!  Advent Virus!  Be on the alert for symptoms of inner HOPE, PEACE, JOY AND LOVE. The hearts of a great many have already been exposed to this virus and it is possible that people everywhere could come down with it in epidemic proportions. This could pose a serious threat to what has, up to now, been a fairly stable condition of conflict in the world.   Some signs and symptoms of THE ADVENT VIRUS:
1. A tendency to think and act spontaneously rather than on fears based on past experiences.
2. An unmistakable ability to enjoy each moment.
3. A loss of interest in judging other people.
4. A loss of interest in interpreting the actions of others.
5. A loss of interest in conflict.
6. A loss of the ability to worry. (This is a very serious symptom.)
7. Frequent, overwhelming episodes of appreciation.
8. Contented feelings of connectedness with others and nature.
9. Frequent attacks of smiling.
10. An increasing tendency to let things happen rather than make them happen.
11. An increased susceptibility to the love extended by others as well as the uncontrollable urge to extend it.
Please send this warning out to all your friends. This virus can and has affected many systems. Some systems have been completely cleaned out because of it.”

So friends, Christmas means you have a Savior who came here for you!  God kept his promise and has made heaven your home!  So rejoice now!  Live differently!  Like the people John was talking to, you might ask: “What should we do?”  Let the Advent virus bite you!  Be content with your paycheck!  Stop complaining about your salary.  Soldiers in John’s day, whom he told this to, received 11 cents a day, when the normal daily wage was 18 cents a day!  And from that 11 cents, the cost of arming them, feeding them, and sheltering them was deducted!  You think they might have been tempted to extort bribes from people?  Yet living for Christ would mean to pass that temptation by and be content.  I think we can be content with our pay.

What else should we do?  Be honest.  Don’t take more than should be given to you.  Don’t cheat on your taxes.  Don’t “pirate” things that aren’t yours.  Don’t lie to your boss about what you have actually worked.  Don’t pass off work that isn’t actually yours.  Don’t cut corners where you shouldn’t.  What else?  Share with those who need it.  I am guessing each of you have more than one coat.  And more than enough food.  Share it.  Share your things.  Share your money.  Share your time.  This is the time of year that this kind of stuff is emphasized everywhere.  Well, there is a God-given reason for that!  Beginning with John the Baptist’s message in the wilderness, this is the way to get ready for Christmas!  For the coming of Christ!

I read recently about a bike shop in a little town that was constantly busy, especially in the run-up to Christmas.  One winter, a young boy wandered in; dirty-faced, poorly dressed, and obviously not from a well-to-do family.  Although at first the staff was worried about his shoplifting something, it soon became clear that the child was harmless enough.  He would just come in, look closely at all the new bikes that were being brought in for the Christmas sales, and then stand out of the way in the corner and watch the men work.

This went on for some time.  He started spending more and more time watching the repair part of the shop.  Then, one day, after the store cleared out, the young boy approached the counter where the men were working.  He laid a rusty bolt on the counter in front of them.  “Excuse me,” he said politely, “Would you be able to put a new bike on this bolt?”  The men laughed.  Only a child would think of putting a bike on a bolt instead of a bolt on a bike!  But the men’s laughter, even though it wasn’t intended to be mean, hurt the boy’s feelings.  He didn’t understand, but knew something he had said must have been wrong.  He ran out of the shop crying.  The men ran outside after him.  But the kid had disappeared.

A few weeks later, he was back.  This time, however, he was even more reluctant to make eye contact with anyone at the store.  As usual, he went looking at all the new bikes.  But this time he kept his head down when anyone came near.  Then he went to the repair area where he had given the men the bolt.  His head was down, as if he were embarrassed, or had done something wrong, and he kept fingering the hole in his pants.  He was maybe hoping they still had his bolt.  One of the men repairing the bikes called to him, “Hey kid!”  He looked up.  “You forgot your bolt!”  And with that, one of the staff wheeled out and presented the boy a bicycle.  It was made entirely out of scrap parts that the store workers had salvaged on their own time! 

A bike on a bolt.  That could only happen at Christmas.  There is something about this season of the year that opens our hearts and makes us want to live a little differently.  To share.  To give.  To be honest, and open, and loving.  And what is it?  What makes us live like this?  Isn’t it that voice in the wilderness, calling out, “Prepare the way for the Lord!... All mankind will see God’s salvation!”  Jesus came!  He has saved you and forgiven you!  Christmas reminds us of that amazing love.  And so, that’s why at Christmas we live a little bit differently than we do the rest of the year.  But friends, Christ is coming again! The earth will shake again. Let’s be prepared for that every day!  Let’s Live As If Every Day is Christmas!   Amen.