How John the Baptist Stole Christmas

If you read Matthew 3: 1-12 you will hear crazy old John screaming in the wilderness yet again this year. Between the bugs in his teeth and his sweet tooth he shouts words to the church folks who've come out to hear him. With breath that smells of "wild honey" and left over locusts John tells the people of First Church Jerusalem that they are no better than snakes and that they better shape up or their family "trees" are going to get the ax.

Wow, Merry Christmas to you too John. John thinks that before we get to the Christmas carols and sweet baby Jesus that we need to clean up our act. He sounds like a combination of Euell Gibbons (you know the "wild hickory nut" guy who used to advertise Grape Nuts cereal) and a street preacher. So John eats his natural wild honey and it energies him to scream "repent before it's too late. " Sounds like the Grinch to me....but his words of warning for us to "repent" are simply his way of saying that if we are going to unwrap the present that comes in the manger we need to "change direction" and find some new ways to think and act. Repent simply means to turn and go another way.

So for my folks this past Sunday and for you out there in the Blogosphere I've composed "How John the Baptist Stole Christmas."
Here you go....Blessed Advent to you.

HOW JOHN THE BAPTIST STOLE CHRISTMAS
All the religious types in Jerusalem
Liked Christmas a lot
But John who lived out in the desert did not
He ate bugs and sipped honey
No one quite knows the reason
But he kept screaming "Repent,
Before you get to this season"

He yelled and he yelled at the
Church folks who came
He told them their religion
Was nothing but lame
With all of them wanting
Their tensel and glitter
John said it was all going
To turn to cat litter

"There's one coming whose ax will
Cut your Christmas trees down
Santa Claus this year will
Not come to your town
One's coming to separate the
Wheat from the chaff
No need to wrap all those
Presents you have
You better come clean and
Get right with God
Then up the chimney John went
With a blink and a nod
(O Well I'm combining stories here...be patient)

The people were left with stockings
Empty and hanging
While sugarplums and questions
Filled their heads with a banging

Perhaps Christmas cannot happen
Until we come clean
Just what did old John in fact
Really mean?
Turn around, turn around before
It's too late
All those shopping days until Christmas
Will Just have to wait

John's message is clear but it's
Not popular now
He says, "If you want to come
This year to the manger and bow
You have to shed your old skin
As does a snake
When it comes to the Christmas rush
You must put on the brake
It's time for a change in
Some of your ways
It's time to rearrange the way
You've been spending your days

So for Christmas to come no
Grinch heart needs to grow
It's your heart my friend
That must change and must know
That the best Christmas present
You can give the Christ child
Is the change in y0ur heart you've
Been putting off for a while

So this Advent season John
Sounds like the Grinch
And yes his words are like lightning
That may cause you to flinch
So get ready for Christmas by
Not just putting up a tree
Get ready for Christmas by
Repenting you see
For what God wants from all the
Church folks this year
Is a heart full of love
Not a cup full of cheer

John's words in the desert-they come
With a reason
To help us get ready for
The whole Christmas season
"Turn around," he says with
Bugs in his teeth
And John the Baptist himself
Hung a giant Christmas wreath.

Bless you
jody