A Sermon Delivered on December 7, 2025 by the Rev. Dr. Patrick H. Wrisley.

Matthew 3:1-11

         ^3.1 In those days John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness of Judea, proclaiming, ² “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” ³ This is the one of whom the prophet Isaiah spoke when he said, 

“The voice of one crying out in the wilderness: 

‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.’ ” 

⁴ Now John wore clothing of camel’s hair with a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. ⁵ Then the people of Jerusalem and all Judea were going out to him, and all the region along the Jordan, ⁶ and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. 

⁷ But when he saw many Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? ⁸ Bear fruit worthy of repentance. ⁹ Do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our ancestor’; for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham. ¹⁰ Even now the ax is lying at the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 

¹¹ “I baptize you with water for repentance, but one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. ¹² His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and will gather his wheat into the granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”  (Matthew 3:1–12, NRSV)

I’ve been looking around for examples of Christmas-spirit killers and honestly, it’s like trying to pick a snowflake out of a blizzard. There are plenty to choose from. Years ago, I found an article from Australia that made me chuckle. It said that Santas in Sydney were asked to stop saying “ho, ho, ho” because it might frighten children or be construed as derogatory to women. Apparently several Santa trainees quit over the new directive.^[i] Things aren’t the way they used to be, are they? Years ago, when I lived in Tacoma, Washington, I remember the kerfuffle when the Seattle airport removed its Christmas trees from the terminals. Christmas trees, of all things were now suddenly considered offensive. 

Sisters and brothers, our culture has vivisected Christ right out of Christmas, and there’s plenty of blame to go around. On one hand, we’ve become so litigious and cautious that we’re afraid to offend anyone. On the other hand, we the people in the Church have gone along for the ride. We’ve allowed Christmas to be swallowed up by consumerism, stress, and the tyranny of the urgent. So, it’s fair to ask: Is Jesus still the reason for the season…or is Christmas just the reason for the latest season’s sales on Black Friday, Shop Local Saturday, or Cyber Monday?

On this second Sunday of Advent, I want to encourage us to reframe these days we are in the middle of at the moment. I propose we make the shift from observing the holidays and move to reclaim the holy days of Advent and Christmas.  

Let me provide a brief history of Advent. In the fourth century, before Christmas was widely celebrated, the early Church practiced a forty-day period of fasting, prayer, and spiritual examination from early November through Epiphany. It was a “winter Lent,” preparing people for the baptisms that took place on Epiphany, the day the Church remembers Jesus’ baptism.

Two hundred years later, when the Church began celebrating Christ’s birth, those forty days were shortened to four weeks. The season became known as Advent, which literally means “coming toward.” The color was (and still is) purple, a sign of preparation and repentance.

But repentance doesn’t exactly sound like the stuff of office parties and cookie exchanges does it? Who throws a Penance Party? We’d rather rush into the holiday glow than pause for deep soul work. Personally, I think it is high time we reframe our term for the holidays.  

One of my theological mentors, Leonard Sweet, describes it well. Preparing for a holiday is really just preparing for time off; it’s a time of disrupting our routines to do what we want. Holidays tend to compartmentalize our lives and often contribute to their secularization.

But holy days are different. Holy days re-integrate our lives. They remind us who we are and whose we are. Holy days invite us to align our whole selves with the God who comes to us in Jesus Christ.

As Sweet puts it, “The power and grace of a holy day spills out over everything and everyone we encounter.” If we truly prepare for Christ’s birth, the people we surround ourselves with ought to notice something different about us.^[ii]

So, my friends, how are your holy day preparations coming along? I know we are only two weeks into Advent but it’s a good to pause and ask ourselves: Am I majoring in the minors and minoring in the majors? In other words, am I focused on what really does not ultimately matter, or, am I preparing the tender soil in my hearts to receive Christ again?

Now enter John the Baptist. This morning’s scripture is meddlesome. In Matthew 3, John the Baptist steps onto the scene with his camel-hair coat and diet of locusts and wild honey. He does not exactly embody cozy, fireside Christmas vibes. Yet, while we tend to rush to John’s fiery call to repentance, we miss his opening words from Isaiah:

            Prepare the way of the Lord.

To a first-century Jewish audience living under Roman military occupation, John’s words are exciting words of liberation, not condemnation. “Prepare the way” meant: God sees our oppression. God is coming. Messiah is drawing near.

Repentance wasn’t heard as punishment; rather, repentance was heard as an invitation. It was as if John were saying, “Stop where you are and turn around! The God who once freed our ancestors is coming to free us again. Let’s get the King’s Highway ready.”

So, beloved: Are you preparing for the holy days or holidays? 

Maybe John’s call to repent means reevaluating how we spend these weeks leading up to Christmas.

Maybe it means rethinking commercialized gift-giving, especially when if it’s driven more by obligation than love.

Maybe it means resisting the frantic pressure to buy what we don’t need and instead invest in ministry that brings healing.

Maybe it means admitting honestly to God: “I’ve turned your holy day into just another holiday. Forgive me.  Help me reclaim its sacredness.”

Years ago, I walked through a high-end mall in Atlanta called Phipps Plaza with the former Moderator of the Church of Scotland, the Very Reverend Dr. Stuart McWilliams. Phipps is a beautiful place; it boasts of rosewood railings, glass everywhere, and real plush leather seating. As we strolled, McWilliams paused, ran his hand along the railing, and said, 

            You know, you Americans build your malls like we in Scotland build our churches.

We have been indicted.

Dr. McWilliams words are an alarm clock to wake up. We have allowed the mall to become our cathedral and consumerism to become our liturgy.

Remember, John’s call to repentance is not meant to shame us; it is meant to bring us back home. It’s a call to return to what matters and that is to reclaim Advent and Christmas as holy days, not just holidays. It’s a call to turn our faces again toward the Child born in Bethlehem—God’s great “I’m here” to a weary world.

So, my beloved, How are your holy day preparations coming along?

Are we smoothing out the path so that Christ may come more fully into our hearts, our homes, and our world?

As we journey through this Advent season, may we move away from the spirit-killing holidays toward the life-giving holy days—where, with wonder and awe, we kneel at the manger and whisper, “Lord, I’m back.” Amen.

© 2025 by Patrick H. Wrisley. Sermon manuscripts are available for the edification of members and friends of First Presbyterian Church of Glens Falls and may not be altered, re-purposed, published or preached without permission.   All rights reserved.

^[i] Santa Claus outraged by ‘ho ho ho’ ban, by Janet Fyfe-Yeomans and Amanda Grant. Article originally from: (http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/).  Accessed 11/15/2007.

^[ii] O Holy Nightmare, November 29, 1992. Accessed from HomileticsOnline on December 3, 2007 at http://www.homileticsonline.com/subscriber/btl_display.asp?installment_id=2885 .