The Christmas shopping season is upon us, and with that the annoying Christmas ads. The one I’m finding particularly annoying right now is a car ad that tells the story of a man who convinces Santa to buy him a car. I think Santa ought to sue for defamation of character. The guy buys Santa a cup of coffee, stitches up a small hole in Santa’s costume and the car is his! We imagine that Santa is the ultimate giver and symbol of generosity–he lives to give, no expectation of return. But what the ad shows is that Santa is really no different than the rest of us. For the right price, he can be bribed, and apparently his price is pretty low.
The scripture that concerns us here is about standards, obviously much higher than those of Santa. Jesus tells this story of the Last Judgment, describing on what judgment depends. What’s striking at first is how surprised everyone in the parable is. Righteous and unrighteous alike, they are amazed that the way they treated people has anything to do with salvation. They can’t be surprised that God has standards–there is the Law, after all. The Good News of judgment lies in this truth: what we do matters. In other words, our lives are not without meaning. Perhaps it is surprising that behavior has eternal consequences. No one in this story recites a statement of faith of any kind.
But there is one more reason for surprise: how low these standards of eternal judgment are. All the righteous do is see a need and respond. There’s no word on whether their response made a difference. Did they end poverty? Did the people they visited in jail become model citizens. Likewise, for those who don’t make the cut, there’s no concern for their reasons–their good intentions or positive influences. What’s tough about this story is what it leaves out.
When we talk about situations of need, our conversation turns quickly to causes and solutions. Some of our ideas are slogans: God helps those who help themselves, or Give a man a fish and he eats for a day; teach a man to fish and he eats for a lifetime. Some of our concerns are systemic, like our worries over being cheated, or the distinction between charity and development.
You won’t find any of these statements or concerns in the Bible. True or not, they just aren’t scriptural. Why, you may ask? That’s an easy answer. The Bible contains “all things necessary for salvation,” as the BCP (Book of Common Prayer) reminds us. Figuring out the complexities of social problems isn’t necessary for salvation. Salvation isn’t about success or understandings or explanations. Something else is at hand.
Salvation concerns the Kingdom of God–that community of belonging which is Jesus’ favorite topic of conversation. This community is not built by our skills and insights. The Kingdom becomes real with Jesus. In his life and death, Jesus opens the gates to the community of God’s presence. He bridges the gap between God and his creation.
Let me pause for a minute to explain how this happens. You often hear explanations that make it sound like Jesus’ death is a bribe to an angry God. Sin has so angered God against his creation that He can only be satisfied with a sacrifice of blood, which Jesus provides–definitely a higher price than Santa! Understand that God cannot be bribed. Jesus does not persuade God to love us–love is what sends Jesus to us. Love is what is seen on the cross, where in the face of violence and rejection, Jesus offers mercy and forgiveness. What we see on the cross, and three days later in the Resurrection is the truth that love wins. The last word is not death, but life.
Jesus provides the way to life, and the life he demonstrates is one of holiness. Elsewhere in the Gospels Jesus says that his followers are “not of this world.” He doesn’t mean that they are no earthly good, heads full of clouds and all obsessed with heaven. He means that they walk this unique path of holiness, living the life of the Kingdom.
Intentionally or not, the sheep in the parable walk this path, and through their choices and behaviors, they become who they are: God’s people. Whether they know who he is or not, they become like Christ. Salvation isn’t a matter of good deeds or meeting particular standards; it has to do with belonging. The sheep, by offering compassion, forge connections between themselves and God’s creation, and therefore between themselves and God. The goats, walking along, but offering no deeds of compassion, don’t become anything at all. They can’t enter the Kingdom because they don’t belong there; no connections were made. The point of our living is to belong to the one who made us. Jesus creates the pathway. Some choose to follow.
You’ll notice that the commercial has this backwards, imagining that our life’s purpose is found in getting what 
we want. Any tactic is fair as long as it works. Now this shouldn’t surprise us–why would we expect good theology from a commercial–but it is worth noticing as we prepare for Christmas. In the weeks ahead there are going to be lots and lots of ads and lots of stuff to buy. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing. We celebrate Christmas and presents are part of that.
But we also celebrate Christmas in order to remember what our real hope is. The point of remembering the Christmas story is to welcome Christ into our lives, as we recall the story of Christ entering our world. So as we begin the Advent Season, let’s consider how we do that. How will you welcome Christ into your life this year?
We’re getting into that preparation mode, so let’s begin with the ultimate purpose and preparation. Would it make a difference in your
how it’s done?