“What Should We Do?”
Isaiah 40:1-5; Luke 3:7-18
December 15, 2025
Isaiah 12:2-6
Surely God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid,
for the Lord God is my strength and my might; he has become my salvation.
With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation. And you will say on that day:
Give thanks to the Lord, call on his name; make known his deeds among the nations;
proclaim that his name is exalted.
Sing praises to the Lord, for he has done gloriously; let this be known in all the earth.
Shout aloud and sing for joy, O royal Zion, for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.
God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid.
Our New Testament reading comes from the third chapter of the Gospel of Luke.
The context is that “all the people” were coming out in the wilderness to be baptized by John.
Crowds of people from the surrounding villages –
rich and poor, tax collectors and fishermen, soldiers and farmers.
Just before our text, John has quoted the prophet Isaiah about preparing the way for the Lord,
lifting up the valleys, bringing down the mountains, make the rough ways smooth,
and the crooked ways straight.
Just after our text, John becomes imprisoned by Herod and Jesus begins his ministry.
Hear the Word of God from Luke 3:7-18
John said to the crowds that came out to be baptized by him, ‘You brood of vipers!
Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruits worthy of repentance.
Do not begin 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.
Even now the axe 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.’
And the crowds asked him, ‘What then should we do?’ In reply he said to them,
‘Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none; and whoever has food must do likewise.’
Even tax-collectors came to be baptized, and they asked him, ‘Teacher, what should we do?’
He said to them, ‘Collect no more than the amount prescribed for you.’
Soldiers also asked him, ‘And we, what should we do?’ He said to them,
‘Do not extort money from anyone by threats or false accusation, and be satisfied with your wages.’
As the people were filled with expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John,
whether he might be the Messiah, John answered all of them by saying, ‘I baptize you with water;
but one who is more powerful than I is coming; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandals.
He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing-fork is in his hand,
to clear his threshing-floor and to gather the wheat into his granary;
but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.’
So, with many other exhortations, he proclaimed the good news to the people.
The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.
“Should” has been a problematic word in religious circles.
“Shoulds” have often been misused to manipulate people or to engender guilt.
“Shoulds” are not often appreciated by those receiving the instruction.
However, in our text for today, the people themselves were asking John the Baptizer, What should we do?
His replies to their questions have created echoes of generosity, compassion, and faithfulness
throughout the generations:
If you have two coats, then share one of them.
If you have food to share, then do so.
If you are in any kind of position of power over others, do not take advantage of the situation.
Allow me to pause for a moment on a cool Sunday morning and say “Thank you”, by the way,
to all those who brought coats to share with Threshold Ministry.
I personally experienced watching several of those coats make someone’s day.
A few of those coats may even saving someone’s life.
And thank you to all those who support our helping ministries, like DEAM,
so that people can have access to a bag of groceries.
And thank you to all those who don’t overcharge on rents, who pay living wages to their employees,
who invest in companies who do more than follow the law, but also follow certain ethical guidelines.
Imagine how you would feel if you had two or three kids in the home and you ran out of groceries
a week before the next paycheck, and there was simply no money to go to the store.
According to the Atlanta Community Food Bank, one in nine adults and one in six children
in the state of Georgia are “food insecure”.
Food insecurity refers the lack of access to enough food for an active, healthy life
and limited availability of food that is nutritionally adequate. (acfb.com)
John calls to all of us, in order to prepare the way of the Lord:
If you have more food in your pantry than you need, then give some away.
If you have money to spare after you have done your grocery shopping,
help provide for someone who is hungry.
Imagine how you would feel if IRS agents were able to come knock on your door
and charge whatever they wanted to charge.
Imagine how you would feel if you had calculated your taxes, were prepared to pay what you owe,
and then some agent of the government showed up and demanded that you pay 50% more,
directly to that person, just because that person had the power to make that demand of you.
This has actually been a common practice throughout human history.
You and I may complain about the IRS or our tax rates,
but, at least from an historical perspective, we are extremely fortunate to have regulated tax collection.
John tells those listening, in order to prepare the way of the Lord:
If you are one of those who collects any money from others, collect only what is fair or reasonable.
If you have economic power over others, do not take advantage of your position,
even if that is the way that it has always been.
Imagine how you would feel if a group of soldiers entered your neighborhood,
went from house to house with rifles and machetes,
and walked away with your most valuable possessions.
In some places in the world today, this still happens. Soldiers take from civilians.
Tragically, sometimes those soldiers walk away with the children.
Be satisfied with your wages, John told the soldiers.
Do not take from others simply because you can.
John commands, in order to prepare the way of the Lord:
If you are in a position to take from others, even if that is the way it has always been, do not do so.
Implied in these verses is the command to live by a different mindset, a different ethic,
to live according to the kingdom of heaven.
John calls us to do more than what the law requires when it comes to the needs of others.
Whoever has (fill in the blank), must (fill in the blank)…
Whoever has two coats in their closet must share with those who are cold.
Whoever has food in their pantry must share with those who are hungry.
Whoever has any money in the bank must share with those who have none.
Whoever has a good education must work so that all can receive a good education.
Whoever has gained a place of leadership must work so that others can become leaders as well.
Whoever has must give.
As Jesus says elsewhere: “to whom much has been given, much will be required.”
If you have worked hard and life has turned out well for you economically, well done!…
now look around and notice those with whom you can share.
If you have inherited resources, good fortune for you!…now look around and see who has needs.
If you employ others, review the payroll records to ensure you are paying a living wage.
If you charge rent or interest to someone, charge only what is reasonable or appropriate.
The biggest obstacle to sharing is often not greed or selfish concern, but fear.
We humans tend to be afraid, afraid of what the future may bring,
afraid we will not be able to pay for our care when we get old,
afraid we will not leave enough for the next generation.
Throughout the Bible, the first words from any messenger of God are: Do not be afraid.
God is my salvation!, the prophet proclaimed. I will trust and not be afraid.
John cried out in the wilderness: Turn around. Change your minds. Change your mindset.
Share with your neighbor. Don’t take advantage of others.
You have received enough. God has provided for you; God will continue to provide for you.
So make the rough places smooth for others, lift others up from the valleys of despair,
bring down those who stand on mountains of pride, make straight those who live by crooked ways.
John’s words were a precursor to what Jesus later commanded:
Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
John’s words were also precursor to a famous quote regarding personal ethics,
a quote that has guided our work with our Threshold Ministry for the poor and unhoused:
“I am not my brother or sister’s keeper, I am my brother’s brother; I am my sister’s sister.”
Biblical scholars and theologians have always reminded us that those who seek to be faithful to God
will always be pulled by two very different worlds.
We cannot help but have one foot firmly planted in the ways and means and values of this world.
We cannot escape the “water in which we swim”, so to speak.
But, with God’s help, we can seek to keep that other foot firmly planted in the kingdom of heaven.
This kingdom, ushered in by Jesus of Nazareth, lives by a different set of values and ethics.
The wonderful old Christmas-time story of Ebenezer Scrooge describes this dichotomy very well.
“The Christmas Carol” is a wonderful, symbolic story.
The classic story follows an old miserly curmudgeon, Ebenezer Scrooge,
and his experiences with the ghosts of Christmas past, present and future.
Have you seen any of the spinoffs?
There are now movies named “Ebenezer”, “Scrooged”, and “Chasing Christmas”.
There is a “Smurfs Christmas Carol” and even “A Dennis the Menace Christmas” that follow the theme.
Several years ago, we came across a fun adaptation called “The Ghost of Girlfriends Past”,
starring Matthew McGonaughey and Jennifer Garner.
All the stories follow much the same theme.
Scrooge was all about himself, all about selfish gain. He belonged to no one but himself.
He lived with the fear of scarcity and hoarded unto himself as much of his resources as possible.
And he was miserable. Not until he began to share with others, to focus upon the needs of others,
to pay attention to the condition of his neighbor, did he begin to know joy,
did he begin to feel a sense of belonging to his neighbors, did he begin to live in peace and not fear.
God is my salvation; I shall trust and not be afraid.
“Turning toward the Lord means turning toward each other,” wrote Vernon Gramling in one of his blogs.
“If you miss that point, all other ‘religious activity’ is fruitless.
No matter how important it is to cultivate a relationship with God,
if that relationship does not lead us to be less exploitive (of neighbor) and more mindful (of their needs),
we are fooling ourselves to believe we (have) turned toward God…
Gaining at the expense of another is not ok…It leads us away from God…”
John the Baptizer calls us “to turn away from measuring life by self-gain
and turn toward measuring life by our contribution to the common good…
This is the direction to which God calls us…
Our faith is never a private faith. (Our faith) always leads us to each other.”
The faith that prepares the way for Jesus Christ to come is always a faith lived with and for others.
What should we do?
We shall trust in God and not be afraid.
We will not be afraid that we will not have enough.
We will not be afraid to help our neighbors.
We will not be afraid to share with those in need.
We will not be afraid to do the right thing.
We will not be afraid, but we will live in faith and hope and love.
We will not be afraid, but live with compassion and generosity.
We will not be afraid, but we will do unto others as we would have them do unto us. To God be the glory as we do so. Amen.
Rev. Dr. Todd Speed
Decatur Presbyterian Church
Decatur, Georgia
