“You brood of vipers!” That’s a bit rude to say to people who have taken time out of their lives to come and hear what you have to say! Maybe it helps us to think of this like a tent revival. Who comes to a tent revival? People who know things are very wrong, people who are prepared or predisposed to owning their sin and wanting to make things better.

A “brood of vipers” convicts everyone as a group and individually. Vipers remind us of that snake in the garden. Sin is like poison. Vipers carry poison inside them and spread it when they bite – just like we all carry sin and it is poisonous when we bite.

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t aspects of how the Word of God shapes our lives according to his will and purpose for us. Next week, the Second Sunday of Advent, we will consider how we use words in worship. The Third Sunday of Advent will reflect on enacting, living the Word and the Fourth Sunday will focus on prayer.

This Sunday we start with a focus on God’s Word spoken, written and living. I picked up this prayer in England a couple of years ago from Fr. David Trustram. We should pray it now:

May my spoken word be true to God’s written word and bring us all closer to the living word, Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

That prayer draws us into a right order or operation for the preacher. I cannot say everything about everything, and surely you could not bear to hear it. But what I do say must be consistent with the Gospel. If my words do not faithfully comport with God’s written word and, more importantly the “living Word”’ of Jesus himself, then I demand correction.

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