Note: For this sermon, we suggest that you bring two of your own coats into the pulpit to show as an object lesson. We have suggested a monolog about the coats, but you should adapt it according to your own “coat story.”

            Our reading for today tells of John the Baptist preaching in the region around the Jordan River, preparing the way for Jesus. His words were harsh and filled with warning, and lots of people took him seriously. Many asked him what they should do in the way of reordering their lives, and one thing he said them to them was, “Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none.”

            Frankly, I have to acknowledge that those words stand in judgment of me, because I have more than one coat. In fact, if we are talking about winter coats, I have four of them. One is a dress coat I wear over a suit. One is a short jacket that I wear most of the rest of the time in winter, and then I have two parkas.

            [Hold up old parka.] I purchased this coat for about $30 back in the 1980s. It is very warm, but not one I pull on every day. Frankly, it’s too bulky to wear when I am just hopping in the car to run to the store. For those kinds of errands, I just wear my winter jacket. This coat is more for when I am going to be outdoors for extended periods. It’s the sort of coat you wear when sitting in the bleachers on cold autumn nights watching the football game, or when you are working outdoors in January or taking a walk on a bitterly cold winter’s evening. Although this coat is more than 20 years old, it is still in good condition and still keeps me warm. There’s nothing wrong with it.

            [Hold up new parka.] But three years ago, I bought a new parka. This one cost me about $100, and frankly, though it is constructed wi

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