prepare the way

 Luke 3:1-6 is the Lectionary text for next Sunday, December 5, the Second Sunday in Advent.

The Emperor, the Governor, the vassal King and the High Priests are all named.  It speaks to the political climate.  It speaks to the state of things for the people of God, who had to live under the oppressive occupation of empire and the corrupt and immoral participation in it by their own leaders.  It was into this environment that Messiah would come, ushered in by Elijah (in the form of John, son of Zechariah, a priest), as prophesied (Isaiah 40:3-5).  

And the message that he took to the whole region around the Jordan river?  Repentance for the forgiveness of sins.  

metanoia: to turn around, change one's mind - to change one's thinking, and therefore one's direction.

This environment was not what God wanted.  The people of God were suffering under the ruthless and violent reign of Ceasar.  They were beaten down by the economic realities of empire that takes all resources for the sake of the few elites at the top and the armies that keep them there.  They were demoralized by the length of time during which they "sat in deep darkness."  Things had to change, but before they could change, people needed to see the wisdom of the change, and have a value for a different way - God's way.

When the prevailing values in any culture are centered on Greed, lust for Power over others and desire for Status above others, divisions develop as hatred and desperation become the way of those who are being held down.  When people are pitted against one another for whatever scraps they can take for their own survival, everyone else becomes the enemy, and not just those at the top who have created the unsustainable environment.  People turn on each other because they do not have the power to take on those who hold power over them.  They look for vulnerable and weak folk to oppress, because they are oppressed and live in a climate of oppression, and it is, they believe, their only hope for survival.  Politicians, religious leaders and finance workers do whatever they can to keep their positions, power and relative wealth compared to average citizens, and to get more.  Average citizens position themselves to get whatever advantages they can get over their neighbors, out of the desperation created by their lack of power and means, and they become as ruthless as those at the top who created this system of economic, political and social oppression.

Does any of this sound familiar to you?

Social, political and economic systems under empire are designed to keep the few over the many in power, prestige and prosperity.  Society's leaders exploit that and everyone they can under it, to get all they can, which creates environments of violence, corruption and hopelessness.

We are there.  We have a political system that is designed to keep the status quo of empire.  Even the most "caring" of politicians benefit from and promote the two-party, centrist system that does not make waves and benefits a few more in our society, but does not champion the equal value of or equitable treatment for all people.  Those who are most corrupt have "justified" their ideologies around greed, lust for power and desire for status so that huge percentages of the people believe that they can benefit from the immoral systems, though they never will.  They are vying for scraps and exploiting, abusing others around them to get them, believing themselves to be entitled to it by virtue of their race, ethnicity, gender or sexual orientation.  They become as predatory as those who are at the top, but their methods are most often much more violent than systemic in nature.

The courts, the legislators, the police, the military, healthcare, education, economics, taxation, theologies and other institutions and social norms are designed to keep the systems of oppression going and normative in the minds of citizens who live under them.  As long as some can be duped into believing that they can have their convoluted and twisted sense of well-being maintained under the system, the system will be seen as normal and even "the best thing going in the world."  Rather than see the evil of the systems themselves, people under them continue to fight one another about the evils of some who are just better at practicing the normative practices within those systems to get more for themselves.

Yes, this describes Israel then, and America now.

THIS ADVENT, we have the same old texts about something new coming at God's hands.  And still, those who promote the systems that promulgate empire ignore the truth that God calls for a different way, sent Messiah to give us the Good News of a different way - Jesus' Way of Agape Love and Grace in the world, which addresses the abuses of power, wealth and status - indeed, counters it.  Those in politics, economics and religion would have us believe that this story is the story of a one time, quaint coming of God in the world to uphold the systems while placating the masses with a nice, warm message of "God is with us."  

The message of Luke is NOT the message of Status Quo.  It is NOT the message of a God who is pleased with how things are going.  In fact, even in order to grasp what Jesus is about to share as Kingdom of God values for God's people to live, John comes and says we must change our thinking so that our direction will follow - SO THAT WE CAN BE FORGIVEN for creating, participating in and promoting these evil systems of corruption!  This Good News has EVERYTHING to do with politics, economics and social norms.  It has EVERYTHING to do with morality.  It is meant to change minds and hearts, and directions so that people live in alignment with God's Kingdom values - a value for Agape Love (active commitment on behalf of the other - even stranger and enemy and especially the most vulnerable - see Luke 10:25-37) and Grace (undeserved loving mercy) for ALL people, equally.  Jesus commands it.  

So, can we change our thinking and direction from normative greed, lust for power over others and desire for status above others to active commitment on behalf of ALL others around us?  Will we?

The message of Advent is STILL speaking to us.

Jesus is STILL coming to us, His Good News still before us, to bring about this transformation in the world.

STILL, sustainable life hangs in the balance.

The only question is - will we accept and live it as the people of God?

Pastor Jamie

The Advent of...

 Luke 21:25-36 is the lectionary text for next Sunday, November 28 - Advent I.

In the lectionary text of two weeks ago, it would seem that Jesus was dissuading His disciples from looking for signs.  In this text, Jesus acknowledges the signs of the end.

The signs will include distress in the world - among the nations and in the creation itself.

Jesus warns His followers to guard their hearts against being weighed down with moral slides, anesthetizing ourselves against the stresses of the world and obsessing over the conditions of the world around us.  That will keep us from being aware and alert to what is actually happening, and keep us from addressing the conditions of the world with the Good News of Jesus.

We must keep our heads in the work of radical, Agape Love.

We must keep our hearts engaged in life with God and Neighbor.

We must keep our feet and hands engaged in the work of lifting up and building up the lives of our sisters and brothers in need.

We must keep our spirits focused on God's Will through Jesus' Way, God's presence, power and love.

We SEEM to be in the Advent of world collapse.  We SEEM to be in the Advent of extreme hateful violence and injustice on our streets, in the halls of government, in the courts and in business and all economics.  We SEEM to be in the Advent of natural disasters beyond what we can manage, the migration of desperate peoples beyond what we can manage, the right-wing assaults on democracy and decency beyond what we can manage, and the violent chaos that will ensue because of those realities.  

It would be very easy to join the fray of those destroying the world, in order to get a little more for ourselves.  It would be very easy to self-medicate our way into oblivion rather than watch these things happen.  It would be very easy to get obsessed with all of this and ourselves turn into hateful, violent reactionaries to those who have continued to promote this evil.

It will be faithful for us to Be Alert and Aware of what the truth is in all of this, and to engage in the work of Agape Love in the world, to transform the world by transforming individual lives and communities within it.  It will be faithful for us to be determined to follow Jesus by living what Jesus taught, commanded and modeled for us in the Good News of Agape Love, and address the injustices by speaking truth to power and exhibiting an alternative based on that Agape Love.  It will be faithful for us to show a better way - Jesus' Way, for the world and everyone in it.

Then, when Jesus comes back, we will have been engaged in the work of the Gospel.  Whatever happens between now and then, we will have been engaged in the living of Agape Love and Grace in the world.  Then, however things evolve, we will stay engaged in making life better for God's creation and God's children, in alignment with God's Kingdom values.  Then, we will "stand before the Son of Man."

Let this not just be the Advent of world collapse.  It is the Advent of Emmanuel!  It is the Advent of God's Will being done on earth as it is in heaven!  It is the Advent of Jesus' return!  Let this also be the Advent of the fulfillment of the movement of Agape Love that Jesus started in faithfulness to God.  Let this be the Advent of YOUR transformation, the transformation of the church that bears Jesus' name, the Advent of transformation for whole communities and the Advent of the transformation of the world by the living of Agape Love and Grace by the followers of Jesus.

What do the signs tell you?  I believe they are telling me that IT IS TIME.

Pastor Jamie

to testify to the truth

 John 18:33-37 is the lectionary text for Sunday, November 21 - Christ The King Sunday.

The truth was that Jesus' Kingdom* and His presence represented a threat to those who had the power in that time and place, in empire, in society and in the religious community*.  Jesus' presence, authority and teachings flew in the face of the empire values of greed, lust for power and desire for status that drove those living under empire, even those in tentative positions of power under them.  Herod, the Sanhedrin* and most of the people had resolved to their plight under empire, and within that occupation and oppression sought to get whatever it is that they could, some just to survive and others, those in position, to thrive.

Jesus' Good News of the Kingdom of God provided a different vision based on Kingdom values.  It was centered on the living of Agape Love for God and Neighbor, and defined neighbor as stranger, enemy and the most vulnerable - those most held down, back and out by empire.  This radical Agape Love, Grace and Mercy presented by Jesus as God's Will flew in the face of the empire values that Rome, the Throne of Israel and Temple Cult Leaders* had embraced and manipulated to gain more at the expense of the people of God.  It was a growing certainty that Jesus would have to go, because more and more folk heard His message, saw His examples of it at work and could not have that disrupt their systems designed to get them more power, wealth and status.

Pilate was caught in the middle, but he represented empire.  Empire had the absolute power to occupy, oppress, imprison and execute whoever they wanted for whatever reasons they wanted.  He had to uphold that power.  The Sanhedrin and Herod found a way to exploit empire to serve their purposes of ridding themselves of a Jesus who exposed them as the frauds that they were in that time, based on the Word - here the Logos made flesh.  Jesus was the real deal.  Every time Jesus spoke and acted, it uncovered the inconsistencies that their duplicitous and disingenuous values and practices had set up as truth.  Jesus' truth was God's truth, and it exposed their falsehoods.

So, Pilate's truth, The Sanhedrin's truth, Herod's truth were exposed as being incongruous with God's Will.  Jesus' inconvenient truth threatened to open the eyes, hearts and minds of the rest of the people, which would put their positions, wealth and prestige in jeopardy.  Jesus had to go.

Jesus' Kingdom, a movement of people following a servant-King, did not reflect in any way the world's views of Kingdom.  Empire was built on the many serving the few, the destruction of many lives to benefit the few and the absolute power of the few "elites" over the common masses.  This King came to sacrifice for His subjects, to teach them a better way for their sake and to deliver them from exploitation and destructive systems of oppression.  This King taught the use of power for the sake of all, the sharing of resources with all and the equal value of all.  Those with power, wealth and status could not have that become the world's new norm.  Jesus had to go.  

But Jesus' Kingdom is not limited to time and place.  Just as empire has had its many iterations over the centuries, so the movement of Jesus has addressed it since the First Century CE.  "The Kingdom of God is within/among you."  "The Kingdom of God has come near to you."  "You are not far from the Kingdom of God."

In our iteration of empire, the church of Jesus Christ can and must regain the teaching and embrace of Jesus' Good News values based on Agape Love, Grace and Mercy.  We can continue, as an institution, to gain what can be gained for the institution under empire, or we can align ourselves with Jesus' Good News and address empire with Jesus' truth - God's Will, and be a part of Jesus' movement of radical love, be the Shalom Community and transform the world of empire to life in the Kingdom of God.  

Jesus testified to the truth and said, "Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice."

Are you listening?

Are WE listening?

Pastor Jamie

* Sanhedrin, religious leaders, Temple Cult Leaders are references to corrupt leaders of that time and place, and do not reflect any kind of polemic against a whole people for all time.  Empire corrupts, and those subject to it are easily corrupted, at least for a time.

*Kingdom is biblical language for REIGN OF GOD.  It is purposefully used here because of the truly opposite orientation of God's realm from what empire has done under the same term, thus pointing out the threat that Jesus posed by being called "King."

I would also submit that anti-Roman polemic is more vastly a polemic against empire in the Gospels, as all empires represent occupation, corruption and oppression for the peoples who are subjected to them.

Externals

 Mark 13:1-8 is the lectionary text for Sunday, November 14.

I had one - an edifice complex.  I was all caught up in the beauty and grandeur of church buildings, and am still most at home in a city skyline.  There is something amazing about them.  But they are not eternal, nor are they that about which the eternal is concerned.

"The end is near" has been written about and talked about since Jesus.  People look to the environmental disasters, horrible state of affairs in politics and economics, seeming moral decay and violence on our streets and across the world as a sign of the end.  This is not that about which the eternal wishes us to be concerned.

Here and Now.  What is going on within, between and among us.  How we are living with one another in Agape Love and Grace, Loving-Mercy.  THAT is the thing.  THAT is eternal and what is valued within the eternal.

The end will come.  Temples tumble, as do empires.  I pray for the end of empire everyday.  It cannot come too soon.  And some days I pray for Jesus' return more earnestly than others, as well.  The end will come.  Whether it is because of our own arrogant ignorance and hatefulness or by some cosmic act of God, it will come.

It should not effect how we live and on what we focus here and now.  To be faithful to God as followers of Jesus is to focus on living the Agape Love and Grace that Jesus taught, commanded and modeled for us.  If we do that, then we will not destroy the planet ourselves and we will welcome the coming back of our Lord.  Temples fall, as do empires.  Natural and human-created disasters will happen around the world.  Corruption, exploitation, oppression, abuse and their consequences will take place.  There is also much GOOD going on.  There are also those who have not lost sight of continuing the mission of the Good News of Jesus in the midst of all these things.  There is also still faith in God's love and grace for us.  There is also the mission of Jesus - that we transform the world by living His Agape Love and Grace in it.  THAT is the thing.  

Getting caught up in the externals keeps us from focusing on what is within, between and among us - Agape Love and Grace, and it keeps us from working to put those things out in the world around us so that it might be transformed to be in alignment with Jesus' Kingdom values, which is faithfulness to God.  It is ALL about living that Agape Love and Grace, Loving Mercy until Jesus returns.

Don't get caught up in the signs, the prophecies and dystopian (or utopian) visions.  Don't be heaven-minded so that you ignore the plight of sisters and brothers in front of you.  Don't be fearful about or bitter about the end coming.  See the Good in here and now.  Be faithful to Jesus' Way here and now.  BE the good in here and now.   It IS enough.  That IS faithfulness.

Pastor Jamie