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