Advent

These Advent texts have focused a lot on what I’ve been calling—borrowing from Isaiah—the Holy Way of God. This is the way of economic and social justice, where goods are distributed in such a way that everyone has enough to sustain life, where power is not used to oppress, where compassion and respect guide all interpersonal (and interspecies) relationships. It is the message that Jesus will preach in parables and the beatitudes and such powerful examples as Matthew 25:40, where he asks us to evaluate ourselves by the criterion of how well we treat the “least of these” among us.

John the Baptist's words are very harsh in this passage from Luke, calling his listeners a "brood of vipers," and warning them of the wrath to come. He challenges them to "bear fruit that befits repentance" without using their heritage as an excuse to avoid his message. His warning is that unless the tree bears good fruit, it is cut down and thrown into the fire. An odd character, John is calling his listeners to prepare the way of the Lord.

The Third Sunday of Advent is sometimes known as “Gaudete Sunday,” from the introit of the Latin Mass for this day, which called upon the faithful to “Rejoice!” Each of the readings for this day reflects a sense of joy in the anticipation of creative transformation at the coming of the Holy One of God.

The two readings from Luke focus on the ministry of John the Baptist. Although the identity of the “messenger” in Malachi 3:1-4 is obscure, the use of this passage in connection with the Lucan texts rests upon two traditions: a strain of Jewish thought in which the messenger was identified with the prophet Elijah who was expected to return, and the relationship between John the Baptist and Elijah expressed in some New Testament writings. Interestingly, however, the New Testament is by no means unanimous on this point.

Luke 21:25-36
Even though this is the First Sunday in Advent, the gospel reading chooses a text, which speaks of the end of things. Using typical apocalyptic language, the author of Luke describes signs of the end much the same way that Mark and the book of Revelations use a standard stock of ideas, symbols, language and images.

Jeremiah 33:14-16

Luke 1:26-38, 46-55
On this last Sunday in the Advent season, it is essential to confront the scandal of Christmas. According to traditional Christianity, “the word was made flesh” – the Divine took birth in human life. God became one of us in the life of Jesus of Nazareth – fully human and fully divine.

On important life occasions, we “dress up” as a recognition that certain times and places are set apart as extraordinary. The same applies to our preparations during the Christmas season. While there is nothing inherently wrong with giving our friends and families unwrapped presents, our hearts leap with joy when we see brightly colored gifts under the Christmas tree. While those of us who are “all thumbs” choose to deliver our presents in “gift bags,” even these ready-to-hand packages add to the zest of gift giving.

The passages for the First Sunday of Advent are particularly apt for our current economic and global context. They reflect the stark wintry spirit which leads us to believe that our best days are behind us and that all we have to look forward to is the diminishment and destruction of the realities that have sustained us through the years. As I pondered this week’s texts, I was reminded of C.S.