In the fourth chapter of the Gospel of Luke, Jesus goes to Nazareth to begin his ministry. He goes to the temple and reads to them what we know as the beginning of the 61st chapter of the book of Isaiah:
The spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me; he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and release to the prisoners; to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor.
This is a stunning summary of what became Jesus’ ministry: binding up the oppressed, proclaiming liberty to the captives, release to the prisoners and taking care of all who are impoverished in any way.
This is also the mission of the church that was created after Jesus’ resurrection. The eleven apostles gathered together, began the church that is described in the book of Acts, and the letters of Paul. Their efforts on behalf of those in need is clearly set out in the scriptures. It worked well in those early years as the church grew and prospered even in the face of persecution. I know that the center of the attraction of the early church was its mission to those who were poor. There is the collection reported in Acts for the relief of Jerusalem, and many instances of healing and great care taken for those in need who were encountered by the Christians in the churches.
Christianity has gotten off the rails over issues of power and doctrine over the years. We have frequently lost the incredible direction given to us by our Lord and have lusted after all of the things that organized religion has momentarily thought important such as power and ego. We have lost our way more than once. This has led to terrible fights within the church and an enormous loss of life. The statistics on lives lost because of our religious wars are terrible.
At this moment in history, the focus of the fight seems to be against Islam, but there are still small battles being fought all the time. I think of the people from the Baptist church in Topeka, Kansas, who come and protest at the funerals of soldiers, and the atheists in Wisconsin who recently protested the display of a crèche on the courthouse steps in a local community, and triggered a mob of “christians” who came out to support the crèche and who would have physically battled with the “atheists” if they had shown up. We have a terrible record of facing down opposition. We more often respond with power when we really need to show love. That is why Jesus taught us, to turn the other cheek when we are facing opposition.
The past fifty years have seen movements of inclusion in our church. Women have been ordained, and the presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church is Kathryn Jefferts Schori, a well educated marine biologist who was previously bishop of Nevada. She has brought a wonderful breath of fresh air to The Episcopal Church. We have also had the election of Gene Robinson as Bishop of New Hampshire. Bishop Robinson is a gay man living in a relationship with another man. His consecration, as well as Bishop Jefferts Schori’s, have created battles in the church, and have sparked the defection of some numbers of priests and parishes to the Anglican dioceses that have sprung up around the world. This is difficult for all of us, yet predictable. In an inclusive climate, dissension is expected, though not particularly welcome. It would be much better if we could all live in accordance with what Jesus taught to us by the example of his ministry.
We all yearn for peace in this world, and that is certainly our profound desire in this great season of hope, Advent. The cry to our God to come into his creation again and provide us with the peace that somehow we find horribly elusive is unrelenting.
The problem, of course, is not anywhere but within ourselves. We are the ones who by our prejudices and our unwarranted expectations keep peace away from our doorsteps. I try to make peace within myself. One of my Advent disciplines is to try to refrain from criticizing other drivers when I am on the road. When I can do that and attribute goodness to them instead of deliberate evil when they cut me off, or pull out in front of me, I think I am getting somewhere. I still fail in this very often, but the sentiment is still there. I know deep within myself that the peace of God is still far from the center of my being.
In the Judean desert in the first century, John the Baptizer confronted the priests and Levites who came out from Jerusalem to challenge him. They asked him if he was the Messiah, or a prophet or Elijah. He told them that he was none of these. They then asked him “Who are you?” His response was eloquent:
I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, “Make straight the way of the Lord,” as the prophet Isaiah said.
Here was the promised herald from Isaiah’s prophecy, telling the world that the Messiah was coming, and was indeed here. That is the continuing promise of the season of Advent. We wait not only for the birth of Jesus, but for his coming again to make this world straight as God intended it from the beginning. There is not a more glorious hope in all of the world. It is the final revelation of the Kingdom of Heaven on this earth. We need that more than any of the promised gifts at Christmas.
No comments:
Post a Comment