December 14, 2003
Zephaniah 3:14-18 + Philippians 4:4-7 + Luke 3:10-18
He’s back, the one we heard of last week, the one who alerts us to the presence of God.The crowd, anxious to be ready, wanting to see God, waiting for God to act begins to wonder and ask:What should we do?”John was not simply shouting rebukes, and trying to reduce the crowd to a mob of fear. His message is one of social responsibility, and they heard it. He spoke to the people of his age and the inequities of his time. Acts of Justice are what he asks of the people who come for baptism. Repentance for the baptized means doing justice.Making the way for God to be among us is a matter of justice.
John speaks to people where they are. To tax collects he speaks of the justice they can do. To soldiers he speaks of the justice they can do. And there were certainly others from every station in life. What we probably see here in Luke’s Gospel is that soldiers and tax collectors had already found a place within the early Christian community. What John ultimately says to us is that we shall see the salvation of our God when people who have give………. Sophisticated as we have become, we recognize systemic causes to hunger and poverty and we know that a coat or meal once in awhile is inadequate.
Patterns of family violence and poor parenting repeat in new generations. We think we shall fix all this by ending welfare as a way of stopping dependency. And the result ends the opportunity of a single mom to pursue four-year education and develop the earning power that leads to independence. Cities tear down decaying housing projects without getting builders to invest in enough new subsidized housing units, leaving poor people without affordable apartments.
Justice does not come from politics or from law. It comes from the heart, and those whose hearts are prepared ask the question: “What shall we do?” In the meantime, John still speaks of Justice. He speaks to Walmart who hires and hides illegal aliens, demands that people clock out and keep working, provides no benefits by not allowing workers the hours to earn them. He speaks to Corporate executives who give themselves a bonus the day they lay off workers; to executives who raid pension plans to subsidize their ambitions, and keep some transactions off the company books. In the meantime, John still speaks of Justice. He speaks to people in power insisting that they not bully, make false accusations, intimidate others or use violence for any end.In doing so, he is speaking of domestic violence and abuse. He speaks of anger and hostility that springs out of stress and makes the innocent and vulnerable the target of anger.
This Third Sunday of Advent prompts us to wonder and ask: “What shall we do to see the salvation of our God?” The answer comes from the mouth of the prophet; the who knows, and points the way: GIVE. Not because it’s Christmas, but because it is “THE WAY.” Give because it is Just, because it is Right, and because it is our duty. The Justice John speaks of does not come from left-overs, spare change, nor from guilt; it comes from repentance and a change in life, a change in values, and a change in focus. It is rooted in a spirituality that is free of fear and anxiety, free of selfishness and guilt. It is a spirituality alive with love and gratitude,and it is the only possible way for us to be ready for the coming of our God.