“In darkest night his coming shall be,
when all the world is despairing,
as morning light so quiet and free,
so warm and gentle and caring.
Then shall the mute break forth in song,
the lame shall leap in wonder,
the weak be raised above the strong,
and weapons be broken asunder.
- Marty Haugen, “Awake! Awake, and Greet the
New Morn,” ELW 242
The news in recent weeks has been
dominated by Ferguson, the death of Michael Brown and the non-indictment of
police officer Darren Wilson. Between reports on protests in Ferguson have come
reports of protests in other cities, and reports of other instances of police
killing unarmed black males.
Officer Timothy Loehmann shot twelve-year-old
Tamir Rice in Cleveland while the boy held an Airsoft replica of a powerful
handgun. This week, a Staten Island grand jury chose not to indict Officer
Daniel Pantaleo after he choked Eric Garner to death in July. Both incidents
were captured on video. I have been afraid to watch either video.
It feels like a dark night indeed
when citizens are taking to the streets across the country, when social media
hashtags such as #blacklivesmatter fill our social media, and when citizens and
police fear for their safety just walking down the street.
Advent is a season of waiting. How
long, O Lord? How long will violence and racism tear our communities apart? How
long will media ask us to choose sides between police officers and black
citizens? How long will politics and selfishness squeeze empathy and humanity
out of the center of our interactions?
God promises something else.
We wait to remember Jesus’ birth,
the miracle that an ordinary baby born in the lowliest conditions can turn the
world toward God’s reign of love and justice. We wait for Jesus’ return, when
God will renew the face of the earth and wipe away every tear from our eyes.
The waiting we do during Advent is
not about sitting on our hands. Listen to Isaiah’s words on the first Sunday of
Advent, “O that you would tear open the heavens and come down, so that the
mountains would quake at your presence… so that the nations might tremble at
your presence!” Our nation is already trembling, but for all the wrong reasons.
Or on the second Sunday of Advent,
when we read in 2nd Peter that “we wait for new heavens and a new earth,
where righteousness is at home,” and “while you are waiting for these things,
strive to be found by him at peace.” To hide from the violence in our nation,
preserving oneself at the expense of those who work for justice, is not peace.
It is fear masquerading as peace.
On Advent’s third Sunday we hear
again from 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, and the day of vengeance of our God;
to comfort all who mourn.” Jesus himself quoted this lesson when he publicly
announced the beginning of his ministry in Luke’s Gospel.
Finally on the fourth Sunday of
Advent we hear Mary’s famous song, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit
rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his
servant.… He has brought down the powerful from their thrones and lifted up the
lowly; he has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty.”
We wait for Jesus, Immanuel,
God-with-us, who will turn our world of violence and fear upside down. While we
wait we read again and again of the radical power of God’s love in Jesus to
transform this world, to challenge the powers of sin and isolation that defy
God.
At last it occurs to me that while
we wait for Jesus to return, Jesus himself is waiting for us. He is waiting for
us to ask questions and stand up and to those who would resort to violence. He
is waiting for us to do the hard work of reconciliation, to listen to those
with whom we disagree, to stand with those who are powerless. He is waiting for
us to seek the causes of systemic violence instead of merely reacting to the
effects. Jesus is waiting for us to do God’s work with our hands, not just the
important charity work we do this time of year, but the work of seeking justice
and an end to the violence that falls disproportionately on the least of his brothers
and sisters.
We wait for Jesus to break into
our world, not just to rescue us but to empower us to actively seek his reign
by working for justice.
Thanks,
Pastor Andrew