Isaiah 12: 2-6 & Luke 3: 7-18
This third Sunday in Advent we celebrate that we are waiting for something to happen with great joy. The very best things we wait for are joyful – the birth of a child, the arrival of holiday guests, Santa Claus. This Advent we’ve been remembering that first century and twenty-first century folks wait for the world to be more hopeful, more peaceful, and more joyful. We expect what’s broken to be mended and what’s oppressive and unjust to be changed. Meanwhile, we wait with joy.
Many spiritual leaders tell us that what we think impacts what happens in our lives. If we expect good things, then good things happen. Maybe not because we change the course of history or our lives but because we see what happens through new eyes. In a very troubled first century Jesus encouraged people to act with mercy and compassion toward one another and called leaders to task for not protecting those who were poor and hungry. I suspect that people flocked to him because he was teaching them that by living in a better way, they could create community even when they couldn’t change their external circumstances or their government. A new way of living begins with a new vision for life. A new vision for life is created with joy.
This is the second week we’ve had scripture about John the Baptizer. In his day people came to hear John preach because, like Jesus who followed him, he told them that they had the power to improve their lives and their world. He called them to be honest and just and generous and told them that if they did those things they would see the benefit of change all around them. People want the world to be better and these prophets empowered folks to create the change they wanted.
We too are facilitators of change, creating a better world for ourselves and others. It’s one of most important ways that we live out our faith. We don’t just wait for God to fix something, we work to make things better. Sometimes we’re discouraged because we can’t wave a magic wand and fix the whole world. Joyful eyes can help us see the difference we are making, even when it seems small.
Our ELCA Advent guidebook has been reminding us that as we wait through Advent we are standing along side those who are waiting for much more than Christmas. They are waiting for the necessities of life, sometimes with little hope of receiving them. Last week (when we were kept away by snow) the focus was on those without shelter. Even in our own community some people have no place to call home. Some are in emergency shelters and others stay a few days at a time with friends. In winter lack of shelter is life-threatening.
This week we are asked to focus on people who are hungry. Our study reminds us that in 2019 the Department of Agriculture reduced SNAP benefits for many people, encouraging people to be self-sufficient. With the pandemic many of those benefits have been restored, along with significant aid to families who were struggling as the world has been turned upside down. There’s a real difference in philosophy between these two approaches.
Often our American culture has lifted up self-sufficiency as the ideal and glorified “self-made” folks as heroes. It’s a myth that anyone can get ahead with hard work. Sometimes that’s true. Sometimes it’s also true that no amount of work can close the gap between poverty and wealth or between ethnic groups with and without advantage. Rugged individualism isn’t a Christian value. John and Jesus didn’t talk about getting ahead on your own. They talked about building community and caring for each other. In hard times they encouraged people to watch out for each other. In our times that’s still a value of our faith.
We have become a church that feeds people. We’ve made meals happen at LaGrave on First. We take our turn at the Love Feast. Last week I made 11 pounds of ham balls for St. Nicholas Day at Christus Rex and this week I made 11 pounds more for LaGrave birthday night. We also help in other ways. A year ago Roberta raised thousands of dollars for Homeless Helpers. This week we made the down payment on a dental bill. Over time, we’ve met a lot of needs for many people.
Why do we do these things? At least in part we do them because they make us happy. It’s joyful to meet needs. It’s joyful to make our faith real by making the world a better place. Being a community isn’t a burden, it’s a joy. Taking care of one another isn’t an obligation, it’s a privilege. When any one person is lifted up, we all rise.
Our nation is having a great debate right now about how we will see the role of government and how we will define community. Some churches are vocal about protecting the rights of the wealthy and reducing the role of government in our lives. It’s important that we clarify that faith isn’t an individual focus and never has been. Faith is about community and the things that make our common life better. It’s about justice for everyone, especially those who have experienced injustice. It’s about respect for all people, particularly those who haven’t been acknowledged. It’s about being sure that everyone is housed, everyone eats, everyone has access to education and health care. Providing those things for us all isn’t an imposition, it’s the way Jesus showed us and we can do it gladly.