Readings (Year C):
Baruch 5:1 – 9
Psalms 126:1 – 2, 2 – 3, 4 – 5, 6
Philemon 1:4 – 6, 8 – 11
Luke 3:1 – 6
Reflection: Prepare the way for justice
What I appreciate about observances like Advent are the way they offer us a space to reflect. They can mirror back to us the things we are experiencing and feeling. In this time of uncertainty for so many of us, in this time when those who already experience oppression are rightfully terrified of the further oppression to come, returning to ancient texts like our gospel reading today can provide comfort and hope.
As John the Baptizer enters the scene in Luke, we are told what year of Tiberius Caesar’s reign we’re in. We are told who the governor is and who the tetrarch is. We are told, basically, who all the power holders are. And then we are told that John receives a word in the wilderness—far away from the seats of power. In a place of unknowing. In a place where God often seems to come to the “nobodies” who God chooses to speak the truth.
John exists in a world where some people have plenty and others have nothing. A world where his people are under the occupation of a ruling empire. He comes from a religious tradition that believes in justice, in a time in the future when all will be made right, where there will no longer be those who have plenty and others who don’t have enough, where swords will be beaten into plowshares. Yet, as he looks around, he sees all that isn’t right.
We, too, are part of a religious tradition that believes in justice. We believe in the reconciliation of all things. We believe the promise of a world where all have enough. Yet, as we look around, we see that world is not here yet. Some days it seems farther away than ever.
It can be depressing to see how far we have to go. But John’s example in Luke 3 reminds us of what we are called to do. John enters in the prophetic tradition. A tradition that holds up the voices of those in the wilderness, that centers those far away from power, that lifts up the voices of those who say, “All is not as it should be.”
John calls on the people to turn away from these systems of oppression. To turn away from systems of degradation. And we are reminded of the prophetic call “to prepare the way of the Lord.”
As we face these uncertain times, instead of feeling powerless, instead of feeling defeated, we must remind ourselves of what is ours to do. We must remind ourselves that while we might not be able to make the world entirely as it should be, we can continue to prepare the way. Prepare the way for the justice makers, prepare the way for better systems, prepare the way for safety for children, prepare the way for a better world for all of those coming after us.
There is work to be done. So, let’s get to it.
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