“Prepare the way of the Lord; make his paths straight. Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways made smooth, and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.” Luke 3: 4b-6
The scriptures remind us to act, move, and be in an Advent mindset that bathes the Christian imagination in visions of a healed alternative for the world. Our faith is centered on anticipating the coming of Jesus, the Hope of the world. This is not the time to look longingly for some sentimental past but instead look forward to the Promise One who makes possible transformation individually, in the community, and society.
Advent signals an invitation to live in holy ways so that we might recognize and praise the coming of wholeness to the world through justice and release and recovery of joy and peace often diminished in actions of brokenness experienced in everyday living. Christ comes to offer wholeness for the whole world. This is the crux of our Christian faith…Hope.
I have always been intrigued by John the Baptizer. Perhaps even a little put-off. Here is a character who is seemingly uncontrollable. He is wild with passion and not afraid to act in ways that portray him as odd and unwilling to settle. Someone who pushes limits, takes chances, and calls folk to live more deeply into the faith they confess. As I reflect, John the Baptizer is intimidating to me at times because he has thrown off the vanity of needing to be liked and accepted. Instead, he has taken on the mantle of urgency, wanting to see the world and those residing in it experience healing. John is a constant reminder that Hope is not a domesticated state of mind. Hope camps out in odd places and may crop up at the worst possible times. Hope, Christian Hope does not settle. When authentically embraced and wildly proclaimed, Christian Hope wakes us up, stirs our imagination, and energizes our wide-awake dreams with the imaginative inspiration of the Holy Spirit. I am also mindful that Christian Hope is dangerous.
What might happen if we lived life in the ways of John? If we did not shrink from proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ, which extols the gift of salvation, liberation, and love. Let us herald God’s desire for justice, healing, and wholeness for all without shame and in humility. Let us be leaders of courage and conviction who align with the calling of Christ.
Prayer: Come, Lord Jesus, confront me as a prophet, disturb my comfortableness, and ignite compassionate convictions for healing and justice, and by the power of thy Holy Spirit, compel me to live more deeply into the calling of grace-filled surrender and unflinching courageous Hope in this season of advent and into the new year. Amen.
Capital District Superintendent
photo credit: Amanda Packer