The Justice of Jesus ~ Isaiah 6:1-4, 8-11 ~ Third Sunday of Advent

Image courtesy of Praisaeng / freedigitalphotos.net

One of my favorite holiday traditions is the Advent Calendar—and not just any, but the Advent Calendar in which, for every day in December, you open up a little door and find a tiny piece of chocolate inside.  There is no sweeter way to count down the days to Christmas.

Too bad life isn’t like the Advent Calendar.  Most of the time, we open up the door to a new day—but find nothing of any delight.  The morning news constantly reminds us that the world is getting harder and harder to live in.  There are troubles in our personal lives—and the fact that everything hurts worse at Christmas.  To top it all off, the hustle and bustle of this time of year seems to bring out the absolute worst in people!  People seem to be grouchier, pushier, and more aggressive as we pursue “the perfect Christmas.”

The world needs a Word from God—and today, Isaiah speaks that Word.  The reign of God is coming, to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and release to the prisoners.  All who mourn will be comforted—and all the nations shall be restored in righteousness. 

This is the very essence of Advent—the coming of a Jesus, who is more than just a redeemer of individuals but a redeemer of nations and societies just like ours, that are being torn apart by human sin.  This is the hope we can all believe in—but not before we confront the painful truth it reveals.  We are sinners—and the problem with sin is that it gets visited upon other people; sometimes intentionally, but other times, totally beyond our notice.  It spreads like a disease all over our communities.  It manifests itself in social and economic systems that benefit a select few at the expense of the many.  It’s the reason why the rich keep getting richer and the poor keep getting poorer.  It’s the reason for pollution.  It’s the cause of racism, classism, sexism, and all the other “isms.”  It’s the reason why our political system is in gridlock.  We live our lives and pursue our own goods, giving no thought to how these decisions impact others. 

Much of the time, we make no notice of social injustice—until it happens to us.  If it hasn’t already, it will. When it does, everything in your life gets dragged down.  It’s harder to live up to your full created potential.  It’s a stumbling block to your faith.  What’s worse is that it makes it easier to commit sins that make your situation even worse.

Our world can’t go on like this—and it won’t. 

The Advent of Christ is God’s answer to the current chaos and the cries of the downtrodden.  He comes to reclaim this world for God and heal it with righteousness.  He calls us to a forgiveness that dramatically transforms us to live out his righteousness in our relationships with others.  The love of Christ creates justice in the world: because justice is what happens when Christ’s faithfulness to us frees us to pursue our neighbor’s good.  It is a blessed vocation to become your neighbor’s keeper.  When we accept this vocation, the Holy Spirit will be constantly opening doors for you to live out Christ’s love in just about everything you do. 

I love the stories many of you have shared with me about our gift-giving ministries.  Several have said they had no idea what gifts to buy for their loved ones—so they chose to give a gift in their name to someone experiencing need.  I even learned of one person who lost someone special—so they are giving gifts in their memory.  What a beautiful gift of healing.

But it doesn’t need to stop with us!  We all see things happening in the world that anger and distress us, even if they don’t impact us directly.  Yet the Holy Spirit gives us the power to bring about real change.  We meet Jesus in the poor and forgotten—and accept the invitation to be their keeper; their defender; their advocate. 

Advent is dead if we do nothing, or if we sit around pointing fingers and blaming people for our troubles.  Advent is dead if we continue the mad pursuit of our own good.  Advent is the reality of Christ’s love taking hold of our private and public lives; transforming everything with mercy and forgiveness; empowering us and gathering us into the healing of the nations. 

Jesus is born within us and before us, when his love frees us to pursue our neighbor’s good.