WEDNESDAY OF ADVENT 1
4 December 2013
Readings:
Key Verses:
Jer. 23:1, 2b: “‘Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture!’ says [the Lord]… ‘You have scattered my flock, and driven them away, and have not visited them.”
Matt. 23:14: Jesus said, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you shut up the Kingdom of Heaven against men; for you don’t enter in yourselves, neither do you allow those who are entering in to enter.”
Reflection
An article came out over Thanksgiving weekend with a very eye-catching title: “Pope may be sneaking out at night to give the poor money.” The Pope here, of course, is Pope Francis, the current head of the Roman Catholic Church. And it gets better! Apparently, when he was known only as Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, Archbishop of Buenos Aires, he secretly “would go out at night… to find people, talk with them, or buy them something to eat. He would sit with them and eat with them on the street.” Now he may actually be doing the same in the streets of Vatican City.
A couple of verses from the Bible come to mind:
“I was hungry, and you gave me food to eat. I was thirsty, and you gave me drink… I was sick, and you visited me. I was in prison, and you came to me.” (Matt. 25:35, 36)
“Be careful that you don’t do your charitable giving before men, to be seen by them…But when you do merciful deeds, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand does.” (Matt. 6:1, 3)
With every month that passes, I continue to be surprised by Pope Francis’ humility, devotion to the poor and outcast, and candid denunciation of material wealth, something which my gut tells me he’s directing also towards his own institution. Imagine that! A Christian leader who acts as Christ is said to have acted. And then it hits me: “Why does this surprise me?”
My friends, the answer to that one is sadly simple. This kind of Christian behavior comes too far and between. More often we hear of Christian leaders who respond with apathy to the classic “What would Jesus do?” The Prophet Jeremiah, and even Jesus himself, met hypocritical leaders like these in their own day, and they came to a startling conclusion. They are precisely the reasons why people abandon religion, leaving faith and community behind.
And before you ask why we’re discussing this during Advent, a solemn season of anticipating Christ’s coming to earth, I’ll say, “Because that’s what Jeremiah and Jesus did.” I note that immediately after Jeremiah’s list of woes to the shepherds, he predicts the coming of the “righteous Branch”, “a King” whose name is “the Lord our Righteousness”. And immediately after Jesus’ list of woes to the scribes and Pharisees, he foretells what will happen at the end of time, when the “Son of Man” comes back. There’s a connection between the two, and it’s this: We can’t anticipate something good to come without first examining ourselves to see if we’ve detracted from the good that is here and now. And Advent is also about self-examination.
What better time, then, for introspection and reflection than the beginning of the Christian year? And yes, this New Year’s Resolution is for all of us—not just for pastors and priests—because, in our tradition, we are all a kingdom of priests. So let’s ask ourselves: how am I scattering people away from Christ? Am I doing anything to drive people away, to destroy them? Do I visit them, look for them, ask about them when they’re gone? Who am I shutting out of the Kingdom? The homeless? The poor? The person living with HIV/AIDS, as World AIDS Day just reminded us? There’s so much to be done, and no, of course no one can do it all. Even Pope Francis keeps to the streets in his vicinity—but we all live near a street.
So here’s to the day when we’re surprised at having little to do because, with God’s help, we’ve accomplished so much!
Prayer of the Day
Stir up your power, Lord Christ, and come.
With your abundant grace and might,
free us from the sin that would obstruct your mercy,
that we may bear willingly
your redeeming love to all the world,
for you live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever.
Amen.
—Collect for the Fourth Sunday of Advent, Year B (altered) from the Evangelical Lutheran Worship, p. 19.
(Words: ‘Vox clara ecce intonat’, Latin 6th century; translated in Hymns Ancient and Modern, 1861; adapted by Joseph A. Soltero, 2013
Tune: ‘Merton’, by William Henry Monk, 1823-1889; descant by Alan Gray, 1855-1935)
Hark! a thrilling voice is sounding:
“Christ is near”, it seems to say,
“Cast away the works of darkness,
All you children of the day.”
Wakened by the solemn warning,
From earth’s bondage let us rise.
Christ, our sun, all sloth dispelling,
Shines upon the morning skies.
Lo! the Lamb, so long expected
Comes from heaven to forgive.
Let us haste, with tears of sorrow,
All his pardon to receive.
So when next he comes with glory,
And the world is wrapped in fear,
With his mercy may he shield us,
And with words of love draw near.
Honor, glory, might, and blessing
To the Father and the Son
With the everlasting Spirit
While unending ages run.
Amen.
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