Isaiah 5:1-7 2;
Peter 3:11-18; Luke 7:28-35
In
the early 1990’s I lived in Northern Maine. Houlton was at the very end of
Interstate 95 and was a border crossing town into New Brunswick, Canada. I was
ordained a deacon in the Episcopal Church there. A Baptist church in the town
asked me to come to a women’s group and speak on Advent. They knew
Episcopalians tend to refrain from singing carols until Advent ends on
Christmas Eve and wanted me to explain the custom’s meaning.
As
I prepared to talk to them, I decided to focus on the several ways we can think
of the arrival of Christ: as a past event we remember and celebrate, as an
experience we have through faith on a daily basis, and as the Second Coming. I
spent most time on the last of the three and used Scripture readings that
mention the Day of the Lord - a way to speak of the Return of Christ and the
fullness of shalom - abundance, well-being, harmony, justice, peace.
I
also admitted that during Advent there might not actually be a lot of preaching
on the Second Coming in most Episcopal Churches.
A
verse from today's 2 Peter reading reminded me of all this. I also
remembered reading for the first time about thinking of “the end of the world”
very differently than as primarily a time of the destruction of the heavens and
the earth. Peter mentions the dramatic destructive aspect writing, “the heavens
will be set ablaze and dissolved, and the elements will melt with fire…”
However, there is another way of thinking of “the end of the world:” we can
think of the end realized, the fulfillment, the purpose met. Peter speaks of
this saying, “in accordance with his promise, we wait for new heavens and a new
earth, where righteousness is at home.”
This is a very different way of thinking of the Second Coming of Christ. It is
more in line with the Jewish idea of the Coming of the Messiah, a time to be
longed for, not dreaded. It will be a time when justice (righteousness) will be
at home on earth. We all know about the institutions, governments, and
relationships where justice is not now at home, and we can all imagine a very
different, transformed, world. Also we know of situations where justice has
already become more at home. I certainly have experienced this as a woman. It
is extraordinary that our current first lady’s family members were slaves at
one time. Justice does come if slowly.
How do we get there - to a more just world? What is our role in making the
world new in this way? 2 Peter 3:11-12 asks …what sort of people ought you to
be in leading lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the
coming of the day of God…” Peter reminds us that not only do we wait for a
world where justice is at home, but also we also hasten its coming by trying to
be more just ourselves, by giving financially to groups that promote justice,
by our willingness to let unjust situations become more just even if our
circumstances change because of it. For example, we may pay more for some goods
and services if workers receive a more just wage. Our homes and cars may be
built differently if justice is part of their design. Justice changes the
world. This is why some people fear and resist it.
In
the “Magnificat” Mary of Nazareth sang of the rich being brought down, and the
poor lifted up. Good news if you are poor, is it good news if you are rich?
Those who suffer from injustices welcome justice.
A
woman I knew who spent much of her life working to promote justice through
Church Women United suggested that when changes are proposed we should ask: Who
will benefit from this? Who will be hurt by it? Most of our decisions are not
neutral. They impact the lives of others. We can learn to better see that.
(The Rev.
Janice M. Schuyler)
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