Advent is a season of many themes and many layers. We know that Advent is our season of expectation and waiting for the in-breaking of God in our lives and in our world. For those of us who feel assured in our faith, this can be a season of excitement as we experience the familiar stories, the memories of holiday seasons past, and the joy of lights and decorations and gatherings. We await with anticipation the baby in the manger and the goodness that means for our world.
At the same time, there are those on the margins, those who feel less certain about their faith, those who feel less certain about their lives, their ability to make it to the next paycheck, the likelihood they will see another day. Where is the joy of the season for those who are oppressed, forced to the margins, and living in precarious circumstances?
The prophet Zephaniah (see Zephaniah 3:14-20) offers us a glimpse into the lives of a people who had been tormented and enslaved, a people who were dealing with the trauma of violence. The Hebrew people had recently suffered a period of military oppression and exile. Their world had been one of violence and forced relocation. The prophet foresees a time of God’s revenge and deliverance for this mistreatment, a time when God will again live in their midst.
And yet, the imagery being used is interesting. God, the warrior bringing victory, will create calm with love and will rejoice over the people with singing. This is not the type of imagery we usually expect in these stories of deliverance. These are not the types of actions we normally associate with strength.
Taking it a step further, Zephaniah also gives us a vision of what God will do to the people’s oppressors. God will change the shame of the oppressors into praise and fame throughout the earth. Unlike the visions of revenge we often find in the Psalms, Zephaniah shows us that God’s vision of victory, God’s vision of the future, does not include the destruction of the enemy, at least not in the usual sense. Other nations are not brought low or destroyed in flames and violence. Instead, the actions of the nations will no longer bring them shame. They will see God’s deliverance of the people and be transformed for the better. Where their former treatment of Israel was shameful, now they will look to Israel with praise and awe.
For a people who have been traumatized and oppressed, hope for deliverance is nothing new. These visions of revenge we find scattered throughout the Hebrew scriptures come from recipients of violence and trauma and oppression, from a place of fear and need, from a people seeking release from captivity. It may be hard to imagine this from our place in a world of relative ease and comfort. Even so, I think this makes it especially important for us to hear that God’s vision of the future is for all to find joy, even those we may find ourselves opposed to. God intends joy for all people; God includes all in the vision for the future. Joy is not just for believers, for the faithful. All are included in God’s good news.
As we hear John’s message to the people, we find this same theme of inclusion (see Luke 3:7-18). John notes that there are those who wish to create a distinction between themselves and “others” by noting their place among the chosen people. They want to claim their place among the children of Abraham as if all it takes is being in the correct group of people. But John points again to God’s power and God’s ability to include anyone in the season of redemption. God can raise up children of Abraham from the very stones. It is God’s grace that includes us. Not being in this or that group of people. It is through our actions that our salvation is proved, not the name of the group we belong to.
It is important to hear this not as a call to seek to earn God’s favor, but instead as a call to show that you already have it. He might say today, instead of loudly proclaiming you are a Christian as if that is enough, show me that you are a Christian. Instead of saying, I have been baptized, show me that your life has been changed for the better.
What are the fruits of the changed life? As they hear his words, this is what the crowds want to know. What should our lives look like if we have been changed by the power of God’s presence? What does God’s salvation look like to others?
John makes it clear that God’s salvation for us is not only about us personally. For those of us who have been saved, the witness of our salvation looks a lot like service to others. But, just as Zephaniah’s vision makes clear, God’s vision of the future includes those we might not expect. Collaborators and even representatives of the oppressors themselves are included in John’s vision of salvation.
The crowds asked, “What should we do?”
“Whoever has two shirts must share with the one who has none, and whoever has food must do the same” (Luke 3:11, CEB).
The tax collectors asked, “What should we do?”
“Collect no more than you are authorized to collect” (Luke 3:13, CEB).
The soldiers asked, “What should we do?”
“Don’t cheat or harass anyone, and be satisfied with your pay” (Luke 3:14, CEB).
Each group is included in the vision of God’s future. And in each case, the fruit of the spirit either gives joy to others or, at the very least, does not unduly take away from others’ joy. Joy is not just for those who are already counted among the faithful. Joy isn’t even just for the people who have suffered. Even those who have been a part of oppressive systems are called to participate in God’s kingdom.
This is both the challenge and the good news of the Gospel. On the one hand, it would have been a real challenge for the crowds listening to John to hear that there is a place for tax collectors and soldiers in God’s salvation. This would have been a far more difficult thing for the majority of Jewish people at that time in that area to hear than for us today to hear that the mean guy down the street is invited to share in God’s salvation, too. Hearing his words, recognizing the prophetic voice, it is no wonder that people were wondering if John was God’s anointed one, the Messiah come to change the world for the better. He spoke with power and authority. He called people to repent and be baptized. He called on people to not simply rest in the expectation that they were saved, but to actually model what that looks like for the rest of the world.
But, as we know, he points to the one who is yet to come. “I baptize you with water, but the one who is more powerful than me is coming…He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire” (Luke 3:16, CEB). I am not the one. It is not yet the time. God’s kingdom has not yet been fully realized.
And yet, the time to begin living as a saved people is now. The time to begin showing the fruits of salvation is now. The time to begin spreading joy to others is now. The time to do the work of good is now.
As we wait with hope and expectation for the fullness of God’s kingdom here on earth, we do not have to wait until then to live a life based on God’s vision of the future. “[W]e may still act, live, and love as if that fiery baptism has already come upon us. We can and should live as though Christ has already arrived” (B. Yuki Schwartz, Advent 2021 - Discover the Liberating Christ, 26).
As we look ahead with joy this season for the fulfillment of all of God’s promises, how do we live into this challenge? How do we live in a kingdom that is still becoming? How do we spread the joy of our own salvation to others? When other people see us at work in the world, do they recognize the fruits of salvation at work through us?
We rejoice in God’s salvation. We rejoice in the birth of Jesus, the in-breaking of God in the world. We rejoice in the promises that God has made.
May our rejoicing continue to be a model of hope and joy for others.