“So, with many
other exhortations, (John) proclaimed the good news to the people.” (Luke
3:18)
If the above verse isn’t
the punchline of a joke, I don’t know what is! Good news..? In the Gospel
appointed for Advent 3, Year C (Luke 3:7-18) John the Baptist just told the people
they were a bunch of snakes and warned them if they didn’t get religion in an
almighty quick hurry, they were going to be destroyed with unquenchable fire.
Is it just me, or does anyone else have a hard time accepting that pronouncement
as “good news?”
I guess there’s a certain
amount of good news in being warned that there’s going to be some wrath to
come. If you can’t flee from it, maybe you can do something to make it a little
less wrathful. The children of Abraham knew God had set them apart and blessed
them so they could be a blessing to the world. I’m thinking the folks out at
the Jordan listening to John preach were just a little too smug being blessed
without having to bother blessing anyone else. It’s pretty easy to slither into
complacency, don’t you think?
Earlier last week I was
listening to NPR and heard a chat with a sociologist named Musa al-Gharbi[i]. This rather impressive fellow
was being interviewed to promote his book, We Have Never Been Woke: The Cultural
Contradictions of a New Elite. Mr. al-Gharbi maintains that lots of well-meaning
people get blessed—that is, make names for themselves—by denouncing the
injustices which have afflicted racial minorities, women, the LGBTQ+ community,
etc. Yet they have done practically nothing to alleviate the conditions they
decry. Al-Gharbi recounted seeing a vast host of “woke” protesters on New York
City’s Broadway holding up “Black Lives Matter” signs following the murder of
George Floyd in 2020. People drove past this protest parade and honked their
horns in support as the protesters dutifully cheered them. What struck
al-Gharbi, however, was noticing how the protesters, in their righteous zeal,
ignored the community of obviously homeless individuals on the very same
street.
The crowds asked John the
Baptist, “What, then, should we do?” Mr. al Gharbi suggested that the BLM
protesters—most of whom seemed to be affluent members of the Columbia
University community—might’ve advanced the cause of social justice less by waving
signs and more by purchasing a meal or a pair of shoes for one of the unhoused
of Broadway. Doesn’t that sound logical?
The good news might be
that doing the right thing, that which is the fruit of repentance and the joy
of the Lord, isn’t really that hard. What does John ask of the people but that
they care for the less fortunate? If you have two coats, give one to someone
who doesn’t have one. Share your food. See that the needs of your brothers and
sisters are met. You’ve been blessed, so bless others.
The cool thing about John’s
preaching is he doesn’t tell the tax collectors, “Quit your job and stop
working for the Roman scum, you traitors!” He knows these guys are just trying
to earn a living like everybody else. He doesn’t judge or condemn. He just
tells them to do what they do with honesty and integrity and trust that God
will provide for them. Similarly, John doesn’t call down opprobrium on the
police for their brutality. He offers them the simple exhortation: do your job
and don’t abuse your authority.
Is this the good news,
that we already know what God asks of us? And that it isn’t all that hard
to bear fruits worthy of repentance?
Christ in our hearts answers
the question of what we should be doing. Did you know that 40% of all US
charitable organizations are religiously affiliated? 45% of churchgoers
volunteer their time in their communities, compared with 27% of non-religious
folks. 65% of religiously observant folks gave to charity last year, compared
to 41% of non-religious. Christians give generously to secular causes as well
as to religiously affiliated charities, and the majority of refugee and migrant
resettlement is done by Christian charitable organizations[ii]. Faith in Christ makes a
difference, a material difference, in this world.
I rejoice to know the
little congregation I pastor here in Northeast Philadelphia helps secure food
for 3,500 families in this neighborhood. We give Christmas gifts to orphans. We
provide fellowship space for senior citizens and a place where the addicted can
come for healing. I rejoice to know we are bearing such fruits. This is good
news.
The American church is
changing. Congregations are closing, but I see this as the chaff being burned
away. The old 1950’s notion of church being about our individual salvation is
being replaced by a leaner, more socially active church which keeps asking, “What
then should we do?” Yes, times change, and so will the church. We may not
escape “the wrath to come,” but we don’t have to succumb to it. What then
should we, as Christians, do?
St. Paul told us what to
do in the epistle lesson assigned for Advent 3, Year C:
Rejoice in the
Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to
everyone. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything
by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to
God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your
hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
[i]
You can listen to this interview by clicking here: https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510053/on-point
[ii]
You can check out the stats by reading this article: https://www.philanthropyroundtable.org/magazine/less-god-less-giving/
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