The Second Sunday of Advent (Year C), Dec. 7, 2003
Baruch 5:1-9; Psalm 126; Phil. 1:1-11; Luke 3:1-6
On the First Sunday of Advent, the lectionary directed our attention to the coming of the kingdom of God at the end of time. The emphasis on the kingdom continues in the second week of the season, but shifts from the cosmic to the local, from signs in the heavens to the more immediate, historical experience of God’s people on earth.
The apocryphal book attributed to Baruch tells of ancient Israel’s experience of exile and God’s promise of restoration. In today’s portion from Baruch, the author draws heavily on the language and ideas of the prophet Isaiah, who is also quoted by John the Baptist in today’s gospel. These passages are subtly complemented by Paul’s reference to his personal situation of imprisonment.
In all three lessons, we see that the good news of salvation is addressed to particular people in particular situations: to the people of Israel in exile, to the people of Judah living under the Roman yoke, to Paul’s friends who are distressed at his imprisonment. It is always in personal and particular ways that the living word of scripture, “the Word of the Lord,” is addressed to us. That is how John heard the words of the prophet Isaiah and then quoted them. To John, they were not lifeless words on a page or words read in an impersonal ritual context. Rather, he heard them as a living Word addressed to him personally, and compelling him to go out and preach to others.
God addresses our particular situations with more than vague promises. He told the exiles in Babylon that they would return to their homes and Jerusalem would be rebuilt — and that is what happened. Taking the prophecy of Isaiah literally, John the Baptist went into the wilderness to prepare a way for the coming Lord — and that is precisely where the ministry of Jesus began. Paul has every expectation that the “day of Christ,” the end of the world, will occur at any time, but that does not lead him to an other-worldly message. Rather, he is all the more concerned that his spiritual children “may be pure and blameless” in this life, before it ends.
As we hear these words, if we hear them as living words, we realize that we, too, are exiles, alienated from God by our own unfaithfulness, just as ancient Israel was. If we hear them as living words, we recognize them as a call for us to see our own wilderness of alienation also as a place of preparation. If we hear them as living words, we hear a personal invitation to repentance, to holiness, and to the encounter with the King who comes so that we may see the salvation of our God.
Look It Up
Compare Luke 3:4-6 with Mark 1:3. In Luke, John the Baptist quotes more of Isaiah 40 than he does in Mark. Mark is simply interested in showing how the prophecy is fulfilled in the preaching of John, while Luke wants to emphasize his own larger missionary theme of proclaiming the gospel to the whole world.
Think About It
How do you listen to the reading of scripture at worship? Is it vaguely interesting but peripheral to your real reasons for being there? Or do you truly pay attention and listen for the word of God which is addressed directly to you?
Next Sunday
The Third Sunday of Advent (Year C), Dec. 14, 2003
Zeph. 3:14-20; Psalm 85 or Psalm 85:7-13 or Canticle 9; Phil. 4:4-9; Luke 3:7-18
