Second Sunday of Advent, Year C

DAWN BREAKS ANYWAY

Luke 3:1-6
Second Sunday of Advent, Year C
Analysis by Shaun O’Reilly

1In the fifteenth year of the reign of Emperor Tiberius, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was ruler a of Galilee, and his brother Philip ruler of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias ruler of Abilene, 2during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness. 3He went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, 4as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah,
“The voice of one crying out in the wilderness:
Prepare the way of the Lord,
make his paths straight.
5Every valley shall be filled,
and every mountain and hill shall be made low,
and the crooked shall be made straight,
and the rough ways made smooth;
6and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.’”

“Because our hard hearts could be changed, there is hope for other rough ways made smooth.”

Step 1: Initial Diagnosis (External Problem) – So Many Voices
Many leaders abound for peoples to turn to and trust. Or not. Most of the reigning rulers named are foreigners to the people of God, most have come to occupy land and resources and with their strong arm to rule a weaker people. The empire declares that Caesar is God-like himself; but do the poor and down-hearted have a savior in him? From whence will a “Word” of comfort or promise come? It comes to one who is alone in the wilderness, in fact. Are we to believe such a wayward proclamation?

Step 2: Advanced Diagnosis (Internal Problem) – Identity and Power
A baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins sounds more real to my heart than earthly promises of progress. But I have much to lose if I align myself with the wrong movement. I must choose wisely. It is written that there will be a voice of one crying out in the wilderness, but what I see and experience are the riches, power, and wisdom of our Caesar, governor, rulers and high priests. Why should I be told to “change” or “turn around” when I just want a compelling story of how that will be done for me and for my family so that we can have a bigger piece of the pie in the days to come? I don’t know about getting in the water with this wild movement now. And that’s just it. Our hearts are so hard, cold, and have wandered far enough away, that they demand our God speak loud and clear. We say: “Speak, your servant is listening” … but we add… “also, make sure you provide a superbly compelling case that I can compare and contrast to the other stories and make my best long-term decision.” Or, in another way we are saying: “If it really is you, give me a sign.” We remain unsatisfied. We tell God: “Your promise is not enough. I can’t bank my future on faith and trust. Like Thomas, from the beginning we are saying: not until I see the true prospects of the Kingdom of God will I turn around and follow this one from the Wilderness.” Ultimately, we still believe that the dawn from on high will come from power and eloquence and rhetoric, rather than from the “tender mercy of our God” as in the prophecy of Zechariah (1:78). But when faith is not in us, neither is the promise.

Step 3: Final Diagnosis (Ultimate Problem) – When Promise is not enough
And when the promise is not enough… what then? No more prophesies, no more wilderness calls. Just the silence that seems deserved. We are dead in sin.

Step 4: Initial Prognosis (Ultimate Solution) – Dawn Breaks Anyway
The joyous thing about the Christian story, however, is that because of Christ, the death of sin is not the end of our story. Thanks be to God, who is rich in mercy, loves us even when we were dead in sin, and makes us alive together with Christ. By grace we have been saved! (Eph. 2:4-5) The mercy (hesed) of God does not depend on our hard hearts, but is steadfast and at work. It reaches our yearnings, just as our heart suspected in the flow against messages of our world. Jesus will announce “Peace” to Thomas who doubts, and Peace is announced through his death and raising, even for doubters and betrayers, all of us. Faith was not in us, but Christ raises the dead with his own raising, so that, by his work of love, “all flesh shall see the salvation of God” (3:6).

Step 5: Advanced Prognosis (Internal Solution) – Faith Finds us in Our Time
We now know faith, and it is ours. We carry this trust and promise with us. Whether it is the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius, or whether it is the Second week of Advent in the Truckee River Watershed of the Great Basin of turtle island in the year 2024! Our affections are turned, by this love God, into love for Christ and Christ’s family in all times and places. We listen to Christ our King, our hearts set on having no idols in place of this God of mercy who has given himself for us. We do not favor the rulers and kings of this broken world; we favor the Wilderness voice of the Holy Spirit, speaking still.

Step 6: Final Prognosis (External Solution) – Becoming Voices in Wilderness
We are the baptized ones, with our brother John, having received the Word and now crying out in our wildernesses! We go out, in our various ways, proclaiming with all the saints now: “Turn your heart! Trust the promise! Good love is what God brings to birth for the poor and downhearted! Here is a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins! Come and belong to this family of faith!” And we practice this baptism in all the world, bearing witness that because our hard hearts could be changed, there is hope for other rough ways made smooth.