Homily for 2^nd Sunday of Advent 2009

St Luke inserts the Gospel story of the beginning of John the Baptists ministry right in the middle of the politics of the Roman Empire of the time. He lists the hierarchy of the secular rulers from the Emperor down to the local kings and governors. As well, he names the High Priests in the Jerusalem Temple centre of power for the Jews. In a few lines he sets the scene for John the Baptist in the turbulent politics of Rome and Jerusalem. Luke does this several times in the first few chapters of his Gospel setting the scene in which both Jesus and John enter.

The contrast between all these powerful people living in their palaces and John the Baptism could not be more clear. In those days emperors and powerful leaders were often deified. They joined the ranks of the gods. This helped unite the empire. Everyone had to pay homage to the emperor. This particular god then was common to the people in all the conquered lands and they shared the values of the Roman culture. This was a very powerful weapon of imperialism before which everyone else was powerless. Christians, at the time Luke writes, were being persecuted and sometimes martyred for not worshipping the emperor. Seeing the “salvation of God” was sometimes literally a matter of life and death. Salvation was no abstract idea.

Furthermore, St Luke takes all the trappings of emperor worship and applies them to Jesus. In spite of persecution Jesus, he is saying, is still the one true Lord, albeit a crucified one. So while these familiar stories of the birth of John and Jesus appeal to us as part and parcel of the Christmas story for children they are very much adult stories as well. They take a very political stance. They are saying that Jesus, not the emperor, is Lord. That is a political statement at the time.

So when John baptises in the Jordan river he is not just pouring a little water over people. He is recalling the Exodus through the Red Sea led by Moses and the crossing of the Jordan into the promised land led by Joshua. The Promised land has been taken from them. He is prophesying that the Messiah will lead them through the river into the promised land free once again from oppression if they repent.

Mary also spells that stance out in the Magnificat earlier in Luke when she says that God will scatter the proud hearted; strip rulers from their unjust thrones; make the humble stand up with confidence and be counted; satisfy the hungry with food; send the rich away empty. Even today, politics, whether it be in Copenhagen or Canberra, Washington or Kabul, is about those kinds of issues: who has power and who does not, who has home and food and who does not.

Not even persecution should diminish our faith in Jesus. Not even the persecution that comes from living in a world that puts our personal lives in turmoil need make us afraid. We live in an anxious world. We sometimes build up mountains of anxiety within ourselves over some small difficulty or comment made to us. We are tempted to look for simple answers and resort to dogmatic retaliation.

All the mountains and valleys which might make that hope seem impossible will be levelled John quotes the prophet Isaiah. So instead of being confused and afraid about all the bad things that happen the prophet Baruch says of the Israelites in exile:

"Take off the garment of your sorrow and affliction, O Jerusalem,

and put on forever the beauty of the glory from God.

Put on the robe of the righteousness that comes from God" (Baruch 4:1,2).

To face life like that requires a conversion of heart and mind. When that happens Christ will truly be put back in Christmas. It is John the Baptist's voice that continues to be heard today. The words of the Caesars and powerful do not. While John's expectation of a political solution to Israel's problems were not realised in Jesus, his call to prepare the way for Jesus remains.

Fr Graham