Love and Joy are the traditional theme for the third Sunday of
Advent. As Advent progresses, love-joy becomes the dominant human
expression. Introduced with Mary’s glad, if surprised, response to
her selection as the mother of Jesus, soon angels, shepherds, and
magi are not only heralding but joyfully celebrating the
unfathomable entrance of God into the world as a baby.
Mirroring the joy build-up of Scripture is the escalation of
positive human emotion for many—though not all—during this time of
year. The Christmas season buds with awareness, love and builds with
anticipation. Ideally, the march toward great joy is not only
characterized by gift-sharing, social gatherings, and television
classics, but solemn moments of spiritual exploration and
introspection.
Realities of around us
While Advent represents a sky of widespread hopefulness, such sky
is not unclouded. Advent/ Christmas season can be more grueling than
glorious for those whose lives are already highly stressed.
Caregivers, including clergy, are especially vulnerable. Higher than
normal expectations and demands during the holiday season may be
enough to topple persons who have already been living on the edge of
emotional collapse.
Moreover, domestic violence increases as persons feel unable to
fulfill what they perceive to be minimal family obligations and
responsibilities. Alcoholism, depression, drug addiction, shaken
baby-syndrome, suicide, and homicide are horrific signs of the
inability to cope with stressors often exacerbated during the
holiday season. Thus, perhaps as at no other time in the liturgical
year, is the historic therapeutic function of African American
preaching and worship more important than during Advent and
Christmas.
Luke 7:18-35 may be characterized as the last earthly sighting of
Jesus by John the Baptist. Luke is the only gospel which contains
all three viewings. John’s first sighting of Jesus occurs while he
is still in the womb of his mother. It is a spiritual visioning of
Jesus that causes baby John to leap in the womb of his mother
Elizabeth (Luke 4:1).
The second sighting occurs on the banks of the river Jordan. For
days, months, and years, John, infant-turned-iconoclast, had been,
with intensity, preaching, baptizing and looking; preaching,
baptizing, and looking; preaching, baptizing, and looking. Finally
one day he shouted, “There he is!” He’d caught sight of the one who
would “baptize with the Holy Spirit and with fire” (Luke 7: 16).
Lastly, Luke records a third sighting of Jesus by John. However,
the noticing of him in Luke 7:20 is strikingly different from the
earlier ones. The earlier sightings evidenced certainty and
excitement. John seemed to know who Jesus really was before Jesus
was even born. Moreover, John’s unbridled enthusiasm while still in
Elizabeth’s belly and on Jordan’s bank argues for his being
acknowledged as the first one who ever “shouted” about Jesus. Yes,
Mary, the mother of Jesus, shouts in Luke 1:46-55 but her shout, no
less magnificent than John’s, is inspired by what God has done
(something worth shouting about) more than it is about who Jesus
is.
However, by Luke chapter seven, certainty and enthusiasm are
dimmed by John’s status behind bars. Glad certainty about Jesus
turns to simmering suspicion about him:
“Are you the coming one or do we look for another?” (Luke
7:20).
Considering Luke 7, alongside earlier texts that have John “seeing”
Jesus, allows the preacher to address the matter of the changing
seasons of faith. It is not always that we see Jesus with “glad
eyes.” Sometimes, because of circumstances and choices, our vision
of Jesus is blurry and not joyous. But, blurry vision is still
vision. And our vision of Jesus does not determine Jesus’ vision of
himself or how he sees us. Whatever our plight, Jesus is always
God’s son and, in his eyes, we are always God’s children. And there
is this good news, too good not to be true: even when we are not
certain about God, God is certain about us. This is why we can serve
with joy and gladness as officers in the Church and as stewards of
God everywhere, even in troubled times.
Ways of Loving Care
Hospitable and loving behavior towards others is lauded in this text
of practical spirituality. Even more importantly, such behavior is
linked to God. The word God is said four times between verses 10 and
11. If believers have any doubt about what is the source of what
often are difficult behaviors to practice in pressure situations,
the doubt is answered with “God.” Godly behavior would be untenable
without God. Precisely because God loves so, we can love so.
Precisely because God welcomes so, we can welcome so.
This text may be used to encourage church leaders to be out front
in exhibiting compassion and understanding. To do this is to see
Christian leadership in a larger light. More than taking charge of a
group or an initiative, Christian leadership is about leading in
offering love, forgiveness, and grace to others. Who can question
the need for such lavish soulful leadership in our churches and our
world today?
Challenges of Love
The focus texts can be brought together with a beautiful
challenge to pastor and people alike to
see each other as God sees them. Jesus’ response to the
questioning of John was to really look, to consider what was
actually being done to help people: “The blind see, the lame walk,
the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the
poor have the gospel preached to them.” (Luke 7: 32) Peter implores
the first believers to be first in blessing each other as God
blesses each one of them. As we see with the eyes of faith, let us
see with the eyes of God. Beholding each other through God’s eyes
has a positive, powerful influence on our attitudes and actions
toward each other. If joy is to take hold of our hearts this Advent
season, it will only be done if we see others as God sees them.
Soft or delicate in texture and consistency; easily broken,
cut, compressed, chewed; not strong or robust; unable to endure
hardship and fatigue. If we were developing a list of
characteristics needed for living in a world where violence and
danger were ever present, perhaps “tender” would not make our final
list of desirable attributes. On the other hand, tender's original
meaning, “to stretch, hold out,” might cause us to think twice about
the matter. Would the violence and danger in our world be lessened
by the presence of more people who could stretch past their fears
and with perseverance, work and wait for redemptive new ways of
seeing, listening, and thinking?