Our sriptures take us through the season of Advent almost to the
edge of Lent. This journey of weeks is like a treasure hunt, in
which each clue reveals a truth and points us on to the next.
God is the mystery behind the puzzle.
During Advent, we wait for God to reveal God's self in human form,
as one of us. In the weeks that follow, we see God as Spirit,
creator, light, judge, and giver of grace. This is a season of
awe, a time to rest in the amazement of having been created, loved,
and redeemed by a God who defies description, yet chooses to reveal
the mystery to hearts that can receive it.
December 11: Take a Seat
Zephaniah 3:14-20; Isaiah 12:2-6; Philippians 4:4-7; Luke
3:7-18
Joy, joy, JOY! Our Zephaniah, Isaiah, and Philippians passages
are brimming with invitations to rejoice in the God who brings
justice.
On the last day of September 1981, I was walking on Capitol Hill
in Washington, D.C. All the cafes were adorned with banners entreating
patrons to "Ring in the New Year Here!" New Year? In
September? Is our Congress three months ahead of the rest of us,
I wondered, or miserably behind the times?-well, let's not go
into that. The mystery became clear when I saw a banner that had
added the word "Fiscal" in front of "New Year."
The next day, October 1, 1981, was the first day of the Reagan
budget. I happened to be sitting in a cell in the D.C. jail as
a result of a political protest. I will never forget the conversation
with the other women there.
Most of them already felt pushed by desperation and despair into
prostitution or selling illegal drugs. They spoke openly about
the changes they feared were coming: severe cutbacks in education
and job-training opportunities, in Food Stamps and drug rehabilitation
programs. Whether or not fiscal year 1981 was something to celebrate
had everything to do with whether you were sitting in a Capitol
Hill cafe or the D.C. jail.
Perspective. That's what these passages are really about. So we
have the ironic juxtaposition in Luke of axes being laid to the
roots of trees, a winnowing hook clearing the threshing floor,
and chaff being burned with unquenchable fire-followed by "So,
with many other exhortations, John preached good news to
the people." Good news indeed! Cause for joy and celebration.
For some, that is. It depended on where you were sitting.
JOYCE HOLLYDAY, a former associate editor and now a contributing
editor for Sojourners, writes, leads retreats, and works
with survivors of domestic abuse in western North Carolina. She
is the author, most recently, of Clothed With the Sun: Biblical
Women, Social Justice, and Us (Westminster/John Knox Press,
1994).