Today's gospel reading features Jesus, in his last public appearance prior to being arrested, condemning the religious leaders. "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint, dill, and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. It is these you ought to have practiced without neglecting the others. You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel! Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and of the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence."As I read these words, I immediately thought of the gospel reading for this Sunday, the Third Sunday of Advent. In Luke 3:7-18, John the Baptist condemns those who come out to him, demanding that they bear fruit worthy of repentance. When these people ask what they should do, John tells them to do things that are about justice and mercy, that are the opposite of greed and self-indulgence. John and Jesus seem to be in pretty close agreement about what it means to live in ways appropriate for the kingdom of God.
Part of the joy of Christmas is recognizing its promise of hope and something new, a promise of peace, of good news to all but especially to the poor and oppressed. Still, in our troubled world it can be easy to become cynical about such promises. But I want to hold onto those promises because the more I cling to them, the more they sculpt my image of how things will be, the easier it is for me to get ready for that day.
It is hard to get ready for something I cannot imagine. But this season can help provide a jolt for our imaginations, letting us glimpse peace and good will to all. And when we see this hope more clearly, our lives can conform more closely to the new thing God is doing in Christ.
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