Luke 1:39-55
A Foolish, Radical, Idealistic Vision
James Sledge December
20, 2015 – Advent 4
Some
of you may recall this line from Longfellow’s poem, “I Heard the Bells on Christmas
Day,” better known to many as a Christmas carol.
And in despair I bowed my head; “There is no
peace on earth,” I said,
“For
hate is strong and mocks the song Of peace on earth good-will to men.”
When
I was young, I loved the band, Emerson, Lake, and Palmer. They had a Christmas
song that U2 has covered in recent years, one that reminds me of that line from
Longfellow.
They
said there'll be snow at Christmas; They said there'll be peace on Earth;
But instead it just kept on raining, A veil of tears for the Virgin birth.
But instead it just kept on raining, A veil of tears for the Virgin birth.
Looking
at the world we live in, it is easy to be pessimistic and cynical. War, terror,
shootings, hate, and political discourse
that sounds like middle schoolers trading insults on the playground. And that
comparison may be an insult to middle schoolers.
Perhaps
the most we can expect from Christmas is a warm moment, a upsurge in charity
and goodwill, some gatherings with family or friends, and a bit of nostalgia.
For hate is strong and does mock the angel song; and it’s more likely to rain
than snow on Christmas.
A
lot of people think that our world is in a horrible mess, that things are bad
and getting worse. Many observers suggest that this presidential campaign looks
different from some previous ones because so many voters are worried, anxious,
and afraid. That’s why calls to “take our country back” or “make America great
again” resonate.
Without
minimizing the real difficulties facing our country and world, a lot of people in
history would probably love to change places with us. Mary, Elizabeth, and
Zechariah lived in a day when many children did not make it to adulthood, when
disease often decimated whole communities, when most people lived in poverty
while a handful lived in grandeur.
In
Mary’s day the local governments was a puppet for Rome, and Rome dealt harshly
with the slightest threat to Roman authority. Common criminals could be
dispensed with the swing of a sword, but any who dared challenge Roman power
would die an excruciating death on a cross situated in a very public place so
everyone would get the message.
Our
world has lots of problems, but the world Jesus was born into surely had at
least as many. All those problems make Mary’s words sound naïve, hopelessly
optimistic, or perhaps downright crazy.
When Mary launches into her song, she
says that God has scattered the proud… brought down the powerful from their thrones,
lifted up the lowly… filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away
empty. Really, Mary? Have you
looked around at the world?