Advent Workshop Lk.3:7-18 with note on Lent v. Advent

 When we say that God is Love, do we teach men that their fear of Him is groundless? No. As much as they fear will come upon them, possibly far more … The wrath will consume what they call themselves; so that the selves God made shall appear … ” George MacDonald

I do not recall preaching on the Baptism during Advent, but I could be mistaken. So, this material is as much for me as it is for our audience.

Our presbytery leader, Jennifer Burns-Lewis asked us to consider Advent in relation to Lent last week. Here goes. As we have mentioned Advent may have started as a space for those  learning of the faith for Epiphany baptism, as the rolls were too full for Easter. Both are periods of preparation. While preparation for Holy Week is a huge undertaking, Advent has us seek to prepare for the new age, a new world, the consummation of the divine order in the cosmos. Lent has seemed to be the more penitential of the periods: think of Lenten abstinence as opposed ot an Advent calendar. Yet, they point toward repentance.

Advent’s 2 part scheme looks both to Incarnation and to the enfolding of the world into God’s full ambit. Lent points to the apocalyptic reconsideration of the word of the cross (I Cor. 1:18-31). Advent is the advent of God moving toward us, while Lent ends in the burial of Holy Saturday’s hinge between death and new life of Easter. (Here see Alan Lewis’s book on Holy Saturday). Quite simply, Lent asks us for examination of the sins that separate us from God’s way in the world and to change. Advent invites us into the shock of the new. Both have a break in the readings that feature the word rejoice the 3rd Sunday in Advent and the 4th in Lent (laetare).

Maybe we could work with devotional material with three Advents: the end as the beginning, the Advent of God in the Incarnation, with real attention toits meaning, and the third Advent of union with Christ, even theosis.

Time is felt in different dimensions. Time itself seems to change at the cusp of eternity and the new age. Yet, the new age dawns in a particular place and time with the birth of Jesus.  Lent’s last week slows down time as the detail of Jesus’s last hours are detailed, but the cross is imbued with an eschatological character in Matthew especially.

John in art-Cranach, for instance with his Lutheran orientation. Barth loved that figures of the Baptist point not toward himself but away toward Christ. One could use different depictions with elements you wish to convey.

John starts out like a liberal/progressive preacher speaking about justice and lets the listeners have it. (Yet, liberal preachers may not often call listeners a brood of vipers.Insert your own jokes here) That raises a question: how effective is denunciation as a tool for change? Is it persuasive? I find it intriguing that preachers call prophetic railing against large scale social ills, but seem allergic toward decrying individual sinful behavior. It reminds me of the old canard that liberals love humanity in the abstract, but not individuals. Perhaps it is easier to rail against Sin instead of sins that we may share. John starts his program on repentance/metanoia/ conversion with an eye to forgiveness of sins. In the current climate, I wonder if we can include speaking of social forgiveness, but rather beating the drum on social sin. I do applaud the materials out on being anti-racist as giving us tools to repent of social sins such as racism, misogyny, classism, and the host of isms that afflict us.

John wants to see action, actual change. Being children of Abraham ( being of the chosen ones) is insufficient in his view.  What does fruit worthy of this sea change, this paradigm shift look like in 2021?

John shows himself to be an apocalyptic and radical thinker, as he sees a reckoning coming, like a climate change Cassandra. Radical has the sense of getting to the root and John is warning that no chance for a sprout; root and all will be laid low. See Fleming Rutledge on Advent and the Baptist.

How is this description of John’s message  then called exhortation and good news?

Given that beginning his program is  moderate: share food and clothing; don;t cheat; don;t falsely accuse-the latter two have the power of the state behind them. Remember the New testament is produced in an environment of subjugation.

In the fresh start of Advent we are welcomed to a consideration of baptism, by John with water and a figure who will touch with fire and the Holy Spirit.

Again we get apocalyptic elements with the ultimate duality of wheat and chaff.