“People will be dying of fear as they await what menaces the world, for the powers of heaven will be shaken…When these things begin to take place, stand erect, hold your heads high, because your liberation is near at hand.” Luke 21: 25-28, 34-36
In the gospel-reading of this first Sunday of Advent we are experiencing another excursion into apocalyptic literature. That reading from Luke is accompanied by readings from Jeremiah and St Paul’s first Letter to the Thessalonians, which, together, nudge us to reflect on the kind of leadership we would like to experience and contribute to at national, state, regional and church levels. However, before we engage with these readings there might be value for us in taking time to reflect on the impact that forceful happenings can have on us as individuals and on our society and culture.
We know that St Paul and other New Testament characters wrote and preached as though the Second Coming of Jesus Christ and the Final Judgement were just around the corner. It is not surprising, then, that their teaching and preaching elevated the fear levels of the members of their communities. Predictions and threats of cosmic upheavals have always elevated people’s anxiety levels, and, no doubt, will continue to do so. People all over the world were gripped by fear after two atomic bombs were detonated over the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945. There were heightened fears of like reprisals. At this very time, there is increasing anxiety about the long-term impact of climate change. Some are asking if it will spell the destruction of our common home.
It is often only in retrospect that we come to appreciate the far-reaching effect of some of the forces human beings have let loose on our world. Some of those forces have delivered great benefits while others have delivered disaster. How, for instance, do we now rate what we once labelled “The Industrial Revolution” (circa 1760-1840)? And what about the Renaissance Period, which spanned almost two centuries (circa 1450-1650)? Did we ever imagine the benefits of multiculturalism when mass migration of millions of refugees started in the wake of World War II?
The kingdom of God, which Jesus ushered in, has also had a profound impact on our world. Countless people have been attracted by the values and principles for living which Jesus proclaimed. The earliest followers of Jesus suffered persecution. Their style of living was eventually called the Way (Acts 9: 1-2). It took more than three hundred years for it to be officially approved in Europe. In 312-13 AD, the Emperor Constantine issued the Edict of Milan and granted to the Church the land in Rome on which the Lateran Basilica now stands. Italy labelled itself a Catholic country and many other countries followed suit. The “Jesus Movement” has had an extraordinary impact on our world, even though it has been followed imperfectly. Westminster Law and Government have their roots in Christian principles. Many people are now of the view that Christianity is in decline.
While the Law of Moses was adopted by the people of Israel, the destruction of their Second Temple in 70 AD/CE, bordered on the cataclysmic in the minds of that people. Yet God had already promised them a future full of hope over 700 years before that. That promise is clearly stated in today’s first reading: “See the days are coming – it is the Lord who speaks – when I am going to fulfil the promise made to the House of Israel and the House of Judah” (Jeremiah 33: 14). David had ruled with justice and God’s promise was fulfilled to perfection in the person of Jesus, a descendant of David, who offered to the world the rule of mercy, forgiveness, compassion and love. In his letter to the Thessalonians, Paul went on to stress that our world would be enlivened if, in imitation of Jesus, we could bring ourselves to live the law of love, treating everyone we encounter with respect, dignity and love – the “way of our Lord Jesus Christ, the way of Jesus Christ that God wants” (cf 1 Thessalonians 4: 1-2)
In order to grasp the meaning of today’s gospel-reading, we need to bear in mind that Luke is looking in retrospect at disastrous events that impacted on Israel, and presenting them as events to come. Jesus had forecast the destruction of the Second Temple and Luke wrote his Gospel only after that Temple had been levelled to the ground. Having recalled the distress and turmoil the people of Israel had experienced, Luke set out to offer his community a word of hope, assuring them that God would not desert them, and that God is a God of love not someone to be feared.
Just as the invading Roman army had razed to the ground both the city of Jerusalem and the great Temple, so in its own way, the coming of the kingdom of God would let loose persecution and death on many who chose to walk in the footsteps of Jesus. The kingdom of God heralded by Jesus marked the end of what had preceded it. What Jesus proclaimed and modelled was so new that it left the old dispensation in tatters. Those who had exploited ordinary people like the widow who felt forced to contribute all she had to the upkeep of the Temple no longer had status and power in the kingdom of God which would rely on servant leadership.
Inherent in today’s gospel-reading from Luke is a challenge to critique the kind of structures operating around us that are in the hands of the rich and powerful, in the hands of tyrants and those for whom self-interest is a priority. If we are truly open and honest, we may have to admit that the kingdom of God is yet to come to reality even in the Church community to which we belong. The kingdom of God will come to reality only when we all do our bit to model servant leadership, selflessly share with those in need, roll up our sleeves to work for justice and invest ourselves in caring for our common home. Till we get there, we may have to live with turmoil and confusion, and experience the powers of heaven being shaken up
