A good friend and former colleague said time and again that Advent really begins with John the Baptist: a voice crying in the wilderness calling for repentance. It’s certainly a perspective worth considering, but it’s not one that ordinarily comes to mind for many Christians as they enter the Advent season. ‘Repent of what’? becomes the question.
The Theological Book Group here at Old South Church has just finished reading John Dominic Crossan’s How to Read the Bible and Still Be a Christian, an examination of those violent biblical texts that need to be set aside in light of the love, mercy, and compassion of Jesus. Crossan, a noted biblical scholar, suggests that when we were Baptized we declared that we were ‘dead’ to old ways of thinking and living and were now ‘alive’ unto God (Romans 6:3-5; I Cor. 12:13). This transformation was not pointing us toward some future life, but for life here and now.
The baptismal structures that began to emerge around 300 CE graphically illustrate this perspective. Many were built in a cruciform shape and some even in a coffin-like shape in which the Catechumen would lie during the rite of Baptism. It was a very vivid demonstration of choosing to be a disciple and thus be ‘dead’ to the world (Roman Empire) and ‘alive’ unto God.
So far so good. But this is more than nice theory or lovely ritual. Crossan goes on to name the four basic pillars on which the Roman Empire was built: patriarchy, slavery, hierarchy, and victory through violence. These are the things that the early Christians endeavored to renounce at Baptism.
Translate all of that into our day, and perhaps we Christians have a bit of repenting to do depending how committed we are in resisting aspects of the present culture that are contrary to the welcoming and embracive love of God. My list includes the blanket vilification of our Muslim brothers and sisters because of the actions of some who are really ignorant of the basic tenants of their faith; the dismissal of the ‘Black Lives Matter’ movement as just a passing fad without addressing the issue of racism; turning a blind eye to a terribly flawed criminal justice system; the suppression of voting rights being enacted through legislation in some states aimed primarily at people of color; believing that global warming is a hoax; the attempt to deny women the right to have control over their own bodies; and the call to welcome into our country only Christian refugees from among the thousands of Syrians fleeing their war ravaged nation. Again, these are a few things on my list. What might be on yours?
The basic values of the old Roman Empire, and other empires since then, will take new forms of expression. But in whatever form they appear, we have declared ourselves ‘dead’ to following them and ‘alive’ to God’s kingdom (realm) of justice, equality, compassion, and inclusivity. Perhaps we need to be less passive and more aggressive in standing against these ‘empire perspectives’ through our prayers, our vote, our resources, and our protests.
John the Baptist was the voice crying in the wilderness calling for repentance in preparation for the One who would come. It’s Advent: a time of preparation. The One who comes will bring a new yet timeless vision of God’s peaceable and justice-filled realm. As we approach the Manger are we ready to embrace this vision? Is some repentance called for because of our actions or inactions? My friend said Advent begins with John the Baptist. I think he was right.