jason evans

Better late than never, right?

Anticipating the arrival of the (un)King
This is my third (I skipped a week) in a series of Advent reflections this year. You can read the first one, along with some notes, here and the second here.

Fourth Sunday of Advent • Luke 1:39-55
In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the child leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and exclaimed with a loud cry, "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord."

And Mary said,

"My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant. Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name. His mercy is for those who fear himfrom generation to generation. He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts. He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly; he has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty. He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, according to the promise he made to our ancestors, to Abraham and to his descendants forever."

For Reflection
Mary knows how this story is to play out. Her people have long waited for a liberator–like Moses–to come and save them. Yet, they remain people of an occupied territory; a foreign oppressor, always present. This doesn't even account for the fact she herself is simply a peasant girl, unwed and pregnant. She doesn't know that when she arrives in her fiance's hometown, no family or friend will be able to put them up–they'll end up sleeping in a barn, her new born in a feeding trough. She doesn't know that her young family will end like fugitives on the run, immigrants in another land. She does know the stories of her people, of other women who would bare children in Bethlehem; this could go good, it could go bad.

In the midst of all of this, Mary prays a prayer; sings a song. It is a song that declares who God is to her. But she doesn't stop there. She declares who God is to the people. She probably does not understand everything that is happening. It is probably very unclear how–or even when–liberation will come to herself or her people. It may even seem naive in such circumstances but she hopes.

This idea of hope, better yet "faith" stands out here. But Mary's faith seems so much more real than so many today. For many, faith is something defined in either very personal or very social terms. These two ways of approaching faith grow further and further apart from each other, increasingly seeking to be the antithesis of the other. But Mary seems to first embrace God and through this finds herself squarely placed between an understanding of a good news that is coming, that is intended for the community and the individual.

Why is it that Mary lands in such a place? I think it's because she is resolved to the fact that she is not God. Some like the idea of a hyper-individualized faith because it offers us some control ("I may not know what is going to come of the world, but I know where I stand"). Some feel more comfortable with a liberal, social view of faith because it offers some connection to those things they would still otherwise be passionate about. We want to be in control. We want to be God. I don't think Mary did.

That said, Mary has little evidence that God would save her personally. She has even less evidence that God would save her people. But she trusts that God sees more than she does. She takes stalk in the age-old tale of her people that, "her offspring will attack [the Enemy's] head, and [the Enemy] will attack her offspring’s heel.” The promise isn't that it will be easy and without pain. The promise is that victory will come in the end.

And she believes it.

For herself and her people.

Do we?

NOTE: All of these have been refined from Sunday conversations with the beautiful people that make up the Hawthorn House. This is as much theirs as it is mine.

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Anticipating the arrival of the (un)King
This is my second in a series of Advent reflections this year. You can read the first one, along with some notes, here.

Second Sunday of Advent • Luke 3:1-6
In the fifteenth year of the reign of Emperor Tiberius, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was ruler of Galilee, and his brother Philip ruler of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias ruler of Abilene, during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness. He went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah,

"The voice of one crying out in the wilderness:
'Prepare the way of the Lord,
make his paths straight.
Every valley shall be filled,
and every mountain and hill shall be made low,
and the crooked shall be made straight,
and the rough ways made smooth;
and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.'"

For Reflection
In first century Palestine, I’m pretty sure that hearing or reading this passage would bring Rome’s highway system to mind. The Roman empire is credited for it’s roads. It’s system of highways spanned across the empire. These road systems impacted everyone. It made goods and services more easily accessible. It exposed different cultures to each other. It gave Rome’s military force quick access to it’s many territories.

Could it be that God’s liberation was coming in the form of empire?

But those hearing or reading this passage in first century Palestine would also have remembered the prayers of their ancestors as well: that God would provide a clear and quick path for those dispersed among other nations to come home.

Was God going to free Israel from occupation; establish a self-governing Israel?

Still, others may have seen John’s (referenced above) ministry–calling people to change their thinking and living, to initiation into another way of life (personal repentance and baptism). For those people, maybe they heard this passage in a much more personal way.

If I don't ‘clean up my act’ will I be excluded from God’s plan?

Jesus’ entire life would be a confrontation with empire. Even as an infant, authorities tried to hunt him down. And his closest friends grew perturbed when it became clear that Jesus wasn’t going to establish a free Israel. So, it seems unlikely that the first two questions were what John the Baptist intended. Yet, I doubt the third is wholly accurate either. Jesus frequently associated with people that neither lived the right way or believed the right things.

The passage makes clear that liberation is coming. But do we know how to look for it? Am I the type of person that is so concerned with myself that I miss the kind of crowd Jesus’ is inviting into this liberation? Or am I the type of person that gets so swept up in the agenda of 'my people' that I miss the bigger picture? Or can I be so enamored with the advances of empires (whether commercial, political or digital) that I just don’t notice that something grander might be happening?

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As a way of reflecting on a passage, I often re-write it in my own terms and then ask myself some questions in order to see how it connects to my own life and community. As today is the first Sunday in Advent, I decided to type it out to share with the Hawthorn House folks tonight–with some additional thoughts. Here it is for you as well. Please share your thoughts.

Anticipating the arrival of the (un)King - Introduction
For Christians, the Christmas season is meant to be more than the consumer frenzy it is for most in Western culture. In fact, traditionally the season leading up to Christmas is called “Advent” which means to wait or anticipate. And what do Christians wait for? The arrival of our (un)King, Jesus Christ. The four weeks of Advent are about preparation. While waiting for our (un)King, we consider what it means to follow such a leader, to allow our lives to be directed by such a God.

Why do I call Jesus the (un)King? Because in all but title, he is unlike any human king. As you read the story of his arrival in the Gospels, you will find a very unkingly story; his first cradle a feeding trough, poor farm hands to announce his arrival and so on. As you read the Scripture passages over the next few weeks, I challenge you to reflect on what it means to follow this (un)King and in what ways that might transform you life during Advent in preparation for the coming year.

A Note
For some, the idea of Jesus as God feels like a stretch. People have often debated whether Jesus intended to say this–or if he even did. I’d ask you to set this worry aside. One thing that is clear in the Gospels is that Jesus said, “Follow me.” And he was called “Lord,” a name reserved for Caesar (or the king). Can you follow the way of Jesus? Can you consider him your leader? If you can, do that and let the rest take care of itself.

First Sunday of Advent • Luke 21:25-36
Jesus said:

“When you see great changes in the sky and land,
When governments grow anxious over these changes
When the people make shocking claims of what is to come
When the leaders of nations seem to lose their influence
Then know that a great Liberator, of both the people and and of God, is coming
And when this happens stand up and raise your heads
Your day is coming too

Just as when the leaves of trees turn color at the change of seasons, take these signs as a changing of seasons as well. Know that the dreams of God are coming near you; are closer to becoming reality. Your generation will take part in this dream-come-true.

So don’t get bogged down in the worries of life and don’t drown your worries with excess of any kind. Stay alert and ready to participate in the new way coming. Pray for strength to resist the challenges and capacity to stand with the coming Liberator.”

For Reflection
The passage of Luke is my own “remix.” I encourage you to read it in your Bible and consider putting it in your own terms as well. Don't worry about getting it right. Just write it how you would say it if explaining it to someone who had never read/heard it before. Feel free to read the passages before and after this one to help make sense of it.

When I read this passage, I feel I can relate–climate change, a shift in global power (from the west to the east)–it’s all right there. Sometimes these things can seem quite dismal. But I also see signs of hope; people around the globe doing wonderful things that imagine a different kind of world.  Do you feel you can relate to the “time” Jesus is talking about in these ways?

I love doing things with tangible results. But I'm realizing if I don't do the work of preparing myself, I don't often get the results I want. If I'm not physically fit, I can't reach the goals I desire. If I'm not emotionally and spiritually centered, I'll burn out early during the hard work of activism or mission. If you choose to follow the (un)King, what do you need to do to prepare yourself?

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The season of Advent is upon us. A season of waiting, anticipation, patience and preparation. We watch for the coming of our King.

What are we waiting for? Are we waiting for the annoyances of the holiday season to be over with? Are we waiting for an end of the year bonus? Are anxious to see family we rarely do? Are we anxious to see our credit card bills from this month?

Last night, our community wrestled with anticipation in our own lives. Changes, new things that seem to be upon us or just on the horizon. New seasons are hard for so many of us. Not all of us like change. I do. But I've had to realize not everyone is like that.

I remember looking for work after being 'let go' one year. I spoke about it during one of our Advent gatherings with Matthew's House. The anxiety of not knowing when a new job would be found was overwhelming at times.

There's so many things we seem to only learn by waiting. I read an article in Geez that talked about boredom. Americans hate being bored. The classic, whining phrase that has come from every childs mouth, "I'm borrrrrred," is something we all can remember. But boredom is not unlike waiting. We learn patience and we discover creativity. We prepare for what's next.

Why is Advent important? We prepare in Advent. For those of us that have lived without the rhythms, prayers and celebration of Advent it is so easy to find ourselves swept into the consumer fervor of this season. Advent reminds us that this time is not about shopping at break-neck speed. It isn't about rushing from one eggnog filled event to the next. It is about preparing ourselves for the Kingdom come.

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