The Rev. Joseph Farnes
All Saints, Boise
Advent 3B
December 17, 2023
This morning’s Isaiah reading is the one that inaugurates Jesus’ ministry in the Gospel of Luke. In Luke’s telling, Jesus takes the scroll of Isaiah, reads the first part of this passage, and proclaims, “This passage has been fulfilled in your hearing.” He brings good news – he *is* the good news.
Good News – the meaning of the English word “Gospel,” which comes from the Greek word “Euangelion”, good news, good message.
Jesus brings “good news to the oppressed, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and release to the prisoners; to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn; to provide for those who mourn in Zion – to give them a garland instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the mantle of praise instead of a faint spirit.”
Good news indeed – but… where is it? It’s one thing to bring this good news, but we need to see it. Or, at least, I do. I read the news, I see the pain and suffering. Abroad, we see war, conflict, hatred, greed, falsehoods, competition, and oppression. At home, we see ongoing social and political conflict, economic uncertainty, inflation, and a real lack of hope for the future.
Where is the Good News?
For some, it’s looking at the positives around us. Positive stories of people doing good for people in their neighborhood, little bits of sharing. Or it’s turning away from the human perspective and drawing close to our animal friends – dogs, cats, birds are far better at kindness than us, we think. Or, when tragedy inevitably hits close to home again and again, there’s the oft-used quote from Mr Rogers about looking for the helpers.
I get it. I do. Sometimes those little aspects remind us that there is more going on in the world than gets reported in the news. The news is driven by excitement, anger, outrage – so negative stories get a lot more traction than positive ones.
But I still struggle with it. Some of those “Feel good” stories, like when strangers pay off insurmountable medical debt, or a kid pays off their classmate’s school lunch debt… well, why is the system set up that way that people can get into such medical debt… or that we don’t invest in kids getting fed in school? And some other feel-good stories, it feels like I’m looking away from human tragedy and covering my eyes. And I know I already do that plenty – if you recommend a good tragedy or drama for me to see, I’m probably not going to. I almost exclusively watch comedies right now because it’s all so much. The world is a difficult place, and hope’s in a short supply, and a laugh sometimes is what we can muster to get through it. You know me – I love humor and a good laugh. It’s a wonderful skill.
But there’s got to be more. Where is this Good News?
For some, the message of Christmas is mostly interior. The world outside may be a mess, but there’s also family. There’s the nice Christmas traditions of welcoming a sweet baby Jesus, feeling that kind charity towards all the people of the earth and proclaiming peace. Warm Christmases of nostalgia, nice stories of people being reconciled, nice stories where the poor and sick kid gets their Christmas wish, where it all ends with a cup of cocoa around a Christmas tree.
But what about the rest of the year? Does everything just go back to “normal” as the presents get unwrapped and the delight promptly forgotten by the next breath? We love the story where an Ebenezer Scrooge opens his heart and learns that life is about more than wealth… but that story goes back up on the shelf after the final viewing of your favorite version of “A Christmas Carol,” and our culture goes back to blaming the poor just as it did before the holidays.
There’s got to be more. There has to be.
Where’s our hope in the dark, starless night?
Where is our Good News? Where’s the Good News for the people who have struggled financially all year long and fear what inflation’s going to do in the year to come? Where’s the Good News for everyone afraid for what might be unleashed in yet another election year? Where’s the Good News for the Palestinians, the Israelis, the Ukrainians, the Russians, the Sudanese? Where’s the Good News for everyone living under oppressive regimes, oppressive economies?
The Good News is that, ultimately, God is God and God will bring things to the fullness of their goodness. Jesus will make it all right.
This isn’t a “sit idly by” sort of notion, though. If we really believe, if we really give thanks to God for the gift of life and love, then of course we respond by making that life and love present in our lives and in the society and world around us. If our faith is strong, then we move mountains and give thanks that God gave us the strength to do that, and we keep praying. If our faith is weak, we do what we can, give thanks that God gave us the strength to do what we could, and we keep praying.
If we feel like everything is dependent upon us, the pain and suffering of the world feels insurmountable because the powers and principalities that keep things this way don’t want it to change.
But God was not born in a palace – God took a lowly place and a lowly way. Jesus does not play the games of the rich and powerful – Jesus is himself the Good News that things will change, and you and me and the saints and the angels and all people of good will in this world join in to do what we can to make that change and to rejoice that God is love, Jesus is good, and all shall be well.
I can’t say it much better than that – so I turn to a wonderful Christmas song you might recall:
O holy night! the stars are brightly shining,
It is the night of the dear Savior’s birth!
Long lay the world in sin and error pining,
Till He appeared and the soul felt its worth.
A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices,
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn!
Led by the light of Faith serenely beaming,
With glowing hearts by His cradle we stand.
So led by light of a star sweetly gleaming,
Here came the wise men from Orient land.
The King of Kings lay thus in lowly manger,
In all our trials born to be our friend;
Truly He taught us to love one another;
His law is love and His gospel is peace.
Chains shall He break, for the slave is our brother
And in His name all oppression shall cease.
Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we,
Let all within us praise His holy name!
This is the Gospel the world longs to hear. That is the Gospel we need to hear anew, that is the Gospel that we are called to proclaim with grateful hearts. May we who rejoice in the first Advent of our redeemer also rejoice in his second Advent, and may we rejoice that the Gospel is good news for all of us indeed. Amen.