Jesus is alive – death is defeated and love and life have triumphed – and not only on that wild, confusing first day but every day – which means that resurrection is the way God orders creation. Hope triumphs over despair; joy over sorrow; life over death. On the first day. On the last day. And on every day in between, even when we don’t see it. The world is full of resurrection stories.

…sometimes, this is what waiting for the resurrection requires of us – clarity, conviction, and courage in the face of that which we know to be wrong, know to be a perversion of the Good News of God in Christ.

I think this is what is required of us now, as Christians living in a time when the Christian faith is being named as source material and motivation for self-serving hatefulness, bigotry, and violence.

We know that, most of the time, resurrection is a long time coming. So how do we avoid getting stuck in sorrow or outrage; how do we hold on to hope in the face of despair; faith in the face of evil; no matter how long we have to wait for Easter Sunday to come?

On this first Sunday in Lent, we are given two stories of temptation with two very different outcomes so that we might begin the season with self-examination: which choice have I made? Whose lead have I followed? In whose service do I place my abilities and my talents? What kind of world am I helping to create?

Do not give up on the kingdom of God – and do not give up on the people of God who are, together as a body, given to the world as salt and as a light to reveal the goodness and beauty of God’s way, especially in the face of injustice and oppression and persecution and despair.

The servant in whom God delights brings forth justice quietly and gently. The servant does not rally a force or demand attention. The servant protects the weak so that they are not further harmed as justice is brought forth. This justice is not promised swiftly but the servant will not stop until it is established…but just who is this servant?

We have arrived at the 4th Sunday of Advent – Christmas is just around the corner and perhaps you are as ready as I am to move from Advent’s transformation-of-the-world politics to Christmas’ sparkly lights and newborn baby. And, at first glance at least, our readings seem ready too, replacing John the Baptist with Joseph and his already-pregnant betrothed, Mary.
But it’s not that simple…

The season of Advent calls us to be both – to wait with John and to sing with Mary; to watch for the future and refuse to settle for less than the kingdom and to bear witness to what God is doing now; to the beauty and power and hope that springs up all around us.

Today, we are proclaiming Christ to be King – on the cross, in the manger, and now in this world. Which means we are also proclaiming ourselves to be subjects of this King; inhabitants of this Kingdom, not only in the age to come but now.

Time is a gift – and a constant one at that. There is, in fact, no wasting or saving or spending time. Time passes no matter what we do or don’t do and God’s work unfolds around us and within us.