PREPARE THE WAY FOR JUSTICE

Advent Season observances provide us a time to pause and reflect. It mirrors back to us what we are feeling and experiencing. Returning to passages like our gospel reading for this week, Luke 3:1–6, can offer consolation and hope during this uncertain time for many of us.

We learn the names of all the people in positions of authority when John the Baptist appears in Luke. We are then informed that John hears a message in the desert, which is a region remote from the places of authority and where God frequently appears to convey the truth to those whom God selects.

In the world in which John lives, some individuals are wealthy while others are impoverished. A world where an occupying empire has taken over his people. He hails from a religious tradition that believes in fairness, in a future when everyone will be treated equally, when those who have too much and those who don’t have enough will no longer exist, and when swords will be hammered into ploughshares. However, he notices everything that is wrong as he surveys his surroundings.

As Christians, we also believe in justice. We think that everything can be reconciled. We think that a future where everyone has enough is possible. Looking around, however, reveals that world is still a way off.

Seeing how far we still have to go can be disheartening. However, John’s example in Luke 3 serves as a reminder of our calling. John joins the tradition of prophecy. A tradition that elevates the voices of people who declare, “Everything is not as it should be,” and that centres those who are far from authority.

John urges the populace to reject these oppressive structures. Steer away from degrading systems. Additionally, the prophetic exhortation “to prepare the way of the Lord” is brought to our attention.

There is work to be done. So, let’s get to it.

Rev. Jandson Njoroge – Worship and Hospital Chaplaincy Minister