Emperor Tiberius 42BC – 37AD, Vatican Museums, Vatican City State.

In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea…..    Luke 3:1.

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Today’s gospel reads more like a history lesson than a Christological teaching. Clearly Luke wants to assure his readers that he is not talking about some mythological, fairy tail time but a real, actual time frame into which he will place his characters. Given the detail of this passage, scholars seem to be fairly certain that Luke is talking about events in or around 27AD-29AD. And most, if not all, of the persons named were pretty brutal and corrupt, from the emperor on down, though Tiberius apparently began his reign with competence and success. All ages, I suppose, present challenges for the upright and godly, but that time in the Roman Empire did eventually become rather worse than usual. And it was at this moment, Luke says, that John the Baptist began his mission of a “A voice of one crying out in the desert: “Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths”. As this prophecy was originally proclaimed by Isaiah, John became the first one to recognize Jesus as the Messiah, the Anointed of God and reveal him as such. Today’s other readings seem to envision a world of justice, perhaps in contrast to the world that the Baptist knew: “God is leading Israel in joy by the light of his glory…” says Baruch in the first reading, and Paul says to the Philippians, “And this is my prayer: that your love may increase ever more and more in knowledge and every kind of perception, to discern what is of value, so that you may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ…” So it seems that there is a deliberate contrast between the world the earliest Christians lived in, and the ideal world envisioned by Baruch and Paul. If that is so, then John’s voice is truly a voice crying out in the wilderness!

It could be said, I suspect, that every age has its tears and its happiness. The poor we always have with us, as Jesus himself said (Matthew 26:11). And each age will have its horrors. We just had one with the COVID pandemic. There are always threats, or worse, of violence, whether it be between individuals or between nations. Somehow we don’t seem to be able to avoid it, even today with weapons that can blow our whole world to pieces! And then there is the world of Baruch and Paul: “For God will show all the earth your splendor: you will be named by God forever the peace of justice, the glory of God’s worship” (Baruch), and “And this is my prayer: that your love may increase ever more and more in knowledge and every kind of perception, to discern what is of value” (Paul). And I would dare to say that this ideal world is the one we all of us desire, believer or unbeliever. And yet it seems to be impossible. Perhaps this is because of a lack of love and faith, leaving only hope to get us to the Promised Land of peace and positive co-operation.

Which brings us back to Advent, a time of not only waiting, but of preparing. Few of us can influence the great affairs of state where questions of life and death are settled; but we can control our own affairs, making peace where acrimony may exist, offering a handshake instead of a threatened fist. If each one of us becomes an island of peace and tranquility and offers that to all who come our way, wouldn’t that be a pleasing offering to the Lord as a Christmas present? It might well make the humble crib into which baby Jesus was lowered a little softer…

First Baptist Church, Southington, Connecticut, USA.

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