Eric Johnson and friendJustice and Peace Meditation for 2 Advent (B)
John 1:6-8, 19-28
When the priests and Levites asked John the Baptist, “Who are you?” He answered, “I am not the Messiah.”
This is a a good response for anyone living out their baptism. Theologian Peter Feldmeier writes that “ We point to Jesus, and our witness is never about us; it is about God’s love and about experiencing his saving grace. A diocesan personnel director told me that it is troubling to see a parish that finds its pastor indispensable. It means the pastor’s staff and community are not empowered enough. It also means that it is not sufficiently clear to the people that only God is indispensable.”
We are not the light; Christ is our light. It is not about us. It is about him.
Dear God, why is it that the people I respect most are not that worried about being held in respect?
While I was assigned to the embassy in Riyadh, my pal the Naval Attaché was presented with a gold Patek Phililppe watch from an admiral in the Saudi Navy. How many arguments the attaché could have used to not turn it over, as policy directed, to the US government stockpile of overly-expensive gifts! After all, only the attaché and the admiral knew about the gift. The attaché had brokered a significant diplomatic breakthrough for the Saudi Navy, and this was the admiral’s way of saying thanks. And to the admiral, a Saudi prince, the price wasn’t that exorbitant. So why not keep it? [He didn't.]
It seems to be more difficult to avoid temptation when we attempt to convince ourselves that we should yield to our own best self-interests.
In The Substance of Faith & Other Cotton Patch Sermons, Clarence Jordan writes “the word diabolos (devil) in today’s gospel came from dia, ‘around, through’ and bollo, ‘to throw; thus, diabolos means, “one who throws things around, who gets things confused. The work of the devil is to get us muddled.”
Rather than allowing himself to be be-muddled in the desert by the devil, Jesus avoided temptation by using short, declarative statements in responding to the devil. Perhaps there’s something, after all, to be said about the concept of “Just say no.”
Creator God, save us from the time of trial.
