A
homily by Fr. Gene Tucker, given at Trinity Church, Mt. Vernon, Illinois on Monday,
December 24, 2012.
“GOD’S
PLAN TO SAVE THE WORLD”
(Homily
text: Luke 2: 1 - 20)
I
imagine that most of us, at one time or another, have considered the ways in
which we would like to see the world’s problems solved. “Wouldn’t it be wonderful,” we might ask
ourselves, “If God would come down and sweep away all evil, all want, all
poverty, all sadness from the human condition?”
If
you’ve ever thought those sorts of thoughts, I suspect you’re not alone in
wishing that God would act in just such a way, a way that would show His
immense power, a way that would do the work of making the world a better place
for us, all in one easy move.
Allow
me, then, to share with you the way in which I sometimes wishfully think that I
would like God to act to save the world from its own problems. (I am tempted to call this fanciful tale “The
Gospel according to Tucker”, but that might be just a bit presumptuous.)
Anyway,
if I were to ask God to save the world, here’s how I would wish Him to do it…my
written record of my wishes would be like this:
“God looked down from His heaven, and saw what
a mess the world was in. People with
power exploited those who had no power.
Cruelty was common. Wars were
common. Death was common and life was cheap.
Families were torn apart by disagreement or by abandonment. Many of the people of the world were poor,
desperately poor. Many were slaves. Most had little hope that their lives would
ever get better.
(That is a very good description of the way
the world was some 2,000 years ago. It
is a good description of the way the world still is in some places today.)
As
God looked down on this depressing situation, He turned to His Son and said,
‘Son, I want you to go down to earth and tell them that there’s a new day
dawning, a day which will end all the evils of the world, a day that will bring
hope to everyone, a day that will bring an end to the things that sadden or
cause peoples’ hearts to break.
In
order for the people of the world to pay attention to you, your arrival is
going to have to be spectacular. I’ve
arranged for you to use the fiery chariot that I used to bring the prophet
Elijah to heaven for your arrival. As it
streaks across the sky, everyone will see you as you arrive. Once you’ve landed, your appearance will be
as bright as the noonday sun. And when
you confront evil, one look from the brilliance of your eyes will cause a
complete change in the hearts and minds of those who do evil. For those evildoers who refuse to listen to
you, or to change their ways, you will have the power to destroy them on the
spot with one word from your mouth.
People everywhere will know that I have sent you, and no corner of the
earth will escape noticing your arrival, and the change it will bring.’”
So,
there you have it, my vision of how I imagine I’d like God to act to save the
world.
As
I reflect on my idea of saving the world, I realize two things about my own
wishful vision:
1. It sounds a bit like one of our comic book heroes, someone like Superman or maybe Spiderman. (Perhaps the very existence of these fictitional characters is tribute to a desire that is deep within us that longs for such a dramatic and quick resolution of the problems of the human race…of course, such a rescue from the problems that plague us is entirely the work of such a hero…all we have to do is to stand around and watch.)
2. The vision I’ve laid out is very much in
keeping with the spirit of the description of the Lord’s second coming at the
end of time. Scripture’s vision of that
future event involves the fact that everyone will know of the Lord’s arrival,
and that God’s total victory over sin and evil will take place at that time. (Of course, it’s worth noting that, in our
just-concluded season of Advent, we’ve been focusing on the Lord’s second
coming as part of our preparation to remembering His first coming.)
So
much for my ideas about how God should act to save the world….fortunately, God
didn’t follow my blueprint, and that, I am sure, is a very, very good thing!
But
how did God act to save the world?
The
account of His actions is before us in our gospel reading for tonight. We are all very familiar with the facts, so it
is good for us to reflect on God’s actions in sending Jesus Christ to be born
among us, whose birth took place in order to save the world – and us – from our
sinful, hopeless condition. Here is a
brief summary of God’s saving acts:
- Jesus’ birth took place in an out-of-the-way, backward province of the Roman Empire, the Holy Land.
- He was born into poor circumstances[1], in a setting where there were animals present. Talk about humble – and dangerous – beginnings!
- Very few people knew of His birth: His mother, Mary, those who attended her during the birth process, His earthly father, Joseph, the shepherds in the fields who were told of the birth by the angels, and perhaps a few others.
- It wasn’t very long before others began to notice Jesus’ arrival: King Herod, who was told that the “King of the Jews” had been born by the Wise Men (see Matthew 2: 1 – 6)[2]. And at age twelve, St. Luke tells us that the young Jesus visited the Temple, where He impressed the teachers there with His knowledge of the Law of Moses. (See Luke 2: 41 – 51)
- His public ministry began at about the age of thirty (Luke 3: 23), and lasted about three years. During His earthly ministry, increasing numbers of people came to hear Him, to see His miracles, and to see that God was doing in Jesus’ work. But the total number of those who witnessed these things was probably still quite small.
- He was betrayed into the hands of the leadership of the Jewish people, was condemned to die by Pontius Pilate, and died a criminal’s death on a cross. Most crucified people didn’t receive a burial, but Jesus did, by the generosity of Joseph of Arimathea.
- He rose from the dead on Easter Sunday morning, an event that was witnessed originally by Mary Magdelene, His mother Mary, the eleven remaining disciples, and very few others.
But
I think the point is that God works with very small beginnings.
Oh
yes, we need to acknowledge God’s power to work with big, dramatic gestures
which show forth His power…the parting of the Red Sea is just one example of
that divine power.
But
more often than not, God is working with small beginnings, with people who may
not garner much attention from the world at large. We think of the Old Testament prophets in
this regard…How many heard Amos speak the word of the Lord in the eighth
century BC, for example…very few, I’ll wager.
Yet
we remember Amos today, 2,800 years later.
We remember His words of wisdom that come from God.
God’s
small beginnings in sending Jesus Christ among us have now grown to cover the
entire world. The march of the Christian faith, especially in places like
Africa and China, were Christians have a hard time maintaining their witness to
the Good News of Jesus Christ, is evidence that God’s small beginnings were
destined to become great things, like the grain of mustard seed that grows into
a mighty, large bush. (See Luke 13: 18 – 19.)
Now,
the growth of this Good News of Jesus Christ has reached us. It has taken root in our hearts, beginning as
a small seed, planted at the time of our baptisms. It has grown, matured, and is now bearing
fruit, fruit for the kingdom of God that makes the world a better place for
everyone to live in….
And
that, dear friends, is one of the ways that God decided to save the world: He sent His only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ,
to save us from our own sinful and destructive ways. And as He planted a new person in our hearts
in place of the old, sinful one, He also has given us the power to show the
world that there is a better and higher way to live: That is the way that Jesus Christ came to
show us by His life, teachings, death, resurrection, ascension into heaven, and
by His coming again at the end of time in power and great glory.
All
of these things begin in small, almost unnoticeable ways.
This
holy season is the time to take stock of our walk with God…can we see the small
beginnings of faith that were planted when we were baptized? Can we see the growth in the knowledge and
love of the Lord that is God’s fondest desire for us? Can we see mature growth that allows the
seeds of faith to be sown in others’ hearts?
Can we see that the way of Christ, present within us, makes the world
around us a better place?
May
the Holy Spirit enable us to see the fruits of good works, present in our
lives, for the salvation of the world and the betterment of our souls’ health.
AMEN.
[1] The idea that Mary and Joseph were poor may
be gleaned from the nature of the offering that was made when Jesus was
presented in the Temple. The Law of
Moses allowed poorer persons to make an offering of “two turtledoves or two
pigeons” in such cases. (See Luke 2: 24)
[2] This is an event we will remember on the
Feast of the Epiphany, January 6th.
