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Adam Russell Taylor This week, we began the season of Advent, the four weeks in the liturgical calendar in which we wait in joyous hope for the incarnation, the moment in which God upends history by taking on human form through the birth of Christ. In this frenetic season, an increasing number of us are coping with loneliness or the loss of loved ones amid a pandemic. This year, we are in desperate need of Advent. In our Advent devotion at Sojourners this week, my colleague Rose Marie Berger reminded us that Advent is a season in which the paradox of our faith is on full display: The already-but-not-yet takes center stage. Christians believe that God’s reign of righteousness, steadfast love, peace, and justice is not just a promise relegated to the future. Instead, we see glimpses of that heaven in the here and now, even as we face the realities of suffering and grief all around us. This means that Christ’s birth in Bethlehem makes it possible for us to co-labor with God in yanking pieces of heaven and bringing them closer to Earth. And while that heavenly future won't be fully realized until Christ’s return, Christ’s birth reminds us that it has been promised, and through the resurrection, we know that ultimately sin and injustice never have the last word. We enter this Advent season with ample signs of the already-but-not-yet: Last week, while many in the United States were sharing a meal with family for the first time in nearly two years, we learned about the omicron variant, a new strain of COVID-19 that may be more transmissible and more resistant to vaccines. We wait with hope that this variant is less dangerous than health officials fear. In the political sphere, we celebrate the bipartisan passage of the infrastructure bill, even as Congress continues to be embroiled in a race against time to pass the Build Back Better package, which we have argued would be the most pro-family legislation in a generation. We wait with hope for strong leadership that works for the common good. While the recent climate summit in Glasgow, Scotland, resulted in new pledges to address some of the worst drivers of climate change, we’re still on track to see a cataclysmic 2.4 degree Celsius rise in global temperature by 2030. We wait in hope for a dramatic shift in our collective worldview on climate solutions.
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Our Latest Nigerian Priest Saves Pre-Christian Artifacts From Destruction (by Sean Sanni, Reuters) Many Christian converts burn their artifacts, which the churches say are associated with evil spirits. I'm Dreaming of a Women's Rights Christmas (by Camille Hernandez) The Annunciation shows us a God who refuses to coerce women into pregnancy. Why Pastors Are Joining the Great Resignation (by Melissa Florer-Bixler) My pastor friends aren’t giving up on the gospel, they’re giving up on sexist, racist, bickering churches. Pope Francis Tells Governments Not to Use Migrants as Pawns (by Philip Pullella, Reuters) “How can suffering and despair be exploited to advance or defend political agendas?” Francis said. |
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From the Magazine Jesus Was A Refugee (by Marlena Graves) Advent reminds us that even the God of the universe sought asylum in the wake of violent oppression. |
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Faculty Openings at Earlham School of Religion Earlham School of Religion, a seminary in the Quaker tradition in Richmond, Ind., is hiring a full-time assistant professor of Old Testament (First Testament/Hebrew Bible) and a full-time faculty position in Peace and Justice Studies, open rank, to start July 1, 2022. We encourage applications from people of color, people who identify as women, members of the LGBTQ+ community, and other underrepresented groups. Advent is here — are your sermons ready? Advent season began Nov. 28, so it is the perfect time to subscribe to Preaching the Word, Sojourners’ own social-justice focused preaching resource. Your subscription includes tools to enhance your biblical study and prepare for Advent preaching, according to the Revised Common Lectionary. Subscribe today to receive 30% off! |
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