The Gift of Judgment: Second Monday of Advent

Judgment is at hand, promise of judgment and threat of judgment.... It is the same sort of ambivalence which Christians have been taught to recognize in the season of Advent.
~ C.S. Lewis and Charles Williams, The Arthurian Torso, p157

The promise and threat of judgment are typical themes for our modern Christmas tunes. But judgment is a gift to us, and it is part of the Advent season. Judgment is a gift in which reality is disclosed, the consequences of our actions are discerned and announced and put into motion.

In a courtroom scene, if I am the one that has been sinned against, I am thankful for the judgment that results in justice and truth. If I am the one that sinned against my neighbor, then I am duty bound to accept the consequences and face reality. That's a crucial kind of gift.

Jesus of Nazareth became the Christ of Israel and the Earth - he came as light bringing hope and truth and grace. But Jesus has promised to come again - and to some it is a threat: he will bring justice and make everything all right. The Advent of Christmas will be followed by an Advent of the Kingdom. 

Judgment will come with the King, and to some degree that makes us uncomfortable because we know what's true of our hearts. For all the good that we have done, for all the good that we have received, for all the good that is in us - there is also much that is dark, that is prideful, that is angry, that is envious, that is wicked.

When light shines on a dark land, those that prospered in the dark will cringe and protest. But those that were being taken advantage of in the shadows will welcome the light.

When you bring truth into a situation that was laced with lies, when you bring grace into a relationship that was built on bigotry, when you bring hope into a place that was burdened with despair - you are bringing light and judgment. That's a difficult gift to bear, but it is crucial for them to receive.

For the day of the LORD is near.
Joel 3v14 (NIV)

When the ancient prophets of Israel proclaimed the coming of the Day of the LORD, they anticipated a time when YHWH would make everything all right. The corrupt rich would be judged, the pious poor would be lifted up; the belligerent enemies of Israel would be humbled, and the righteous rulers would be empowered and honored.

As some of the Jews of the first century looked back on the life of Jesus, they discerned that he was who he said he was: the Incarnated God, the Emmanuel: God with us! The LORD had come, his day had arrived - and gone again.

When Jesus ascended into heaven, he promised to return just as he had come. He promised that he would always be with us - even while he was out of sight. To some this may be a threat. But to those of us that welcome the Advent of Christ season, we are eager for the Advent of the Kingdom. 

We are eager for everything to be restored. We are also humbly aware that we are participating agents of the corruption of the earth. Yet it is this humility and acceptance of God's rule in our life that enables our misdeeds to be redeemed, for our own lives to be used in the renewal of all things.

May you accept the Advent of Judgment as a promise and a threat. May you embrace the Advent of Christ as a gift of grace and truth. May you anticipate the Advent of the Kingdom when everything will be made all right. And may you live now in the light of what is to come...