First United Methodist Church
December 1st, 2024
Rev. Lauren Hall
Advent 1 - Rome: A Place of Longing
This season can still surprise us. We might think we are ready. We might have been checking the calendar. We might have had plans underway for some months now. And still, when the first Sunday of Advent rolls around, we have to deal with the shock. “It can’t possibly be time for this again,” we think. But let’s be honest with ourselves; it isn’t simply a matter of calendar neglect. It is that this season of anticipation comes in the midst of life in all its fullness and its messiness. We are wrapped up in so many things, getting so many things done, so many things right, that we can be surprised that the very thing we are planning for actually comes.
This First Sunday of Advent – Advent is not something we endure; it is something we become, something that we are. We are people who live in anticipation, who live in hope. It is the essence of our being. So, on this First Sunday of Advent, we are heeding the call to pay attention. Our life is a life of fullness and joy, but it is also a preparation for even more fullness. In our Wesleyan tradition, we call that fullness sanctification, or even riskier, we say we are moving on to perfection.
We prepare for eternity, for kingdom living, for perfection by living attentively. We might not really be shocked by the arrival of this season, but we are deeply startled by our continuing need to be reminded that we are called, and we want to live in hope. As we worship in this season we can remind ourselves to prepare, to pay attention and to get ready.
During Advent this year, we are taking a journey to Bethlehem. We begin in Rome even though Jesus never traveled to Rome. But Ceasar Augustus lived there and that is where decisions were made. In our Bible passage for today we learn that Caesar Augustus wanted everyone registered for a census. That census could have been for tax purposes, but it’s more likely that this census was taken out of fear. Ceasar wanted to count the number of adult males who were Jewish in order to know how many soldiers he needed to keep in occupied Israel. The side benefit was being able to tax those who registered.
In the United States, a census is taken every ten years, but rather than making everyone travel to where they were originally from, we count people where they are. Imagine the chaos that would occur in our lives if every ten years we would have to return to the town where our family originated to sign in at city hall! I don’t even know where I would start.
But the purpose of the census, even though it did have a very practical purpose, was to disrupt the lives of the Israeli people. Ceasar controlled other countries, and I’m sure the natives of those countries also had to travel during this time. The interesting thing about our story is that it created a situation that allowed a prophecy to be fulfilled.
The Messiah was to be born in Bethlehem, and Mary, who was to be the mother of this child, currently resided in Nazareth. Without the census, there would have been no reason for Joseph and Mary to travel to Bethlehem.
Luke didn’t have to mention the decree in his story. None of the other Gospel writers mention it. But Luke is also the author of Acts, which introduces us to Paul, who ultimately travels to Rome and establishes a church there. The Gospel of Luke has a purpose, and one of those purposes is to show us that it is possible to live a life of faith within the restraints of a powerful and authoritative government. One of the things that Luke shows us in his version of the Messiah’s birth is that the chaos intended by a decree in Rome resulted in things falling into place according to God’s plan. And this is a theme that we will encounter continuously throughout Luke and Acts.
And so, we begin our journey in Rome. And we begin our journey with Hope. What exactly is Hope? Hope is like a positive attitude that reminds us that the best is yet to come. Have you ever looked forward to something? Like how we look forward to Christmas? Or if you are a sports fan, next season? That’s what Hope feels like. We are not there yet, but we move forward on our journey with anticipation of good things! This is so important for us to remember. When the decree from Rome went out, the people were hoping for a better day “down the road.” Remember that they experienced the Babylonian exile as punishment for their disobedience. The Babylonians scattered them in order to weaken their ability to organize and rebel against them. When the Assyrians defeated the Babylonians, they allowed the Jewish people to return to their home country in an effort to build support and compliance. The Romans came later, and they decided that the best way to prevent rebellion was to overwhelm the Jewish people with military authority. They did try to work with the people, but it was very clear who was in charge. What did the Jewish people want? They wanted some things to change to make their lives better, and they were hoping for leaders who could help make that happen. If you follow these stories as they unfold in the Bible, you begin to see how God works within these movements to bring order to chaos and to fulfill the prophesies, or the original plan for salvation. God is active. God is present. God is working for good in the world.
One of the keys to experiencing this presence is living in faith within the political movements of the world.
Therefore, this Advent, I encourage you to pay close attention to the scriptures and the liturgies that take us to Bethlehem. The Sunday School Class is studying this topic as well if you would like to dive into it a little deeper. I encourage you to take some time to read the full birth narratives, and to go back into the writings of the prophets and see for yourself how the story unfolds.
