December 6th, 2021
Matthew 22:23-33
23 The same day some Sadducees came to him, saying there is no resurrection; and they asked him a question, saying, 24 “Teacher, Moses said, ‘If a man dies childless, his brother shall marry the widow, and raise up children for his brother.’ 25 Now there were seven brothers among us; the first married, and died childless, leaving the widow to his brother. 26 The second did the same, so also the third, down to the seventh. 27 Last of all, the woman herself died. 28 In the resurrection, then, whose wife of the seven will she be? For all of them had married her.”
29 Jesus answered them, “You are wrong, because you know neither the scriptures nor the power of God. 30 For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. 31 And as for the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was said to you by God, 32 ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is God not of the dead, but of the living.” 33 And when the crowd heard it, they were astounded at his teaching.
Righteous Rage
I have been filled with rage a lot lately. That might be a strange thing for a priest to admit, but it’s true. And I suspect that I’m not the only one. My rage is usually at the injustices of the world and how truly awful humans can be to one another. Or how many people just don’t even seem to care. I can easily get on a soapbox and tell you all the ways the world should be. And there’s truth there. There’s plenty of reason to rage. Seriously... just look around at the world. And yet, I need to be careful. I’ve noticed that righteous rage can easily turn petty. It can go from disagreements about important issues to simply picking apart everything someone says. It can go from listening and trying to understand someone, to just trying to make them look like an idiot. If I don’t put rage into action, if I don’t channel for good, my rage ends up hurting others and myself.
When rage takes over, I certainly don’t make the world a better place.
Now, don’t get me wrong, I don’t plan on giving rage up this Advent season. I’m not turning all Jingle Bells and sugar cookies. Rather, I’m going to live into what Advent is all about. Advent is about acknowledging the darkness. It’s about seeing the injustices of the world. It’s about reading the prophets and their fiery proclamations and recognizing that they are speaking to the world not just back then, but today. So, this Advent, I’m going to rage at it all. I’m going to feel deeply why humanity needs a Savior. I’m going to cry out for Emmanuel, God with us.
Then, and only then, I’m going to also look for signs of hope and light and beauty in the world.
I’m going to watch for the many ways God continues to show up. This Advent season calls us to take all of the rage and all of the heartache and follow God in doubling down on love. After all, God could have given up on us, but instead God went all-in at Christmas. So, this Advent, I will do my best to follow. I will show up and speak up in ways that matter. And I will also step down from my soapbox and simply listen and try my best to understand. I will give of my time, money, and heart to spreading love. I will put words into action. This is what it means to follow God in Advent…and every other day. We must feel the rage, and then, we must double down on love.
With God’s help, we really can make the world a better place.
The Rev. Kirsten Baer
Chaplain, Casady School
Episcopal Diocese of Oklahoma