In two weeks we will be preaching on the
birth of the Lord Jesus (again). Birth usually means something new, a beginning,
a fresh start. We confess that Jesus is a center point in human history but
there is little new about Christmas sermons that talk about how much God loves
and identifies with us then turn around the rest of the year and talk about
how different God and Jesus are.
Furthermore, there is a complete disjunction
in much of American Christianity between spirituality and ethics. It is not
the mercy code of Jesus that is taught and extolled in the churches, but the
militant holiness code of his contemporaries. We will not appreciate either
the Gospel of Luke or Jesus if we are not willing to listen to this deep hermeneutical
challenge presented in the gospels.
In Advent, we wait, but we can do something
while we wait, we can repent. We can ‘change our way of thinking’
(metanoia). We can allow God to correct us and show us that which is truly
new and precious on Christmas morning: namely, that God the maker of heaven
and earth is a God of Peace.
America is not a dark and evil country.
It has many qualities that are beneficial. It has many people who struggle
every day to care for their neighbor as best as they are able. It has given
the world some great people. But like all countries and governments throughout
history, it has a dark side that is easily manipulated by the elite, those
‘exousia’ who are often the power behind the throne. These ‘powers’
have succeeded in merging Christianity and culture, Jesus and retribution
over and over again. If Christian America wants or needs some kind of ‘divine’
authority to engage in retributive acts then it must stop calling itself Christian
and call itself something else. “Good,” “virtuous,”
“moral,” “upright,” “just. Whatever. Appeal
to ‘natural law.’ But don’t say it is Christian. Don’t
blame it on Jesus.
Some Sermon Thoughts:
This is our second encounter with the
Forerunner, and the frightening tone of his words refuse to be ignored. If
we do not deal with the fear or self-righteousness John’s words have
no doubt created in our congregations, we will probably risk irrelevance.
Some of our folks will hear the phrase
“brood of vipers” aimed at themselves. They may be accustomed
to the twisting of the prophetic voice in modern Christianity, and may have
come to believe that this kind of hyperbole is meant for them, that they are,
in fact, no better than “vipers,” at least in John’s eyes.
Some of them will hear “brood of
vipers” and be just as sure that these words are meant for those “others”
whose values they do not share, and whose “otherness” merits the
contempt that John seems to rain on them.
We mentioned in the Historical-Critical
section above that Luke seems to have laid out the encounters here to parallel
other, similar encounters in Jesus’ ministry. It is worthwhile here
to contrast Jesus’ response with that of John.
John is not the Messiah. He is not the
Word Incarnate. If his response and Jesus’ response to similar people
differ in some ways, whose will you choose to treat authoritatively? I realize
that we are accustomed to thinking of John, the Forerunner, as being fairly
accurate in his understanding of the one who will come after him, but does
Luke really see him that way? Again, contrast his response with that of Jesus
to similar kinds of people.
Luke, we believe, uses irony throughout
these introductory chapters to contrast the reality of Jesus and his ministry
with the expectations of the people. John speaks of Jesus as “mightier
than I,” and yet, Jesus’ ministry exhibits nothing that would
have been understood as “mighty” in the first century. Earlier,
Zechariah sings praise because by the Savior he expects, he and his people
will be “saved from their enemies and from the hands of all who hate
us.” By the time we reach the end of Acts, this still has not happened.
Only Mary seems to get it right, understanding God’s favor granted to
the victims, without creating a new category of victim along the way.
As preachers, it may be our task as we
listen to John this week, to speak to the way that we, who are too prone to
think like John, identify with his values, whether they condemn or justify
us. It is encouraging for us to look at John and see that, as close to Jesus
as he was, he could still think like us, in a way that still envisioned a
kingdom that excluded the “vipers” of this world. John, like Peter,
doesn’t quite get it all the time. Neither do we. Fortunately, just
because we’re in Advent, it doesn’t mean that we have to omit
the Gospel Jesus preached from our preaching!
“Repentance is the greatest spiritual
gift of all” – Dick Domer, Rifton NY Bruderhof.
Religion is a useful generic category
that encompasses all kinds of sub categories, e.g., rituals, prayers, theologies,
liturgies. Each of these can be studied in a scientific manner. When it comes
to the study of spiritualities, however, there is more than just an intellectual
sympathy with the subject matter, there is an emotional empathy as well. This
added epistemological dimension helps us to treat the subject matter of religion
as an Other, as a Thou. Scientific study of religion tends to remain on the
neutered plane of the flat surface of a two-dimensional subject. That which
is other is an It.
This is not just true of the scientific
study of religion, it is true of the spirituality of much of modern Christianity.
There is a general malaise in North America. The ‘It’ gods are
in heavy competition with one another. They all hate each other, just like
the gods of old. Roman Catholicism in North America has suffered greatly as
a result of the pedophilia scandal as well as Rome’s inability to make
the transition from a medieval hierarchical structuring to modern democracy.
Protestants have for the most part seen declines, especially so-called mainline
churches. There appears to be a growing irrelevance posited for the church.
Except for those church traditions that
juxtapose or even fuse the State and the Christian faith. These are growing.
They are giving people a theological justification for expressing their desire
for vengeance and retribution and worse still, is that they are doing this
in the name of the Prince of Peace. And this is why it is so
difficult for them to give up their ‘treasured devotion.’ Particularly
their devotion to religion, to an IT God, to a god who demands sacrifice and
honor. Or an alcoholic in the sky, however you want to look at it.
It bears repeating: Religion is for those
trying to stay out of hell, Spirituality is for those who have been there.
The people coming to John the Baptist were practitioners of religion. John
does not give them an ethic, or commands. He re-orients the value system of
each person in this narrative encounter. Each orientation is toward the economic
aspect of the mimetic system. Like the Hebrew prophets before him and like
Jesus after him, John the Baptist sees the connection to be made between religion
and money and that a critique of one entails a critique of the other. This
is no surprise for as we saw in Year B, both religion and money are a form
of exchange which arise from the substitutionary element of the victimage
mechanism. If John first critiques the inadequacy of the spirituality he observes,
when he is questioned, his answers reveal the problem: evidently, people felt
that as long as they made sacrifices to God and appeased and atoned this God
then all would be right for them. They were just trying to stay out of hell.
Mimetic spirituality operates out of
fear. Fear of divine retribution. It does not care about the concrete consequences
expressed in relation to ‘others,’ except as they attract or repel
this retribution. In short, it is self-centered and its predominant approach
to God is that of ‘do ut des’ (I give in order to get). John implicitly
tells the crowds that their expectations that run high for deliverance include
deliverance ultimately from negative mimesis and its social effects. Then
as now self-worth equaled net worth. The ‘crowds’ were exhorted,
in short, to value the other. Mother Teresa is an excellent contemporary example
of someone who understood this aspect of the prophetic message.
Anthropological Reading
A question for you: Is Luke trying to
make John the Baptist sound like Jesus? Or is he making Jesus sound like John?
Or is he making both sound like Paul? Or does he make Paul to sound like Jesus
(or Jerusalem Christianity for that matter)? Is Luke’s John the Baptist
‘unhistorical?’ Many scholars think so. This section of text does
contain a fair amount of Lukanisms. It is a structured text with parallels
in many ways. “There may be a structural motivation underlying his account
of John addressing the crowds, tax gatherers and soldiers. Jesus also meets
crowds (Lk 4:40-41, cf. Lk 3:10-11), then Levi the tax gatherer (Lk 5:27-32:
cf. Lk 3:12-13); and a soldier –the centurion (Lk 7:2-10, cf. Lk 3:14).
Could Luke have structured John’s activity as a parallel to Jesus’
ministry?” (Luke’s Use of Matthew). Sure he could have and probably
did, but that does not mean this text lacks historical credibility. John is
no less eschatological here than in Matthew, nor is he less christologically
focused. Could John have had contact with those Luke says he did? More than
likely. Does what John says make sense in the Jewish context in which it is
uttered? Sure it does. Luke’s John the Baptist may not satisfy modern
historical canons, but his portrait is authentic.
Either
this page has not yet been completed, or we have not found any significant textual
issues in the lectionary texts for this Sunday.
Introductory Articles
We will add articles as we are able,
or as users of the site request them, so if you have suggestions for additional
pieces, please write to us!
"Introduction
to Mimetic Theory"
"Mimesis"
"The
Scapegoat"
"The
Pillars of Culture"
"Jesus"
"The
Four Gospels"
A Brief Introduction
to Luke
What's New: (Hover your mouse over to pause cycling)
Zep
3:14-20
Is 12:2-6 (resp)
Phil 4:4-7
Lk 3:7-18
(Zephaniah 3:14-20)
Sing aloud, O daughter Zion; shout, O Israel! Rejoice and exult with all your
heart, O daughter Jerusalem! The LORD has taken away the judgments against
you, he has turned away your enemies. The king of Israel, the LORD, is in
your midst; you shall fear disaster no more. On that day it shall be said
to Jerusalem: Do not fear, O Zion; do not let your hands grow weak. The LORD,
your God, is in your midst, a warrior who gives victory; he will rejoice over
you with gladness, he will renew you in his love; he will exult over you with
loud singing as on a day of festival. I will remove disaster from you, so
that you will not bear reproach for it. I will deal with all your oppressors
at that time. And I will save the lame and gather the outcast, and I will
change their shame into praise and renown in all the earth. At that time I
will bring you home, at the time when I gather you; for I will make you renowned
and praised among all the peoples of the earth, when I restore your fortunes
before your eyes, says the LORD.
(Isaiah 12:2-6)
Surely God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid, for the
LORD GOD is my strength and my might; he has become my salvation. With joy
you will draw water from the wells of salvation. And you will say in that
day: Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name; make known his deeds among
the nations; proclaim that his name is exalted. Sing praises to the LORD,
for he has done gloriously; let this be known in all the earth. Shout aloud
and sing for joy, O royal Zion, for great in your midst is the Holy One of
Israel.
(Philippians 4:4-7)
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your gentleness
be known to everyone. The Lord is near. Do not worry about anything, but in
everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests
be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding,
will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
(Luke 3:7-18)
John said to the crowds that came out to be baptized by him, "You brood
of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruits worthy
of repentance. Do not begin to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our
ancestor'; for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children
to Abraham. Even now the ax is lying at the root of the trees; every tree
therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire."
And the crowds asked him, "What then should we do?" In reply he
said to them, "Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none;
and whoever has food must do likewise." Even tax collectors came to be
baptized, and they asked him, "Teacher, what should we do?" He said
to them, "Collect no more than the amount prescribed for you." Soldiers
also asked him, "And we, what should we do?" He said to them, "Do
not extort money from anyone by threats or false accusation, and be satisfied
with your wages." As the people were filled with expectation, and all
were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the
Messiah, John answered all of them by saying, "I baptize you with water;
but one who is more powerful than I is coming; I am not worthy to untie the
thong of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His
winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather
the wheat into his granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire."
So, with many other exhortations, he proclaimed the good news to the people.
Occasional Articles
As with the Introductory Articles, we
will add other articles as time permits or as our readers request. If you
have a suggestion for anything, please let us know.
Michael Hardin
Is the Apocalypse Inevitable?: Native American Prophecy and the Mimetic Theory presented to the Colloquium on Violence and Religion 2008
Michael's Essay for a Celebration Volume honoring Rene Girard
Michael's Response to Willard Swartley's Covenent of Peace at the November Colloquium and Violence Meeting
Does
Peace Make A Difference? - Michael's essay in response to Rick
Warren's P.E.A.C.E. plan (which somehow never mentions peace).
An Analysis of Rick Warren - Michael's response to "The Purpose Driven Life."
"The
God of Pat Robertson" - a response to Pat Robertson's words
to the people of Dover, PA.
"A
response to Charles Stanley's "A Nation at War"
"Must
God be violent? A Diagnosis and Prescription for Modern Christianity"
The
Scapegoat: Christologies in Conflict - A Study in Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Biblical
Testaments as a Marriage of Convenience: Rene Girard and Biblical Interpretation
Finding
Our Way Home: A Brief Note On The Authority and Interpretation of Scripture
"Does
The Passion of the Christ Preach the Gospel?"
A
sermon for the holiday devoted to Dr. Martin Luther King. (requires
Adobe Acrobat Reader.)
GRASPING
GOD: Philippians 2: 1-11 in the Light of Mimetic Theory
Rene Girard and the Recovery of Early Christian Perspectives (Brethren Life and Thought)
The Dynamics of Violence and the Imitation of Christ in Maximus Confessor (St. Vladimir's Theological Quarterly)
"EcoSpirituality"
Or What Happens When You Sit Down With A French Literary Critic
Jeff Krantz
Mighty
One or Crucified Messiah? Competing Christologies and the Chiastic
Structure of Mark's Gospel
There's
No Such Thing as the Rapture - A sermon preached at the Church
of the Advent, Westbury (requires Acrobat Reader)
Holy
Scripture and the Consecration of Gene Robinson - a response
to the request of the Windsor Report for a Scriptural rationale. (requires
Adobe's Acrobat Reader)
Worship - The Redemption of Desire by Jeff Krantz
Myth
and Film - a piece written for the City of Angels Film Festival
The Stations of the Cross - Rewritten by Jeff Krantz
A Dramatic Presentation of the Stations of the Cross for Youth by Barb Fabijan-Waddell
Escaping
the Power of "My" - A NonViolent Approach to Stewardship
Preaching
Peace in Hollywood: The Theologies of Terminator, Lord of the Rings, and the
Matrix
V
for Vendetta - The Name Says It All A review of the movie.
Essays, Sermons and Liturgical Pieces by Friends of Preaching Peace
"Jesus and the Gibeonites: Reading the Bible from the Perspective of the Hidden Victim" by James Warren.
Mark Heim's "No More of This" - A hymn on Nonviolent Atonement
Kate Layzer's "No More of This" - A hymn on Nonviolent Atonement (and inspiration for Mark Heim's hymn!)
Alan Cork, "Transformation" in L'Arche: A Mimetic Account presented to the Colloquium on Violence and Religion 2008
"The Wisdom of God's Peace" a sermon by Jim Amstutz, co-pastor of Michael's church.
Girard's Christology - Per Bjornar Grande
Violence, Anarchy and Scripture: Jacques Ellul and Rene Girard - Matthew Patillo
Comparing
Plato's Understanding of Mimesis to Girard's - Per Bjorner Grande
C. Frank Terhune, an Easter Sermon: "God's Big But" (no kidding!)
Gerald Biesecker-Mast's paper from Theologia Pacis on Pacifist Gospel Epstimology.
An essay by the Rev. John Hill on Mimetic Theory and Catechesis
