December 22 *Fourth Sunday of Advent* God is with Us

Ismael Fisco Jr., United Methodist Church

Refugees La Sagrada Familia Art Print by Kelly Latimore(https://www.pinterest.ph/pin/219972763033640381/)

Psalms 24:1-6;
Isaiah 7:10-14
Rome 1:1-7
Matthew 1:18-24

I had my first ever international flight (and first plane ride) in 2009 when I was commissioned by the National Council of Churches in the Philippines (NCCP) as a mission intern for four months with the Norwegian Church Aid under its Communication for Change Program in Oslo, Norway. I left my family behind and a promising career in the human resources to be with other youth leaders from around the world who came together to share the realities of our own countries and our hopes for “changing the world.”

 

Young as I was, my being away from family heightened by the melancholy brought about by winter made it one of the saddest yet the best four months of my life knowing that God was with me throughout my journey.

 

We were staging a protest in front of Stortinget (the Norwegian parliament) when I met Elkouria “Rabab” Amidane, 2009 Student Peace Prize Winner, a Saharawi student and human rights activist. Rabab told the world about Moroccan mistreatment of the Saharawi people, and spread videos and photos documenting human rights violations and met with hundreds of thousands of students to narrate the struggles in Western Sahara. This has called the attention of the NGOs like Amnesty International and the international community to support her cause.

 

Her years of struggle and organizing work for Western Sahara’s self-determination and championing the Saharawi students’ rights against Morocco earned her the prestigious peace prize and also the Ordfront Democracy Prize at the Swedish Parliament.

 

Rabab’s struggle reminded me of God’s presence even in the farthest part of the world and even in the midst of life’s many uncertainties and adversities.

 

In Isaiah 7, the prophecy about the coming of a Messiah was told and the Lord spoke to Ahaz to ask for a sign. Then the Lord said “Hear now, Oh house of David! Is it a small thing for you to weary men, but will you weary my God also? Therefore, the Lord himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call his name Immanuel.”

 

The ultimate fulfillment of this prophecy goes far beyond Ahaz from the old to new testament.

 

In Matthew 1, the author tells the story through the eyes of Joseph, the man to whom Mary was betrothed. When Joseph found out that Mary was expecting a child he pondered how he could be released from betrothal, which was a legally binding contract between a man and a woman, but remaining pure and without causing Mary a shame and disgrace.

 

Joseph would have left Mary by divorcing her quietly, if not for the angel of the Lord appearing to him in dream saying “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save people from their sins.”

 

When I was young, I only understood Immanuel as another name referring to Jesus. But as I seek to know more about Jesus through the church and the community of peoples, I find a different and more profound meaning for this name.

 

Jesus’ birth is a fulfillment of what the Lord had spoken by the prophet that a virgin shall conceive and bear a son and they shall call his name Immanuel (which means God with us). This was true of Jesus in fact, not only as a title but it speaks of both the deity of Jesus (God) and his identification and nearness to man (with us).

 

The birth of Jesus is a humble reminder that we are not alone in any circumstances of our lives. Jesus, the mystery of incarnation, wanting to be with us in a form of a true man. He who was not born as a worldly king but with a manger as his throne.

 

God is with us to guide, protect, comfort, enlighten and save us from temptations and trials; he is with us in our birth and in the hours of our death and through eternity. But God is also with us in the world full of darkness and terror. We do not only see him but we feel his presence in the midst of struggles and afflictions. He is present in places which we never think he will be and in places which we think he’s not supposed to be because he is “God.”

 

God is not in the pedestals of our churches. God is in the presence of the toiling masses in their yearning for hope, and in their struggles and cries for a dignity of life. God is with the farmers, the laborers, the fisher-folks and in the face of every Filipino carrying their daily burdens and giving them hope.

 

God is with the families of victims of human rights violations and extra-judicial killings comforting them in their grief and longing for their loved ones. God is with the Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) and their families in their pursuit of a better life for their children.

 

God is with the protesters in the streets in their fight for societal reforms and in their call for denouncing the systems that breed corruption and poverty. God is with the church people in their participation in the mission of Christ, in being their channels of God’s love, compassion and service.

 

God is with the peace-makers like Rabab, in her struggle for self-determination for her country. He is with the mission workers around the world in their journey of being God’s hands and feet in serving peoples’ communities, and being their tongue for speaking the truth.

 

Many of us celebrate the coming of Jesus Christ through different church ceremonies and Christmas festivities. But let us not forget the courage and faith of Joseph to stand by Mary and her child by standing in solidarity with the poorest and the least sectors of our society in their struggles, no matter what it takes, so that they too will experience the liberating power brought about by Christmas.##

 

December 15 Third Sunday of Advent*Following the Galilean Christ

 

Rev. Genesis Antonio, United Methodist Church

Manunubos ni  Joey Velasco 

PS 146:6-7, 8-9, 9-10

IS 35:1-6A, 10

JAS 5:7-10

MT 11:2-11

 

 

When I was serving as a youth leader in a humble church in Bataan, a friend shared with me his “faith struggle” and asked why he’s unable to see a clear image of Christ as he prays. He claimed he was able to see it clearer before. Hearing that, I asked myself, “How did Jesus look like?” and “Does this person’s image of Christ the same as mine?” “Ano nga ba ang dapat na itsura ni Hesus?” As I try to obtain answers to these questions, I came to believe that to come up with more accurate ones, we should ask the question, “How would a first century Galilean look like?”

 

As Filipino Christians, we have based our image of Christ on paintings and arts that portray Jesus as a blond and blue-eyed Caucasian guy who looks like Brad Pitt or some Hollywood star. We also pray to Jesus that we’ve seen in Western movies and plays. Moreover, we adopted Western theologies on Jesus’ humanity and divinity (Christology) that are very far from the first century Galilean Christ.

 

Carlos Abesamis, a renowned Filipino theologian, offered an “alternative” image of Christ in his book “A Third Look at Jesus”. He suggested three ways to know and understand Christ. First is to go back to the time when He lived and did his ministries; and to look at Jesus using the lens of a poor and oppressed Galilean. The “Second Look at Jesus” is through a lens of a blond, blue-eyed, Caucasian guy which only leads to a Jesus who is also Caucasian – a christ who doesn’t know the depth of the experiences and struggles of the poor. Abesamis proposed that looking at Jesus through Filipino eyes, a lens of a poor and oppressed, is a better way of knowing Christ. For Abesamis, a Filipino lens (Third Look) is very similar to the Galilean lens (First Look) and by using this lens, we could understand what Christ was and what He would be for us in this present time.

 

The Jews in the time of Jesus expected the coming of the Christ – the one who would liberate them from Roman slavery and oppression. While others thought that the Christ would be as great as King David, some believed that the Redeemer would come from the margins as the prophets of the old. So John, while in prison, asked Jesus through his disciples whether they already have witnessed the Christ or they would need to anticipate for another one. Thereupon Jesus declared, “The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor. Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me” (Matthew 11:5-6 NIV).

 

The response of Jesus to John’s disciples is a fulfilment of His mission declared in the Gospel of Luke, “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor” (Luke 4:18-19 NIV). These words are quoted from Isaiah 61:1-2, and the words used for “anointed me” in both Luke 4:18 and the LXX Isaiah 61:1 is ἔχρισέν με” (echrisen me) are derived from the word Christ. Filled by the Spirit of the Lord, Jesus declared that He has been anointed, “echrisen”, or “made Christ” to fulfil the “Missio Dei” (the Mission of God) to the poor, the prisoners, the blind and the oppressed. This declaration of Jesus in Luke 4:18-19 and His response in Matthew 11:5-6 offer us a better understanding of what a Christ is and what it is to accomplish the Missio Dei.

 

Many of us follow the wrong Christ. We seek “a reed shaken by the wind” or “someone dressed in soft robes.” We follow the one who pacifies and enslaves us, and not the Christ who anoints us and liberates us. Many of us follow the Caucasian Christ concerned only about our souls and not our whole being. We confine spirituality on personal matters and attribute holiness only on prayers, Bible reading and worship attendance. But filled with the Holy Spirit, Jesus declared that God has anointed Him to announce good news to the poor, to proclaim release to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free and to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.

 

To be filled with the Holy Spirit is to follow the Christ who liberates people from slavery and oppression. To follow Christ is to follow the Galilean who served the poor and the marginalized. To follow Jesus is to offer our lives so that others might live. And to follow Christ is not to follow the Christ that leads us to selfishness and damnation. Amen.

December 8 Second Sunday of Advent *Prepare Ye the Way

Norma P. Dollaga, United Methodist Church/ KASIMBAYAN

Detained NDFP consultants (Artwork by Dee Ayroso/ Bulatlat)Enter a caption

The voice is coming from the wilderness saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”

We anticipate the coming of good news. How prepared are we to welcome the message of the Messiah, to welcome the Messiah himself?

How do we imagine the bringing of Good News?

John the Baptist is humble enough to say, “But after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry.”(v11)

Repent—turn away from evil and embrace life-nurturing values.

Today, I was with many children for a Peace Children’s Camp. As an adult, I owe to our children the truth they need to know, so they would protect the Truth they have known, and fight for the Truth they have embraced.

I was reminded of Rey Claro Casambre (RCC) and the over 600 political prisoners in our country. In my thoughts, I questioned. Should people be imprisoned because they desire for peace based on justice, or because they are human rights defenders?

Rey Claro Casambre is a scientist. He took up physics in college and has been faithful in his commitment to serve the people. I consider him a Peace scholar, and it is hard to doubt his intellectual prowess in analyzing the socio-political dynamics of Philippine society and their connections to the global situation. He is a spiritual person; his simplicity and power to understand people has deepened his commitment to serving humanity. He is an artist, a poet and a writer.

One would wonder, why a man with his stature and commitment, would end up in jail. He was charged for crimes he never committed: murder  and frustrated murder in Lupon, Davao (where he has never set foot) and illegal possession of ammunition and explosives  he never kept.

Rey Casambre and hundreds of political prisoners are preparing the way for us to see the reign of God – manifested in just and enduring peace. They are under attack. Systemic   structures keep these prisoners in chains, and statutes and laws are used against them because the powerful and the rulers are not prepared to receive the prophetic vision of the reign of God—a society well-described here:

 

Luke 4:14-21

Then Jesus, filled with the power of the Spirit…unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

Rey Casambre and hundreds of political prisoner have logically studied the situation, acted upon alternatives and solutions, worked in solidarity with the people, and engaged with the powers-that-be in asserting that PEACE is possible and achievable only if poverty, landlessness, corruption, servility to foreign rules, and weaponization of the law against the people are truthfully and sincerely addressed.

They are peace advocates, and some call them peace activists .  Activists are any persons who believe strongly in political or social change and take part in activities such as public protests to try to make this happen. They are change makers, and they are human rights defenders. Like John in our Gospel reading , they make public announcements. They denounce evil, and announce the good news!

They often become the subject of attacks—abductions and disappearances, illegal detention, harassment, and killings.

Prepare ye the way, says John. Prepare ye the way, say activists and dissents. Prepare ye the way, say the detained.

John said, “But after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry.” He is humble enough not to presume how great he is, but render to the one who is yet to come.

John is not self-absorbed, neither is assuming that he has all the power to bring in the Messiah. He accepts his role as the one who prepares the way and announces what is coming. He is sharp and not wanting in honesty. He delivers the message with courage.  His  powerful message of denunciation to the vipers, directed against those who make the lives of the people miserable.

John’s  humility, his power and greatness come from the people who await the coming of heaven. They are the masses, the poor ones, those who have been sidelined by the elite and the powerful. They are the blessed ones, the class to whom the future of the final day of heaven on earth belongs. John represents the vision of the blessed ones, not because they were made to be ignorant and servile, but because they have the vision and hope which the vipers and their masters do not have.  They are the radicals who are ready to straighten the path so that the final coming of heaven is prepared. The powerful, the unjust do not share this vision. They are the murderers of the visionaries, they are the ones who chain the captives, they are the ones who blind the people to be servile, they are the ones who do not await for the favorable day of judgment—when the poor will be favored because justice is done.

This advent let us prepare the way! Let us heed the cry of John and the masses. We will not go astray in our path if we allow them to lead us.

 

December 1 First Sunday of Advent*Awake

Johanna de la Cruz, NCCP
PS 122: 1-2, 3-4, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9

IS 2:1-5

ROM 13:11-14

MT 24:37-44

 

Perlas na bilog, wag tutulog tulog, sabihin sa akin ang sagot, ba, be, bi, bo, bu…

For Filipinos born in the 1980’s, this is probably one of the things that may sparks memories of our childhoods. Manang Bola—an iconic character in Batibot—is fitting for this first Sunday of the Advent. She was the one who regularly awakened her bolang kristal whenever she needed answers to any predicament. We are no bolang kristal, but, just the same we find ourselves, more or less, tutulog-tulog in many aspects of our personal and community lives.

The first Sunday of the Advent begins an important season in the Christian calendar. For many Christians, Advent notes a waiting for the return of Christ; anticipation and preparation for Jesus’ return, weeks before the actual celebration of Christmas.

Matthew 24:37-44 provides us with a clear depiction of Christ’s coming. But it also gives warning that tribulation and persecution will befall us, before the ultimate triumph.

It says in Matthew 24: 42-44:
“Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.”
This apocalyptic discourse—that is, discussion of the end-times—reminds us to be faithful to live as followers of Christ, amidst chaos and defeat. It tells us to keep watch, be awake, and be vigilant in all the circumstances that are happening in our lives, especially in our communities.
This advent season, being alert is very fitting, given our current situation as Filipinos. We have been subjected and submerged in realities that strike at the very core of our humanity. Our dignity as persons created in God’s image has been disrespected. The decay in our social and political realm is clear. We are painfully pulsating with the breakdown upon breakdown of the human rights situation in the Philippines. Daily killings and the loss of innocent and redeemable lives in the government’s War on Drugs strike our hearts. Red tagging of humanitarian institutions, the closing of Lumad Schools, persistent joblessness and the widening gap between rich and the poor make us twinge in pain. These exposes inequality, corruption, and the abuse of power. The majority remain deeply mired in poverty.
When the poor and marginalized assert for change, they become enemies of the state, branding them as threat to national security. Activists and human rights defenders experience regular attacks. We are in a precarious situation: this advent demands us to be watchful and vigilant.
As we are called to be awake, vigilant and even militant. Our intention is to build peace by standing for what is right and just. We must keep in mind the suffering of our people, the least among us. The historical injustices and the horrendous acts of state violence experienced by our people—the urban poor, indigenous peoples, farmers, and poor majority—must jolt us to life to move, to criticize, to work for change. The ushering of Christ’s second coming, does not happen on its own. We must be willing to participate and to be instrumental as a conscious act of ushering in God’s Shalom.
Our high purpose is to make concrete the kin-dom on earth as it is in heaven. The Lord’s coming must not only be a welcoming for Jesus Christ, but it must also be reckoning and correction of the ruling class, based on the historical suffering of the marginalized sectors and folks. We must concretely speak truth to power and democratize our ways of being. Not only do we question those in powerful ranks, but we demand that they answer to the people. This is our “great tribulation” before triumph—the engagement of a necessity to bring us toward the historic inevitability of God’s Shalom.
This purpose compels us to be awake and alert, despite the most grievous state of our lives and society. We are pushed to be a lovers and defenders of life and rights. We must take up the armor of God and strive to act as peacemakers. We must demand accountability, asserting life for all, asserting peace for all, and, most of all, in seeking justice. This way to peace is uncomfortable, as it will be resisted by those who benefit from the current social order. Genuine peace takes the side of the majority, who have experienced decades of repression.
These efforts may be covert, even as they are consciously undertaken. Our “awake-ness” is punctuated by participating in partnership with people who are transforming their lives toward fullness. Spiritual and practical consciousness is vital, in welcoming and ushering the new kingdom here on earth. As social reconstruction is in process, the manifestations and images of new beginnings take shape. We begin to see glimpse of peace and justice. Isaiah 2:4 gives us a vision, “He will judge between nations and will settle disputes for many peoples. They will beat swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor they will train for war anymore.”
We must be mulat. Alert to read the signs of the times. We must be deeply involved and in love with the very people that Jesus loved most, the poor, the oppressed, and the marginalized. We must journey with them, ushering in a new hope, with peace and justice for all.
May we welcome the Advent season, longing for a fire within us to be ignited that will embolden us to transform ourselves and the power structures of this unjust world, so that with our renewed commitment we will defend life for all and usher in Christ’s Kin-dom on earth.##