Christmas Musings Day 15

 Advent and Rights

Isaiah 11:4a (ESV) ⁴ but with righteousness he will judge the needy, with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth…

               When I think of Advent civil rights do not usually come to mind. I normally concentrate on the mystery of the incarnation, the dreams, the virgin birth, and the visit of the magi and their role in the message of Advent; yet, even a casual reading of the prophetic scriptures concerning the birth of the Messiah reveals an intense messianic interest in the rights of the poor. Our contemporary political discussions do not include much about the “rights” of the poor. Oh, we wrangle over how to treat them, or more specifically, whether or not to help them; but, we seem to think that most of them arrived at their low estate through poor life-decisions of their own making. Most of my students seem to make a casual assumption that the poor somehow deserve their low status. If asked what the rights of the poor are, they would struggle to find an answer, and truthfully, so would I.

               I think of the poor as needing my help but would find adequately defining their rights difficult. Prophetic scripture speaks of the Messiah as deciding for the poor. In God’s economy, Advent ushers in a new dynamic that radically realigns my understanding of justice. Often, we think of the courts being staked in favor of the rich. Sometimes it seems as if the rich enjoy a system that is weighted in their favor. After all, we regularly witness the powerful use their wealth and status to secure a favorable outcome in the courts. We casually assume that being poor indicates defective decision-making, assuming their poverty is somehow the just result of their flawed character. Advent makes me reconsider how I view the poor and what types of policies I support. Advent makes me think about justice for the poor. It is just one more aspect of the radical realignment Advent portends for my heart.