Lonely Exile: A Daily Advent Devotional

Part Sixteen: Right Here, Right Now

But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for see, I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. Luke 2:10-11, NRSVue

When the angels exploded the night sky with a song about the birth of a savior who would bring peace on earth, there was already a savior who had done just that. Sort of. When Jesus was born Rome ruled the world and Caesar Augustus ruled Rome. Caesar inaugurated what is known as the Pax Romana, or Roman Peace. Inscriptions from around the Empire extolled Caesar as the Lord and peace bringer who saved the world. They called this announcement “good news.”

So, when Jesus was born and the angels announced his birth as “good news of great joy” that would bring “peace on earth,” the job wasn’t vacant. That, to me, is one of the most powerful details of the Christmas story. It is the announcement of a new world being born, of a different kind of peace on earth—one that is the result of justice being done, and not who has the superior military—and it happens right in the middle of the old world. The announcement of the good news of Jesus’s birth and the joy and peace that it brings along with it didn’t happen at an ideal time or place. Everything wasn’t lined up for an easy launch. Christmas is about the possibility of a different kind of world that begins even as the old one seems to be entrenched and immovable.

Each year during Advent we retell this story, and perhaps this year we can hear the invitation a bit differently. We aren’t waiting for an ideal scenario. The injustice and violence of the world seem as entrenched and unstoppable as ever. And it is in this same context that Christ continues to be born. We are invited to be a people who live by the rules of a different world—one that is more just, generous, and compassionate—even as we exist in this one. We do not have to wait for a future anything to happen. When we begin to live and embody that alternative vision for the world, that world arrives a little bit at a time. Right here, right now.

Questions for Reflection:
What are some practical ways we can seek to embody this alternative vision of a more just and generous world, here and now?