Peace against a dark backdrop
Here we are in the midst of the Advent season, that time of anticipation leading to Christmas and the observance of the birth of Jesus. It’s a time that holds special meaning for many of us, and perhaps stirs a variety of emotions. For those who follow Jesus, it might hold a significant place spiritually — God taking on human form and moving into the neighborhood, as Eugene Peterson would say.
But for a couple of his earliest followers, the birth of Jesus wasn’t even worthy of mention. Who were these grinches, you might ask? They were actually two of the gospel writers: Mark and John. Neither of them mention Baby Jesus, a manger, shepherds, magi, or Bethlehem. In fact, they both begin their gospels with Jesus and his cousin, John the Baptist, already having reached adulthood.
Thankfully, the other gospel writers, Matthew and Luke, provide details about not only the birth of Jesus, but some of the things that occurred in the months prior. And for that, Christmas lovers — and American retailers — will be eternally grateful.
Today’s gospel passage is a prophecy by Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist, and it requires a bit of background. Like some other important Bible stories, it tells of an aging woman who has been unable to bear children, in this case Elizabeth. Elizabeth is married to Zechariah, a Jewish priest. While in the temple, Zechariah was visited by the angel Gabriel, who informed him that his wife would finally become pregnant. When Zechariah expressed doubt due to their age, he was struck mute. By contrast, Elizabeth’s response to realizing she was pregnant was to say “This is what the Lord has done for me in this time, when he looked favorably on me and took away the disgrace I have endured among my people.”
Elizabeth is related to Mary, who was also visited by the angel Gabriel. She learns from him that she herself is pregnant with the Son of God. Soon after, she travels to see Elizabeth. When Mary arrives, Elizabeth feels her unborn baby react to the divine presence within Mary. She shares this, and Mary reacts with a song of praise.
Eight days after Elizabeth gives birth, Zechariah finally gets his voice back when it’s time to name his son. They name him John, and that brings us to Zechariah’s prophecy, which recognizes the savior who would be born, and the role his son would play in preparing the people for his arrival.
The coming savior would rescue Israel from their enemies, fulfill the words of the prophets and God’s covenant with Abraham, bring mercy, and free people of their fear. And John will be a prophet of that Most High savior, teaching people about salvation and forgiveness.
Redemption was coming! Zechariah predicts the fulfillment of his prophecy will bring a dawn from on high, shining “upon those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death” and guiding them to “the way of peace.” The one they had been anticipating was soon to arrive.
I am glad the season of Advent takes place during a time of year when — at least in our part of the world — light is scarce. Even the clearest December days are relatively short, so we have to enjoy the sun’s presence when we have the chance. I’m grateful for the Christmas lights that dot the darkness this month; they are quiet sources of illumination during these long nights.
In today’s scripture, Zechariah speaks of those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death. I don’t know exactly who he was speaking of in his context, whether he meant all of the Jewish people subject to Roman rule, those who were suffering the effects of poverty, or people who were imprisoned. He might have meant everyone in those situations and more.
Who do you know who sits in darkness and in the shadow of death? For all the privileges and comforts I enjoy in my life, I’m also aware of the darkness that is a reality for so many. We live in a time where many of us enjoy comforts and conveniences inconceivable to earlier generations, but those comforts and conveniences might also serve to distract us from the suffering of our neighbors. Our economic system favors those who come from wealth, and it is increasingly difficult to elevate oneself from a position of poverty. Those who make less than $50,000 per year spend almost all of their income on taxes, food, shelter, and basic needs, while those who make more than $200,000 per year have plenty left over to invest or spend on non-essentials. Income earned from work is taxed at a higher rate than income realized through investments or inheritance. As a result, the middle class is shrinking. Far too many people are struggling while the ultra rich possess more money than they’re able to spend.
One phenomenon that illustrates the brokenness of our system is the emergence of cryptocurrency such as Bitcoin. You might have heard of cryptocurrency, which is sometimes referred to as “crypto.” Perhaps you even own some. Cryptocurrency options, of which there are several, offer an alternative to traditional currency, such as the U.S. dollar, Japan’s Yen, and the EU’s euro. Crypto is decentralized, and ownership records of cryptocurrency are maintained by networks of computing systems.
In a few places, you can use crypto to pay for things. Some crypto can also be generated, or “mined,” using computer processing power. So those with access to a lot of computing power can literally generate money from nothing. It can also be used as an investment vehicle. If you bought a single Bitcoin a year ago, the price would have been around $44,000, and today it would be worth around $97,000.
If you’re unfamiliar with cryptocurrency, you might be asking why this matters to the rest of us. Let me offer a few reasons.
First, cryptocurrency is the currency of choice for many criminals, and introduces challenges for law enforcement. Transactions can’t be traced to individuals, so it is the ideal form of payment for many extortionists. During my career in cyber security, I saw Bitcoin used as the payment mechanism in the majority of such cases. When cyber criminals are successful, it increases costs for everyone else; we pay more for everything thanks to the existence of Bitcoin.
Speaking of increased costs, cryptocurrency also has a significant impact on the price of energy. The transaction recording back end of crypto, also referred to as the blockchain, requires more electricity than the entire country of Argentina. (Hinsdale) When demand goes up, so do energy costs. And there is a cost to the livability of our planet, as well. Some older, dirtier electricity generation sources have been brought back online to satisfy the power needs of cryptomining and the blockchain.
If this were a just country, you’d hear about power sources being brought online to help people cook their food, wash their clothes, and stay warm in the winter. Sadly, the lobbying effort for meeting basic human needs is underfunded. It rarely prevails when pitted against those looking to grow their wealth without working.
Cryptocurrency certainly isn’t the greatest issue we face in society, but its very existence symbolizes the extent to which we idolize wealth and the wealthy. For most of us, it’s a solution to a problem that doesn’t exist, and a hindrance to the greater good.
I remember learning about World War II in school, and thinking that during the years it took place, that’s all that happened, that life otherwise paused. The war was certainly a focus in my U.S. History book (as were other major conflicts). I knew that my grandfather — who enlisted shortly after Pearl Harbor was bombed — spent three and a half years in the Pacific. And for most Americans from 1942–1945, it was probably the backdrop against which all other events took place.
But with time I learned that most people from the U.S. didn’t serve in World War II. Life continued here, even though the battles being fought overseas would have a significant effect on the future of humanity. I learned this in part from my grandmother, who shared many stories from her life during the war. I learned about her job and her friends and how she wrote a letter to my grandfather every day. She spent much of her time during those years simply living her life.
It’s also sometimes easy for me to forget that characters in Bible stories like Elizabeth and Zechariah were fully human, with all that entails. They’d been alive for many years before we encounter them in Luke’s gospel, with experiences as children and teenagers and a married couple. Their being the parents of John the Baptist would come to define them, but we’re left to wonder about the rest of their lives. How often did Mary and Elizabeth see each other before their pregnancies? Did Zechariah and Elizabeth witness John’s ministry? Did they outlive their son? If so, how did they learn of his execution?
What formed the backdrop of darkness for the people in Zechariah’s faith community? Surely there were significant differences from those we face today. People had not yet developed the capacity to end human life on the planet through ecological devastation or nuclear war, and cryptocurrency wasn’t even on their radar. (Neither was radar, for that matter.) Yet the underlying inclinations that have led to nuclear weapons, global warming, and cryptocurrency were just as present 2,000 years ago as they are today. Our susceptibility to take more than we need, to amass power, and to ignore the needs of the marginalized continues.
Thus Luke includes Zechariah’s prayer in his gospel. The people have a need for redemption, for a fulfillment of prophecy, for mercy. They need deliverance from the forces that cause them fear and try to force them from their pursuit of holiness, righteousness, and peace.
And before that, they need to admit there are things that need fixed. Thus the mighty savior that Zechariah foretells is preceded by a prophet. But John is not just any prophet — he is the prophet of the Most High. He would urge the people to repent, not just at the individual level, but at a collective level as well. The dawn from on high would not just illuminate Jesus; it would also reveal the injustices present in society, and offer a better way of life.
We’re surrounded by promises of a better way of life, but they are typically promises that come with a monetary price, and the way of life they champion values comfort, security, and status for the individual over any greater good. I suspect we’re confronted with so many such promises in a given day that we would lose count if we tried to number them. I spent a few minutes this week noting the ads I would typically try to ignore, and came up with this inventory of those that aired during a single one-hour TV show. Here’s the list in order of appearance, and note that pharmaceuticals and promotions for other shows are not included:
Neutrogena (to restore my collagen)
Shopify (where I can sell my stuff)
Arby’s (they have the meats)
Amazon (they have holiday deals)
Tums (which will allow me to love food back)
LifeLock, Mucinex, Progressive Insurance, Dunkin’, Consumer Cellular, Mucinex, eBay, Liberty Mutual Insurance, FanDuel, NJM insurance, FanDuel (in case I missed it before), All detergent, Listerine, The Farmer’s Dog, Zocdoc, Buffalo Wild Wings, the Red One movie, Lundberg Family Farms, Bombas socks, Snuggle fabric softener, Metzger Wickersham law firm, The River 97.3, Geico insurance, Dunkin’, Persil laundry detergent, Mucinex, Amazon, Oreos, University of Maryland Global Campus, Tums, Milk, Handler Henning & Rosenberg, eBay, All detergent, Aveeno daily moisturizer, Mucinex (for the fourth time), and ColonialPenn life insurance.
That’s over 40 ads in less than an hour. With so many things vying for our attention, it’s no wonder we can become distracted from issues that truly matter. And it’s no wonder that we can be thwarted in our pursuit of peace.
How do we find peace amidst what can be a dark backdrop in our lives, or at least in the lives of our neighbors in need? Zechariah says that the dawn that will break from on high will “guide our feet into the way of peace.” If Jesus is to provide that guidance, where does that path lead, and what does that peace entail?
The gospels provide some idea of that in their telling of the life of Jesus. Through their carefully-considered writings, they reveal who Jesus was and is. And those writings differ, because who Jesus is might be a little different for all of us. I like the summary that writer Rachel Held Evans provides. She writes,
“Jesus came to live — to teach, to heal, to tell stories, to protest, to turn over tables, to touch people who weren’t supposed to be touched and eat with people who weren’t supposed to be eaten with, to break bread, to pour wine, to wash feet, to face temptation, to tick off the authorities, to fulfill Scripture, to forgive, to announce the start of a brand-new kingdom, to show us what that kingdom is like, to show us what God is like, to love his enemies to the point of death at their hands, and to beat death by rising from the grave. Jesus did not simply die to save us from our sins; Jesus lived to save us from our sins. His life and teachings show us the way to liberation.” (Evans, 154–155)
Like us, Jesus lived a full human life, carrying out both ordinary and extraordinary things against a backdrop that was darkened by selfishness, greed, apathy, and injustice. And despite the challenges he faced, he carved a path to the way of peace that we can follow against whatever backdrop looms in our day. We might not be able to heal, fulfill scripture, or rise from the grave, but most of his path is attainable. We, too, can live, and can do so abundantly. Not by buying what the advertisers sell us, but rather by eating with people who aren’t supposed to be eaten with. By teaching, telling stories, and protesting. By breaking bread, pouring wine, and washing feet. By ticking off authorities, forgiving, and loving our enemies. By announcing the kin-dom, even when it seems far away.
Today, many churches around the world are lighting the second candle on their Advent wreath. Each candle is symbolic, and today’s represents peace. I pray that — during what can be a season of noise and distractions — you are able to experience the quiet, hopeful path through the darkness that leads to that peace.
Thanks be to God.
Amen.
Works Referenced
CoinDesk. Bitcoin performance. Accessed December 6, 2024. https://www.coindesk.com/price/bitcoin
Evans, Rachel Held. Inspired: Slaying Giants, Walking on Water, and Loving the Bible Again. Nashville, Tennessee: Nelson Books, 2018.
Gonzalez, Justo L. Luke: A Theological Commentary on the Bible (Belief: a Theological Commentary on the Bible). Louisville, Kentucky: Westminster John Knox Press, 2010. Kindle Edition.
Hinsdale, Jeremy. “Cryptocurrency’s Dirty Secret: Energy Consumption.” State of the Planet, Columbia Climate School. May 4, 2022. https://news.climate.columbia.edu/2022/05/04/cryptocurrency-energy/Reed, Jon. “How Much Power Does Crypto Use? The Government Wants to Know.” CNET. February 1, 2024. https://www.cnet.com/home/energy-and-utilities/how-much-power-does-crypto-use-the-government-wants-to-know/
Tannehill, Robert C. Abingdon New Testament Commentaries: Luke. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1996.
U.S Energy Information Administration. “Tracking electricity consumption from U.S. cryptocurrency mining operations.” Accessed December 6, 2024. https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=61364
