Second Sunday of Advent Yr A 2025

Title

He Will Baptize You with the Holy Spirit and Fire

Outline

The day before I wrote this a friend sent me a video the informed me that the end of the USA is starting in early 2026 with certain enclaves being spared, including central Texas, from which an end-time revival and renewal will come: people are still thinking about the Advent of Christ, although not in the sense of our readings.

How strange is God’s plan

He starts announcing his kingdom with a super-pious Jewish priest, dressed in prophetic vestments, living in the desert of Judea calling for repentance. Wow, we know what repentance means: it means change your mindset, be purified in the prophetic mikveh, and start living the Torah strictly, perhaps as in Qumran.

But John points to the second stage of God’s plan, a Davidic (not priestly) “sprout” who will gather a new people marked by purification in a Spirit mikveh that we call baptism the fire of which will purify the heart not just the deeds. This Messiah is not marked by super kosher living whether that of John or of the Pharisees, but does live the Torah yet in a way marked by the Spirit of which he is full, not the letter. Furthermore, he is not for Jews only, but “Him the nations will seek out.”

Paul is still working this out 25 years later

He acknowledges the John side of the message, “that Christ became a minister of the circumcised to show God’s truthfulness, to confirm the promises to the patriarchs,” but also the ultimate goal of Jesus, “that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy.” But he acknowledges that through that gift of the sevenfold Spirit the community will gain “endurance and encouragement” to “think in harmony with one another in keeping with Christ Jesus” and praise God “with one voice.” They are still in the process of “welcoming one another as Christ welcomed you.”

The resolution of this mystery is in the sprout and the Spirit

That sprout of Jesse is the one with authority to judge, which he does not with a sword but with “the rod of his mouth” and “the breath of his lips.” He produces justice with spiritual force, and that same Spirit, granted to his followers produces his character in them and therefore unity. This is the point of the sevenfold Spirit. And then there will be peace, for there is peace with him who is peace.

Sisters, we still struggle with getting this hope

Our world looks for a king like a Davidic king with a sword, with visible power. The Christian world may look for a renewal led by a spiritual leader who is pure or even super pure, depending on what party we belong to. Or it looks for spiritual power manifested in signs and wonders, the Pentecostal gifts, which are directed towards mission and therefore outward, not inward. We need the sevenfold Spirit that makes us like Jesus so that we are one in Jesus. And that is what I pray for and trust that you pray for daily.