I will
appoint a time; I will judge with equity (v 2). It is tempting to think of
God’s judgment only as a distant tribunal that will finally set the world
aright. But the Psalmist speaks indicates that God’s judgement is not far off: it is God who judges… he pours out (vs 7-8).
Future judgement is prominent in the apocalyptic imagery of Daniel and
Revelation. But the Gospels do not allow such thinking. Particularly in the
birth narratives, God’s judgement has actually entered into history in the form
of this infant born of Mary. This child is the rod that God is using to break
the backs of the proud, to bring comfort to the poor, to announce a peace that
transcends the pax Romanum, and to
call Israel back to its worldwide vocation of blessing. And yet, unmistakably,
we still await a time in which God shall set the world aright. From one
perspective, it makes the now a bit dour. G.K. Chesterton memorably expressed
the paradox:
For the end of the world was
long ago,
And all we dwell to-day
As children of some second
birth,
Like a strange people left on earth
After a judgment day.
It is difficult to make such an announcement
in the modern world. Judgement has become a kind of social sin. But Advent
reminds us that the judgement of God in Christ is fundamental to Christian
identity because it is precisely in such judgement that God forgives the sins
of mankind. From that focal point unfolds the mission of the Church, which is
to invite humans to recognize their forgiveness in Christ. This is how God will
finally set the world aright. But it is a process already begun, and going on
right now. It is God’s means of levelling the proud and exalting the humble. To
prepare for the coming of the kingdom during Advent is a fresh chance to
declare that humans can belong to a destination—a coming judgement—that is not
defined by earthly kingdoms and their grasping at comparison, but is rather
defined by gathering around the table of the Lord and receiving a gift.
Samuel
Pomeroy
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