3 Advent, Thursday

Hearts trained for greed

The lessons appointed for today offer a tight, sharp condemnation.

Both Peter and, before him, Isaiah call their communities to task for failing to live up to their high calling.

Peter warns the new church against false prophets, those whose message runs counter to Jesus' -- they have "hearts trained for greed" and "they will even deny the Master who bought them" (2 Peter 2:14c, 1b). In this, his message is very like Isaiah's.

Isaiah holds up a mirror to the greed of the people of Israel -- as a nation, they are devouring one another, making iniquitous decrees and unjust statutes, turning aside the needy from justice and robbing the poor of their right (Isa. 9:21--10:2).

The people who claim to follow God's will, in both cases, have forgotten that they were bought with a price, that they are to be in a special relationship with God, that their way is not to be the world's way.

And what of us today? We claim to follow Christ, but would that be apparent in the way we act? Are we in fact less greedy than those around us? Our lawmakers love to claim we are a Christian nation, but do our laws -- our decrees and statutes -- actually shelter the needy and give the poor their right? The words of condemnation are for our ears, too.

But our continual Advent hope is for the coming of God's Word:

"So is my word that goes forth from my mouth; *
     it will not return to me empty;
But it will accomplish that which I have purposed, *
     and prosper in that for which I sent it"
(The Second Song of Isaiah, BCP 87)

Now, as then, we need the sharp Word to lay open our hearts -- hearts trained for greed -- and to transform them into grateful hearts, tuned to sing God's praise and to listen to the cry of the poor.

"Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving," the Psalmist says, "and make good your vows to the Most High" (Ps. 50:14).