Advent 3C: Living John's Young Adult Dystopia - The Protagonist is Coming

The holy gospel according to Luke (3:7-18)

⁷John said to the crowds that came out to be baptized by him,

      “You brood of vipers!

            Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?

                  ⁸Bear fruits worthy of repentance.

            Do not begin to say to yourselves,

                  ‘We have Abraham as our ancestor’;

                  for I tell you,

                        God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham.

                              ⁹Even now the ax is lying at the root of the trees;

                                    every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down

                                          and thrown into the fire.”

¹⁰And the crowds asked him,

      “What then should we do?”

¹¹In reply he said to them,

      “Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none;

            and whoever has food must do likewise.”

¹²Even tax collectors came to be baptized, and they asked him,

      “Teacher, what should we do?”

¹³He said to them,

      “Collect no more than the amount prescribed for you.”

¹⁴Soldiers also asked him,

      “And we, what should we do?”

He said to them,

      “Do not extort money from anyone by threats or false accusation,

            and be satisfied with your wages.”

¹⁵As the people were filled with expectation,

      and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John,

            whether he might be the Messiah,

      ¹⁶John answered all of them by saying,

            “I baptize you with water;

                  but one who is more powerful than I is coming;

                        I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandals.

                  He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

                        ¹⁷His winnowing fork is in his hand,

                              to clear his threshing floor

                              and to gather the wheat into his granary;

                                    but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”

¹⁸So, with many other exhortations,

      he proclaimed the good news to the people.

The gospel of the lord.

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Over the last few months, I’ve discovered that my new favorite genre of literature is: Young Adult Dystopias.  It was a surprise to me at first, but then it started to make a lot of sense and as I read today’s gospel, I realized that if John were an author, he would write Young Adult Dystopias!

One of the things that draws me into dystopias is that they affirm my despair on the days that I think the world is falling apart or destroying itself—when I have no hope left for humanity.  John has this part down pat: “You brood of vipers!” he calls out.  Then he goes into the wrath to come—the trouble brewing and the sad state of the world. 

John knows the Romans are occupying his homeland of Palestine.  He knows that any rebellion against this oppression will be met with “deadly force.”  He also knows that his peers are colluding with the occupiers.  Tax collectors help Rome and use the bit of power Rome gives them to take a little extra for themselves. 

People are living a theology and life of scarcity, rather than trusting in God’s abundance.  There is never enough—food, water, clothing—so they hoard all that they have, afraid to give away any little bit of extra.  People are abusing power and withholding, when they’re given the opportunity to be generous with what they have.  And so John preaches about the wrath to come.

But that’s not all John has to say and that’s not where the dystopias end.  In fact, it’s only the beginning!  You see, the secret thing that I love about dystopias—even more than their support of my pessimism and despair—is that they are actually filled with hope. 

Once it’s established that the world is messed up, then the hope sneaks in and we start to learn about steps of resistance.  Then the characters who are resisting the totalitarian government, oppression, or occupation are introduced. 

So, John encounters the crowd—the everyday folks who can resist and live into the hope in their own lives through their generosity.  “What then should we do?” they ask and John calls on them, in the face of their own struggles, to share their food and clothing.  Small acts of generosity, or random acts of kindness, spread throughout the people are seeds planted. 

Like the bulbs we plant in the fall for spring growth, they undermine the desperation and hopelessness.  They are small signs of hope that the ending is not yet written.  There is still time, still another way—the Author is not yet done.

And then come the tax collectors and soldiers.  Tension mounts as even those with some authority and power recognize that things are not as they should be.  And the terrible, hopeless façade established at the beginning of this dystopia begins to crack.  The perception of this terrible reality is not the only piece of the story; there’s more going on behind the scenes.  People are not simply following the rules they’ve been told.  They’re resisting—they’re living into hope for a better life; choosing another way, another ending.

But it’s not over yet.  The tension continues to mount.  As we hear in Luke, “the people were filled with expectation.”  There is hope that the way things are is not the way things must or even ought to be.  And so John introduces: The Protagonist.  John is not actually the Protagonist, merely the storyteller—the one who sets the stage. 

The Protagonist is more powerful.  In true Young Adult Dystopic fashion, the Protagonist is downtrodden.  Like Katniss in The Hunger Games, Tris in Divergent, and Day in Legend, this Protagonist comes from a small town, his family was homeless for his arrival into the world and lived as refugees in Egypt when he was young, and now he calls Nazareth, of all places, home. 

But like Katniss’ brilliance with a bow, Tris’ ability to fit into multiple categories—to see things from multiple perspectives, and Day’s perfect score on the Test, the Protagonist of John’s story also has some unique power and talent.  The Protagonist has: the Holy Spirit and fire—not to mention his winnowing fork and some awesome healing abilities.

And so the dystopia really starts rolling as the Protagonist figures out how messed up the world is and joins with others to create a new way—new life and hope for something more—something other than what they have.  Hope for redemption.

And that is my not-so-secret favorite thing about Young Adult Dystopias.  Yes they indulge my pessimistic defeatism about the world; but only momentarily.  I am never left to dwell permanently in the hopelessness.  Hope and redemption always come in to triumph. 

The world may seem hopeless—or maybe just a bit overwhelming with to-do lists and the impending Christmas festivities—but we are also catching our glimpses of hope—diapers and quilts sewn for families in need, bread broken together, backpacks full of food and Meals on Wheels safely delivered. 

We are setting the stage, preparing the way for the Protagonist’s arrival on the scene.  Preparing for a baby and preparing for the return of this One who breaks into our lives, who comes into our midst, and who is coming again to right all that is wrong. 

Now I’ve given you the ending to the Young Adult Dystopias that I love, but John’s ending is not yet here.  Our Protagonist is coming into the world.  In just a little while we will celebrate his arrival as God with us—Emmanuel, but for now, we wait in the midst of John’s story.  Jesus, The Protagonist, is coming.  We know how the story ends, and so with eager anticipation, we wait, we hope, and we let the flame of joy kindle within and among us.                        

Amen