A YouTube Advent Calendar: December 3

O my people, your leaders mislead you, and confuse the course of your paths. The LORD rises to argue his case; he stands to judge the peoples. The LORD enters into judgment with the elders and princes of his people: It is you who have devoured the vineyard; the spoil of the poor is in your houses. What do you mean by crushing my people, by grinding the face of the poor? says the Lord GOD of hosts.

-    Isaiah 3

The Bible shifts back and forth in emphasizing judgment on those in power and sustenance for those who are oppressed. One clear message handed down to us by our ancestors is that God expects us to take care of each other rather than exploit each other. When God is portrayed as angry, it’s almost always because this isn’t happening.

The #1 sign of a godly society is not a government-mandated faith … not radical individual freedom … not the Ten Commandments posted on government property … but social justice lived out every day. The people are free, but the people choose to use their freedom in service to those who have less. They hold themselves accountable to God and to each other.

The ancient heroes, like Moses and Noah, are heroes because they did God’s will. They had their doubts and struggles, but they put God’s wishes ahead of their own.

In 1985, a new band called the Hooters released a strange, compelling song about Moses and Noah … and zombies. Who are the zombies in this song? I think they are those who doubt, who fear, who hurt, and who suffer. The singer shouts to them: “You don’t have to hide anymore! All you zombies, show your faces.” Here are the Hooters with “All You Zombies.”