But God is rich in mercy, and he loved us very much. We were spiritually dead because of all we had done against him. But he gave us new life together with Christ. (You have been saved by God’s grace.)

Ephesians 2:4-5

Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment.

James 2:12-13

My theological trajectory this holiday season was first “light,” then “grace,” and now on this third Sunday in Advent, I want to talk about “mercy.”

Mercy – and this is my hybrid definition based on several dictionaries – is “compassion offered to the powerless by those who have power, in particular power to punish or to do harm. The English word “mercy” comes from the medieval Latin for “price paid.” It also suggests compassion, forgiveness, benevolence and kindness.”

I find myself thinking about the word “mercy” a lot in the current climate of acrimony, tit-for-tat, hate, revenge, and retribution.

And I am not just thinking about politics, I am thinking about each one of us as individuals and the sad fact that the fabric of so much of the community (that has both defined and held America together) is being torn, thread by thread, by our inability – or unwillingness – to listen to and to respect one another.

Also, heartbreakingly, the current international world situation.

The message of Christmas, the message that Jesus went on to illustrate throughout his ministry and his eventual crucifixion, is a clear indictment of our Twenty-first Century default position. Jesus teaches that vulnerability, humility, self-giving love, service to others, and reconciliation with God are the path to peace and to justice.

• Peace and justice in Gaza? “Mercy triumphs over judgement.”
• Peace and justice in politics? “Mercy triumphs over judgement.”
• Peace and justice in community? “Mercy triumphs over judgement.”
• Peace and justice in Tarboro? “Mercy triumphs over judgement.”
• Peace and justice in our homes? “Mercy triumphs over judgement.”
• Peace in heart and soul? Listen to the words from the New Testament: “Mercy triumphs over judgement.”

I have a handful of readers who try to come down hard when I “dare” to bring the witness of Christ to bear on current events, and the sad state of affairs that is American politics. Well, you know what I say to that, on this the third Sunday in Advent?

“Mercy triumphs over judgement.”

If you don’t like it, have a chat with some of the New Testament writers, and – you know – “that guy.”

Jesus – “But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.”

Luke 6:35-36

– DEREK