Signs of Hope 12/1-24
Signs of Hope
1 Thes 3:9-13; Luke 21:25-36
1 Thes 3:9-13
How can we thank God enough for you in return for all the joy that we feel before our God because of you? Night and day we pray most earnestly that we may see you face to face and restore whatever is lacking in your faith. Now may our God and Father himself and our Lord Jesus direct our way to you. And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, just as we abound in love for you. And may he so strengthen your hearts in holiness that you may be blameless before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints.
Luke 21:25-36
There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on the earth distress among nations confused by the roaring of the sea and the waves. People will faint from fear and foreboding of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then they will see ‘the Son of Man coming in a cloud’ with power and great glory. Now when these things begin to take place, stand up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.” Then he told them a parable: “Look at the fig tree and all the trees; as soon as they sprout leaves you can see for yourselves and know that summer is already near. So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near. Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all things have taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. “Be on guard so that your hearts are not weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of this life, and that day catch you unexpectedly, like a trap. For it will come upon all who live on the face of the whole earth. Be alert at all times, praying that you may have the strength to escape all these things that will take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.”
Prayer – God of grace, sometimes we feel as if we are here by ourselves. It’s up to us to save ourselves, by ourselves, or we won’t be saved. We’ve got to look out for Number One, because nobody else is looking out for us. Me first. Come to us, Lord Jesus. We do not have with us the capacity to look out for us. We are less capable than we like to admit. Come to us. Descend to us we pray. Reach down to us in our need showing us signs of hope. Advent with us. Amen.
The Advent season begins with the announcement that God is fulfilling God's promise to bring justice and redemption for the suffering. At first glance, it feels like the gospel lesson doesn't sound promising and hopeful but rather sounds fearful and full of foreboding. With apocalyptic warnings, it tells of a world on the verge of being turned upside down. By beginning Advent this way, we are told that the Incarnation, the enfleshment of God, is about more than the birth of the baby Jesus. In Advent, the entire cosmos is caught up in portentous signs and wonders.
All of this is a rather poetic, extravagantly metaphorical way of proclaiming: In this rather fearful time, the faithful are to take heart and raise their heads because redemption is near. God is making good on God’s promises. God is turning toward us. Be alert to the signs of the times as surely as one sees the approach of summer by the leafing of the fig tree, so the signs announce that the kingdom of God is coming near. When will this take place? It will be within this generation, says Luke. Clearly, Luke believes that this time is here.
But as we know some 2000 years have passed and we are still waiting. Expectantly, hopefully; or tiredly and not much caring after so much time? It makes one wonder what signs we need to see in order to find hope in a world that doesn’t always reflect hope. In a way it is ironic, for many people in our country the election was a sign for hope, hope in a new leadership, hope in a return to olden days when things were less conflicted and less problematic. For some, hope won; while for others hope crashed like a meteor. But that is about politics and not God’s ways of bringing promised hope to the suffering.
God’s promises of hope is unexpected; it seems to me . . . this posture of hope and new beginnings in the face of what we have experienced in recent years. Natural disasters – earthquakes, forest fires across the far west of our country, hurricanes in the mountains of all places, mudslides. People are torn and divided over immigration, the economy, sexual orientation, a woman’s right to determine her own health choices. Even the powers of heaven will be shaken, we are told. It is surely not typical or expected, it seems to me, to stand up and raise our heads when calamity is happening all around us. For many of us in our country, the individual and collective instinct has not been to stand tall looking for hope, new beginnings, and redemption. No, for many of us, our heads have been bowed in embarrassment, in grief, seeking only to protect ourselves from that which we couldn’t fight or change.
So perhaps our gospel lesson this morning is quite appropriate for the times we find ourselves in. Perhaps it is a reconfiguring of where we look for hope – in God rather than our own humankind. I find it quite remarkable that the call of our gospel message this morning is to stand tall, expectantly, with our heads raised and our hearts watchful. As people of faith we are called to assume a posture of hope in the face of such despair – but I for one must admit it has been difficult. As I think about it, it strikes me that to do so must be an act of determined will, for it runs contrary to our most basic instincts.
Indeed, it’s hard to comprehend the promise that is meant for us beyond all that is viewed today. It is difficult to believe that there is anything more than what we can now see in our country and world. In fact, I’ve struggled to offer some way in which we can begin to be and do what Jesus calls us to be and do today. How is it that we stand with our heads raised in hope in the face of senseless suffering and despair? I have increasingly been wondering this as I have observed the decline of basic goodness and kindness in our country. I have been wondering this particularly with what my daughter and grandchildren experienced several years ago and still are trying to find answers and hope.
Perhaps this is where it begins. In our walking into our own suffering and the suffering of others. In our willingness to stand up and be seen and heard in a world that seems to be literally shaking all around us. At first, our heads may be bowed as we brace ourselves for the pain, and still, I expect that will not always be true. For as we step into the large and small heartbreaks we live through, we typically encounter Jesus in the eyes and ears and hearts of our fellow sojourners of suffering. For that is where Jesus always is – waiting in the midst of the pain to somehow show us the way to new hope and new joy and new life – new beginnings.
As I consider our current context, I look at the devastation of the Carolinas from Hurricane Helene – the outpouring of support from people all across the southeast in particular but even from distant places as basic supplies of food and water, temporary shelter being built, an incredible effort by friends and neighbors to ensure that everyone got what they needed. An old friend of mine in Asheville, a retired dentist, paid for the funeral for one of his son’s best friends who died during the flooding leaving behind a wife and two young kids. Friends gave my daughter and grandkids shelter and showers when they were without power. The outreaching supportive hands showed me that God is still very active in bringing hope where despair may arise.
When I look at our church I see a congregation that has had its share of struggles and challenges. Pastors leaving, members dying, a split over leadership, a decision to stand tall and stay together when many thought the doors should close. And out of those moments, faithful ministry continued. The welcoming of our Thai brothers and sisters looking for a home where they can worship together. A food pantry that continues to bring hope to hungry stomachs across our county and beyond. A home for our neighbors who struggle with alcoholism. A home for a special school for young people with learning disabilities that become abilities. And most recently, opening our doors to a Hispanic faith community that needed a place to worship. This church has stood tall in the past, is standing tall with faith in the moment and will continue to reflect the trinity of grace that is the foundation of this place.
There are signs of hope, we just need to know where to look and how to see. As a famous person said years ago, ‘when trouble comes, look for the helpers.’ The helpers are the sign of hope when everything else suggests that hope has left the building. I have seen incredible signs of hope and new beginnings blossom in this church. I have seen renewed energy and I have a posture of hope as we approach this next season of life. And I believe with all of my heart that God is smiling and nodding God’s head when the Sacred One gazes upon this beautiful congregation and considers the faithful with hope and promise – thanks be to God – amen.