WESTMINSTER PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
December 3rd 2006
First Sunday in Advent / Communion Sunday
Rev. Mark R. Bradshaw-Miller
“Hunger and Hope”
Jeremiah 33:14-16; Luke 21:25-29
The scene presented by Jesus as the time of redemption does not fit with most images found on Christmas cards. How many of us are planning to send cards which have images of wars, chaos, turmoil, natural disasters, or hunger? Yet, this is precisely the image we are presented with as we begin advent. Jesus makes the claim, in Luke that the time of redemption will come, not beside still waters, but in the middle of chaotic times. Unfortunately, generations of Jesus’ followers have taken this passage and seen it as a roadmap for the end times. With ever eclipse, comet, hurricane or war brings the peddlers of doom with a new book, tape or video claiming they have the key to understanding the signs of the times.
While we know that those sorts of claims ignore Jesus teaching, and as such always unbiblical, there is something about these claims which can often grab our attention. After all, if we are remotely paying attention to the world around us the signs are there. War is our constant companion, wealth inequality is at levels not seen since the depression, and we can no longer ignore the real environmental crisis. If we wanted to make an ‘end time’ prediction, or sell some books, tapes, or videos, now would actually be a good time to do so.
However, faced with the signs of our times we are most often overwhelmed by it all. In fact, who would blame us if we simply buried our heads in the sand of willed? How can we not but fall victim to the hunger and hope that God will take us out of the world’s chaos? However, the hope that Jesus presents, the way of the disciple is not the one of retreat from the world or ignorance of the realities. Instead it is a call to stand up right in the middle of it all as witnesses to the hope we have in Jesus.
When faced with chaos, wars, and disasters; Jesus does not present a roadmap for the end times. He does not promise that his followers will not face struggles. Instead, Jesus tells makes it clear that being a disciples means being faithful and hopeful in the middle of it all. His words are quite simple: “Now when these things begin to take place, stand up and raise your heads…” There is no talk about retreating to sanctuaries safe from the world; instead there is a call to stand up tall and keep your head up despite the chaos all around. These are revolutionary hopeful words. It is a ridiculously hopeful symbolic action in the face of desperate circumstances.
The power of these words is often lost on people of privilege. After all, privileged people do not have to be reminded to stand tall and keep their head up. People of privilege are not taught to avert their eyes when speaking to people in power. People of privilege are not taught how to survive the recurring stops by the police because of the crime of driving while black. But for anyone who knows what its like to have to survive in a world not designed for them, these words are a witness to a powerful revolutionary hope. “Stand up and raise your heads…” in the face of it all!
This is not to say that these words offer nothing to people of privilege. After all, the despair of this world takes many forms. In fact, all people are in need of these words of hope. However, there is just less acknowledgement of that need the more comfortable, pampered or privilege we are. The hunger for the promise of God – for security, safety, and hope, know no bounds of race or class. The hunger just manifests itself in different ways.
The hunger for hope found in God exists in each one of us. As such, we must begin to name those hungers and acknowledge that ways in which we feed those hungers. There are many ways these hungers are fed: Maybe we do this by joining lockstep with the consumptive orgy of the retail Christmas holiday. Maybe it is through; food, drugs, sex, work, gossiping or complaining, seeking to control others, or always being right. The question facing each one of us is: “How do I feed my hunger?” If we answer this question by claiming we do not, then you are not being honest. The truth is that until we are aware of our hunger and the ways we seek to numb it that we can really join in the call for Christ to come again.
The revolutionary hopeful words from Jesus are also found in Jeremiah. When Jeremiah shares God’s vision it is during a time of great turmoil. “The days are surely coming … when I will fulfill the promise… (For) justice and righteousness in the land. In those days Judah will be saved and Jerusalem will live in safety.” They are words spoken with Jerusalem in under attack from Babylon. It is not a battle between two armies but is an attack on the city where there is no concern for body count or collateral damage. They are foolish words of hope in the midst of hopelessness. And yet, they are the sort of words which would have inspired those under attack to know that hope was not lost and that God had a plan. In fact, it may have just inspired them to “stand up and raise their heads…”
The words from Jesus and Jeremiah are a call to honesty and to hopeful action. They are a call for us to pull our heads out of the sand and confront the injustice and unrighteousness in ourselves, our church, our community and God’s world. It is a call to remember that our hope does not come from anything other than God. The words of the modern day prophets who claim to have the roadmap of the end times, or who promise security through better walls, deeper pockets, more distance from people unknown to us, or surrendered liberties simply do not have the last word.
“The days are surely coming…” and are here now! “There will be (and are everyday) signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and the earth distress among nations confused by the roaring of the sea and the waves. People will (and are) faint(ing) from fear and foreboding of what is coming upon (and is upon), for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.” So our call is quite simple: Stand up and raise your head, take a revolutionary hopeful posture in the world hungry for any signs of hope. May we be a witness to this hope which enables us to stand up and raise our heads for the living of these days. Amen.
December 3rd 2006
First Sunday in Advent / Communion Sunday
Rev. Mark R. Bradshaw-Miller
“Hunger and Hope”
Jeremiah 33:14-16; Luke 21:25-29
The scene presented by Jesus as the time of redemption does not fit with most images found on Christmas cards. How many of us are planning to send cards which have images of wars, chaos, turmoil, natural disasters, or hunger? Yet, this is precisely the image we are presented with as we begin advent. Jesus makes the claim, in Luke that the time of redemption will come, not beside still waters, but in the middle of chaotic times. Unfortunately, generations of Jesus’ followers have taken this passage and seen it as a roadmap for the end times. With ever eclipse, comet, hurricane or war brings the peddlers of doom with a new book, tape or video claiming they have the key to understanding the signs of the times.
While we know that those sorts of claims ignore Jesus teaching, and as such always unbiblical, there is something about these claims which can often grab our attention. After all, if we are remotely paying attention to the world around us the signs are there. War is our constant companion, wealth inequality is at levels not seen since the depression, and we can no longer ignore the real environmental crisis. If we wanted to make an ‘end time’ prediction, or sell some books, tapes, or videos, now would actually be a good time to do so.
However, faced with the signs of our times we are most often overwhelmed by it all. In fact, who would blame us if we simply buried our heads in the sand of willed? How can we not but fall victim to the hunger and hope that God will take us out of the world’s chaos? However, the hope that Jesus presents, the way of the disciple is not the one of retreat from the world or ignorance of the realities. Instead it is a call to stand up right in the middle of it all as witnesses to the hope we have in Jesus.
When faced with chaos, wars, and disasters; Jesus does not present a roadmap for the end times. He does not promise that his followers will not face struggles. Instead, Jesus tells makes it clear that being a disciples means being faithful and hopeful in the middle of it all. His words are quite simple: “Now when these things begin to take place, stand up and raise your heads…” There is no talk about retreating to sanctuaries safe from the world; instead there is a call to stand up tall and keep your head up despite the chaos all around. These are revolutionary hopeful words. It is a ridiculously hopeful symbolic action in the face of desperate circumstances.
The power of these words is often lost on people of privilege. After all, privileged people do not have to be reminded to stand tall and keep their head up. People of privilege are not taught to avert their eyes when speaking to people in power. People of privilege are not taught how to survive the recurring stops by the police because of the crime of driving while black. But for anyone who knows what its like to have to survive in a world not designed for them, these words are a witness to a powerful revolutionary hope. “Stand up and raise your heads…” in the face of it all!
This is not to say that these words offer nothing to people of privilege. After all, the despair of this world takes many forms. In fact, all people are in need of these words of hope. However, there is just less acknowledgement of that need the more comfortable, pampered or privilege we are. The hunger for the promise of God – for security, safety, and hope, know no bounds of race or class. The hunger just manifests itself in different ways.
The hunger for hope found in God exists in each one of us. As such, we must begin to name those hungers and acknowledge that ways in which we feed those hungers. There are many ways these hungers are fed: Maybe we do this by joining lockstep with the consumptive orgy of the retail Christmas holiday. Maybe it is through; food, drugs, sex, work, gossiping or complaining, seeking to control others, or always being right. The question facing each one of us is: “How do I feed my hunger?” If we answer this question by claiming we do not, then you are not being honest. The truth is that until we are aware of our hunger and the ways we seek to numb it that we can really join in the call for Christ to come again.
The revolutionary hopeful words from Jesus are also found in Jeremiah. When Jeremiah shares God’s vision it is during a time of great turmoil. “The days are surely coming … when I will fulfill the promise… (For) justice and righteousness in the land. In those days Judah will be saved and Jerusalem will live in safety.” They are words spoken with Jerusalem in under attack from Babylon. It is not a battle between two armies but is an attack on the city where there is no concern for body count or collateral damage. They are foolish words of hope in the midst of hopelessness. And yet, they are the sort of words which would have inspired those under attack to know that hope was not lost and that God had a plan. In fact, it may have just inspired them to “stand up and raise their heads…”
The words from Jesus and Jeremiah are a call to honesty and to hopeful action. They are a call for us to pull our heads out of the sand and confront the injustice and unrighteousness in ourselves, our church, our community and God’s world. It is a call to remember that our hope does not come from anything other than God. The words of the modern day prophets who claim to have the roadmap of the end times, or who promise security through better walls, deeper pockets, more distance from people unknown to us, or surrendered liberties simply do not have the last word.
“The days are surely coming…” and are here now! “There will be (and are everyday) signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and the earth distress among nations confused by the roaring of the sea and the waves. People will (and are) faint(ing) from fear and foreboding of what is coming upon (and is upon), for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.” So our call is quite simple: Stand up and raise your head, take a revolutionary hopeful posture in the world hungry for any signs of hope. May we be a witness to this hope which enables us to stand up and raise our heads for the living of these days. Amen.
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