December 2, 2023 - First Sunday of Advent
Within the church in general, the theme of the first candle we light in Advent is Hope. Hope is more than wishful thinking. It’s hearing God’s words as promise that we will be led to true freedom.
You may have read these words penned by Henri Nouwen in his book Bread for the Journey:
“Optimism is the expectation that things – the weather, human relationships, the economy, the political situation, and so on – will get better. Hope is the trust that God will fulfill God’s promises to us in a way that leads us to true freedom. The optimist speaks about concrete changes in the future. The person of hope lives in the moment with the knowledge and trust that all of life is in good hands.”
God speaks of hope continuously throughout the Bible. In the first reading today, the prophet Isaiah says, “You meet those who gladly do right, those who remember you in your ways…. you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand.” The potter begins the sculpture with a mass of clay, perhaps not even completely workable. And as the potter manipulates and kneads the clay, it becomes smooth and pliable. And out of a misshapen mass, a pot is formed. A chalice and paten like this is created and becomes an object that we can use. The end result is in the potter’s hands and we must hope that what is created is something useful. Isaiah is saying that God uses us for the purposes of freedom – our own freedom from all that enslaves us and freedom of others as they are set apart from enslavement to societal standards.
The Psalmist writes, “stir up your strength and come to help us. Restore us… and we shall be saved.” The Psalmist hopes in God to come to help us. Foreshadowing a bit, but not ruining the story – the wisemen were guided by the star of Bethlehem so that they could make their way to the manger. Think about times in your life when God has guided you with a star, times when you were guided to goodness and truth – whether through a relationship, a conversation, or just a special kind of knowledge. The story of the Magi inspires us to hope that if we follow our epiphanies, we will arrive at the place where we are meant to be, just as they did.
Paul’s writing in his first letter to the church in Corinth speaks of our need to hear the testimony of Jesus Christ and the need to hope for the revealing of Jesus Christ again. God didn’t come into our world in the daylight. He entered our lives in darkness in a manger in Bethlehem. By listening to Jesus and hearing what he is telling us, we can spread light to the world. God’s love comes to Mary through the angels, telling her that she is to bear a child who is Christ the Lord. Luke tells us that despite cultural norms and standards, Mary answers, “Let it be to me according to your word.” When has God invited you to say yes? Have you had hope in God and trusted that God was not setting you on the wrong path, or have you been scared to accept the invitation?
The big lesson in hope today comes from Mark’s words. “But in those days, after that suffering, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. Then they will see ‘the Son of Man coming in clouds’ with great power and glory. … ‘But about that day or hour no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Beware, keep alert; for you do not know when the time will come. … And what I say to you I say to all: Keep awake.” The Gospel lesson is a call to hope. A shocking hope, a hope that startles, that shakes us to the core if we’re thinking about it. But a hope nonetheless. We sometimes must listen hard to hear something hopeful in these descriptions, but it is there. Underneath sometimes, but still there.
Nervous? Yes! because there is much to do and a deadline to meet. But at the same time, we hear the promise that the master is near. Not as a threat, but as a promise. We are not alone. What we see in front of us is not all that there is. History is heading somewhere. We may not know where exactly, except that it is Life. And that is what we long for in the end, life. Life in all its fullness and meaning, life in all its joy and promise. That’s what is coming; that is what is promised. And we forget every now and then.
So, my friends, hear the promise of hope. Like the angels announced to Mary. Like the Wise Magi were clued in on. Like Mark tells us when he writes that the Son of Man “is coming.” We forget that we are looking for anything, that we are hoping for anything. Advent gives us a unique opportunity to hear a reminder every year. We are just not ready, we have too much to do, our lists grow longer, our accomplishments are fewer. For everything we check off, six more tasks slip onto the list. We’re not ready. And yet, we are – if we simply have hope.