Sermon: “Hope-Full Yearnings” It is a reality that some around us may forget in their holiday busyness. This past week one of you sent me a story about a young parent – could be a mom or a dad - totally exhausted and overwhelmed, dragging two children through the shopping mall, frantically trying to get all the Christmas shopping done. While in the toy department the two young children had whined incessantly, asking for every toy they had seen, and there were hundreds. Feeling worn out, overwhelmed with the shopping yet to do, worried about the preparations at home that still waited for at home, this parent dragged the two kids into an elevator full of people – and set all many packages down. When the doors closed – he, or she – couldn't take it anymore and said, "Whoever started this whole Christmas thing should be found, strung up and shot." From the back of the car came a quiet, calm voice, "Oh don't worry, we already crucified Him." For the rest of the trip down in the elevator, it was so quiet you could have heard a pin drop. True or not, some of us have been that parent – and many of us know someone who is now that parent – getting too caught up in the trappings of this season - forgetting what this time of year is really all about. And so we place several crosses on our Chrismon tree – crosses that remind us of that awful crucifixion – and of the miraculous resurrection of Jesus Christ – a reminder of God’s answer to death and injustice and evil. Of course we have the more typical reminders of Jesus’ birth – like the manger and the star and angels. If you come up and look closer after the service – and you are certainly invited to do so - you will also see an axe, and a winnowing fork – two tools mentioned in today’s gospel lesson – ones that I have focused on in prior sermons, and magically they have appeared on our tree. These two rather different Chrismons remind us of a person we meet each year in Advent – a person you will never see on a Christmas card or in any nativity scene. He appears in all four gospel accounts – but he’s an uncomfortable figure for most of us - with odd clothes and an eccentric diet - living out in the wilderness, near the Jordan River. He just makes us feel uncomfortable. We picture him primarily as angry, yelling at people - as he does here in Matthew and in Luke’s gospel – confronting the Pharisees and Sadducees who were coming for baptism – though in other places he is not so confrontational. We know him as John the Baptist. Before we see him yelling at the Pharisees and Sadducees, John speaks a word to us – his primary message - one we tend to brush right past. It is a word of warning, but it also contains a yearning - a yearning for a certain thing to happen, for a desired reality to appear, for a longed-for state of existence to become evident. John says it like this: “Repent – turn around, turn back to God, “for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” John urges us toward a change in behavior, toward repenting, in order to get our lives in sync with this new reality which is “at hand” – “just around the corner” - this kingdom of heaven – this state of existence when there will be “heaven on earth.” The prophet Isaiah speaks of this same longed-for reality when he writes of a new kind of king, who will usher in this new state of existence. This leader will come “as a shoot from the stump of Jesse” – in line with the great King David – one on whom the spirit of the Lord will dwell – the spirit of wisdom, understanding, counsel and might. This new kind of leader will not judge by what can be easily observed or heard – he will judge with righteousness and with equity. This leader’s very clothing will be what is right and what is faithful. And then Isaiah breaks right into the hope-full reality that this new leader will usher in. It will be a reality where natural enemies will live together in peace, a state of existence where violence and rage and anger will be no more. With words Isaiah paints a picture of this reality, using animals and children that would otherwise naturally prey on one another – but no more. “The wolf will live with the lamb, and the leopard lie down with the kid – even a child will play over the hole of the snake.” “They will not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain; for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.” Can we even imagine a world like this, where natural enemies live together in peace? When violence and rage are no more? Think about it. What kind of a world would we have if the Israelis and Palestinians could live together in peace? Imagine it. And the Sunni and Shia’ Muslims - part of the centuries old conflict causing so much destruction now in Iraq – imagine a reality wherein those two groups could work together without hostilities, for the betterment of their country. In Rwanda – in the last decade – the terrible genocide that occurred there - imagine those of the Hutu tribe and those of the Tutsi tribe, all getting along in peace and cooperation? A world where old enemies live together without violence and destruction, but in peace and cooperation? Imagine that kind of a world. In today’s lesson from Romans, Paul speaks of a hope-full reality in terms of Jews and Gentiles – people of different faiths and cultural backgrounds, who were formerly at odds with one another, but now getting along with one another, and finding common ground and common faith in Jesus Christ. We don’t know if Paul was much of a musician, but here he speaks of this yearned for reality using the musical word – harmony: May the God of steadfastness and encouragement grant you to live in harmony with one another, in accordance with Christ Jesus, so that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Isaiah, John the Baptist, and Paul – in different words and images – all point to this hope-full yearning – for this peaceable kingdom, where natural enemies would live and work together in peace – for the kingdom of heaven to be “at hand” - here on the earth a world – for a chord of harmony to be voiced out loud and lived out in daily reality between all peoples. Imagine that kind of a world. Last Tuesday I had the opportunity to attend a luncheon where Christopher 2X was the invited speaker. Maybe you’ve heard of him, or seen him on the news – maybe like some people, you are tired of seeing him on the news. A man in his 40’s, very bald, shaved head, glasses, African American – and actually also Native American – his great grandmother was an Indian medicine woman, a Shaman. As a boy he heard stories of this healing power of his great grandmother. He grew up Methodist. He’s had his share of trouble with the law, ran with gangs, and spent time in prison. Needing more structure to his faith, he became a Muslim – and changed his last name to 2X, since there was another Christopher X in the community. At this point in his life, supported by a group of local businessmen, he is working as a an advocate for families who are victims of violence. You may remember, how in several, high profile situations, where the reaction of an angry crowd could have been violence, Christopher 2X has effectively brought calm and dignity to the situation. He told us that he sees now sees his mission in life “to eradicate violence, anger and rage from the world.” Such a mission begins however very locally – and through group meetings, a radio show, and a group he founded called the Ceremonial Healing Group, he is working to do just that – to eradicate violence, anger and rage from the world.” Oh for a world like that – Oh for a state of existence like that here in Louisville - and in our personal relationships - and in the church - and in the our places of work – and within our own selves - and in our country and in the world - This is the kind of world, the Bible says, that is coming – the state of reality that Jesus Christ, this new kind of leader, is going to usher in. And now in Advent we remind ourselves of this, even as we know all too well this longed-for reality is still ahead of us – even as we wait for and expect it to come. In these days of Advent, and in all our days, may we be counted among those who yearn for – and who work to bring about – this peaceable kingdom – this state of harmony – and this kingdom of heaven, here and now. And all God’s people said. Amen. |