“Always be
ready! You don’t know when the Son of Man will come.”
The whole
problem with this is that we don’t know when it will be, so how can we be
ready?
It may
surprise some of you to know that I was a Girl Guide, and the motto is ‘Be
Prepared’. Going out for a walk would
mean a backpack, water, food, phone money, first aid kit etc. you can imagine
the amount of stuff that was packed for a camping trip.
Somehow, I
don’t think Matthew was meaning ‘be prepared’ by carrying a compass, Swiss army
knife, matches, map, ……
What might
it mean, in the gospel sense, to Be Prepared?
The disciples were waiting for the
return of Jesus. They had expected that he would have returned by the time
Matthew was writing this gospel, thought to be just after the destruction of
the Temple in 70 AD/CE. The disciples were wondering if Jesus would ever
return.
“Always be ready! You don’t know when
the Son of Man will come.”
During Advent we think about the
coming of Jesus for the first time, as a baby many centuries ago, and also the
time when the Jesus will return, when the kingdom of God will be completed.
When I was a
young adult, there was lots of talk about the second coming of Jesus. I don’t
know if that is a young adult thing, or something that was common in the late
seventies and early eighties.
For a while
I kept hoping the second coming would arrive before my next assignment was due
or the next exam. J
We live in
what has been called ‘the in-between time’. Jesus was another step in the
coming of the kingdom of God. But we aren’t yet living in the fullness of the
kingdom of God. The images of Old Testament prophets of the lion laying down
with the lamb, of peace and health and wholeness for all people and the whole
creation, are not yet reality.
We live in
this in-between time, we live in the tension of knowing Jesus, but looking to a
future where we more fully experience him.
We live in
the tension of seeing glimpses of the kingdom of God, and the yearning for the
kingdom to be fully experienced.
We live in
the tension of being faithful, forgiven people and being aware of our own
shortcomings and limitations.
I have a
story for you: it reminded me of the
people of Israel, they needed constant reminders of what God had done in their
lives, of how to live, of judgment, and images of hope in the form of the
kingdom of God.
STORY : The Duck and the Darkling by
Glenda Millard
This week we
think about hope.
The Isaiah
reading is dripping with Hope.
I wonder if
we would hear this passage differently if we were living in a war zone, or unable to feed our children.
This first
39 chapters of Isaiah are predominately about divine judgement; how the land
will be desolate and the people in exile. Yet interspersed, there are some
passages of hope. Jerusalem
A future
that will be different to their current experience.
It can be
easy to think that things will always be the way they are now, or that evil and
violence and greed will become more powerful. That society will become meaner
and more fractured. But here in these
wonderful verses from Isaiah, we have a picture of a future that is different,
a future where we will no longer needs the means of war.
This was an agricultural
society, so if you can turn your fighting implements into farming tools, life
becomes about food and drink, not fear and death.
Many people
have attempted to update these verses from Isaiah,
They will pound their swords
and their spears
into rakes and shovels;
and their spears
into rakes and shovels;
Some modern phrasing:
-They will turn weapons into welcome signs
........and bombs into tools and toys.
- They'll turn their swords into shovels,
their spears into hoes.
- They shall turn their bombers into flying doctors,
and their warships into food freighters;
........and bombs into tools and toys.
- They'll turn their swords into shovels,
their spears into hoes.
- They shall turn their bombers into flying doctors,
and their warships into food freighters;
As I was
thinking about these passages I thought of the great speech by Martin Luther
King Junior. [some excerpts] http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/mlkihaveadream.htm
“Let us not
wallow in the valley of despair, I say to you today, my friends.”
“And so even
though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream.”
“I have a
dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they
will not be judged by the colour of their skin but by the content of their
character.
I have a
dream today!”
“This is our
hope, ..”
“With this
faith, we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle
together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing
that we will be free one day.”
Advent is a time of waiting, not a time of idle waiting,
but waiting with a purpose, with hope.
During advent we look for signs of hope in our midst.
Where do you see signs of hope?
There are plenty of areas of concern, plenty of
opportunities for despair:
- Climate
change
- Political
corruption
- Treatment
of people with mental illness
- Terrorism
- Pollution
- Unemployment
Friday was
White Ribbon Day, a national day for the prevention of violence against women. This
year, White Ribbon Australia is asking men to stand up, speak out and act for
the women in their lives, as violence against women is a man’s issue too.
One in three
women have experienced physical and/or sexual abuse perpetrated by someone
known to them, and on average, one woman is killed every week in Australia as a
result of domestic violence. https://www.whiteribbon.org.au/2016/11/17/white-ribbon-day-2016/
We look for
signs of hope, and we are also bearers of hope.
Just as the
Peterboy found hope in Grandpapa’s stories, and looked for ways to brighten his
grandfather’s eyes.
We too can
look for signs of hope.
We too can
bring hope.
There are
two campaigns being run by the social justice group of the Synod at present:
· Affordable
housing campaign and
· Give Hope
campaign for people seeking asylum
Where do you
see signs of hope?
Where do you
bring hope?
No comments:
Post a Comment