![](3D"ser-1130-08.wjf_files/image002.gif")
<=
/o:p>
![3D"Text](3D"ser-1130-08.wjf_files/image003.gif")
Psalm 80:1-7, 171-19,
Isaiah 64:1-9
If there ever was a time, if there ever was a year i=
n our
life time, this may be the year when it is wise not to rush to the manger of
Bethlehem. This may be the time to take time, to name the location of our t=
rue
problems, and find the reality of hope. This is the time to truly observe
Advent, where we examine ourselves, our world, and God as best we can. To f=
all
into the sentimentality of the manger at Bethlehem in such a world as ours,
would be a tragedy for the church. For we look back, not very far in time, =
and
see a world with deep problems and disappointments for tens of thousands of
people all over the world. We also look at a world that is profoundly good.=
And
we are reminded at Advent that it is a world God has entered into repeatedl=
y in
order to redeem. Oh yes, the one for whom we wait has already come many tim=
es!
So you see, there is a reason sometimes for the week=
s of
Advent, for not singing Christmas carols this day. If we are to be faithful=
we
need to do the hard work of understanding what is going on in the world tod=
ay.
It is a world that aches, but the very fact we are in this place on the fir=
st
Sunday of Advent is a witness that at some level we believe this world echo=
es
with the sounds of God at work. That in itself may come off as sentimental
rubbish for tens of thousands of people without jobs this day. Even more so=
, Advent
is not a time to prepare for Christmas, but a time to hone the skills,
disciplines and character needed to grow in faith. It is the time to join M=
ary,
Isaiah and the Psalmist and countless others throughout Christian history, =
who
have dared to hope that God is near, in the worst of times.
I imagine for many people, the words of Isaiah could=
come
screaming out of their hearts and souls: “O that you would tear open =
the
heavens and come down, so that mountains would quake at your
presence…” desperately begging God to return with the kind of p=
ower
and brightness that Israel saw at Sinai, when God came down and the mountai=
ns
quaked. “Stir up your might and save us,” shouts the Psalmist.
“Restore us, O Lord of hosts; let your face shine that we may be
saved.” Couldn’t =
you at
least let things return to where they were just a few weeks ago? Every trag=
edy
acknowledged and every loss experienced and we would like to get back behind
the event, and have life stop right there!
Some will be tempted to follow strange religious bei=
ngs
who would indeed skip the pain of this world, forgetting this world and get=
ting
ready for the next world, when God will indeed tear through the heavens and
destroy the evil ones and carry the “saved” off into safety for=
ever
and ever. Indeed some will find an obscure way to set the date on the calen=
dar.
And a gaggle of eager believers will sell all their stuff and gather togeth=
er
to wait this stern and violent coming. Someone remembers a book called 84
Reasons the Rapture Will Happen in 1984.&n=
bsp;
I bet those books were dirt cheap in the used book stores on January=
1,
1985!
Yes, we need Advent 2008, for a hope realized, not a=
hope
that is some foggy illusion in another world. The language of Isaiah and the
Psalmist is apocalyptic language. The passage from Mark for today, is even
stronger apocalyptic language=
, and
I chose not to deal with that passage for some very particular reasons. Are
there contemporary experiences of apocalypse? New Testament scholar Barbara
Rossing describes a national tragedy like Hurricane Katrina as an apocalyps=
e of
sorts. An “Apocalypse means a “tearing away,” a removal of
the veil, allowing us to see what is always there – in Katrina’s
case, a country badly divided along lines of race and poverty had always be=
en
there. In the naked aftermath and lack of response, we saw more clearly what
New Orleans was really like. The upheaval of the world’s economy is an
apocalyptic happening of sorts.
What is it that is being revealed?&=
nbsp;
That’s what we need to uncover! We need to set it right!
There are private apocalypses all the time, as indiv=
idual
lives are torn apart by illness or death. Or perhaps someone who has worked
hard all of their life; has owned a home, now finds themselves without work,
without a home, in a word, “ho0meless.” An Orthodox priest counsels his fl=
ock:
“never buy green bananas. Who knows if you’ll get to eat
them.” A silly and mundane way to remember the coming of the kingdom
– but…!
An example from Arthur Klienman who talks about Medi=
cal
Anthropology- he speaks of the dichotomy between two aspects of sickness:
disease and illness. Disease refers to the malfunctioning of biological or
psychological processes, while the term illness refers to the personal and
social responses to the disease in a person’s life. He illustrates it this way: “Today I saw an obese hypert=
ensive
mother with six children. No husband. No family support. No job. Only a wor=
ld
of brutalizing violence and poverty and drugs and teenage pregnancies and
– and just plain mind-numbing crises, one after another after another.
What good is it to recommend a low-salt diet, or to admonish her about cont=
rol
of her pressure: she is under such real outer pressure, what does the inner
pressure matter? What is killing her is her world, not her body. In fact, h=
er
body is the product of her world. She is a hugely overweight person who is a
survivor of circumstances and lack of resources and cruel messages to consu=
me
and get ahead - impossible for her to hear and not feel rage at the limits =
of
her world. Hey, what she needs is not medicine but a social revolution.R=
21;
Why do I share this with you? Because any coming of the Christ,
whether at Bethlehem or in Kalamazoo today, or emblazoned in the whole univ=
erse
tomorrow, occurs in a topsy-turvy kind of world situation; a world never fr=
ee
from religious and political convulsions and upheaval. And so we need Adven=
t,
to face the worst, and to become citizens of that world that brings dignity,
and relief from poverty, and healing for all sorts of human hurts.
We need to create that world where there is justice,
economic justice, where people can live and work and know their basic needs=
are
met. A world of justice where “having everything” and “bl=
ack
Fridays, that literally kill people” are no longer desired nor tolera=
ted.
It does come at last where we will be in a few weeks= ; it comes at last to a baby, a homeless baby, born in the midst of chaos, in a world where unfair taxes were exacted of the poor and given to the dominions and powers of the world; where that baby’s poor parents were forced to travel a great distance from home to give what little of what they had to t= hose who controlled the system for their own pleasure and wealth; a world where = the rich became richer and the poor poorer. But we still go there because we ha= ve great expectations! Sometimes I think we Christians are not sufficiently expectant. We do not attempt great things beyond our known resources. We are disappointed by the lack of exciting things happening in our circles of Christian fellowship, because we do not put our lives in the places of expecting justice, peace, and healing, beyond our own resources! No, we ask= not that God “tear open the heavens!” We go finally to the babe of Bethlehem, in quietness and adoration, knowing he will lead us into the pla= ces where we need to be. The places where we become co-creators with God, and t= his babe of Bethlehem will show us how to bring healing and compassion that cha= nge this world! Amen.