I Hope
November 27, 2011
“I HOPE” Mark 13:24-37 Dana Douglass
Sometimes, when I am alone in the car listening to the radio, I will hear an ad for the Maine State Lottery which states that: “The jackpot this week is . . . so many million dollars.” Sometimes, when I hear that figure I begin to dream. What would I do with all that money?
The miles slip away as I fantasize. Finish paying for college for my kids. Maybe a little fund they could draw on as they try to get established in the world. A little bit for Anne and me to make us comfortable in retirement. But, since there is nothing I want that I don’t already have, I would give away most of the money. That’s when the fantasy gets fun! Who would get the money? It’s great fun to be really generous in my imagination! There’s a chance that you’d get back the money you’ve paid me this year.
I can fantasize about winning the lottery; but I can’t hope for it, because it can’t happen. I’ve never bought a lottery ticket. Here’s the point — In order to have hope, possibility must be present. In order for hope to blossom, there must at least be a seed.
When I first went into ministry I was filled with idealism. I wanted to change the world. I wanted to preach peace and justice; and if I did my job well, said the right things, in the right way, in enough places, with enough passion then maybe the world would change. That was fantasy. I no longer hope that I will change the world. I’m not gifted enough. I’m not in a position to have that kind of impact.
Does that mean that I have no hopes for my work? Not at all. I hope that something I say on a Sunday morning might touch someone. I “hope” that by just by showing up at someone’s bedside in the hospital allowed them to project the presence of the divine close by I hope that is a comfort. I “hope” that if the children have good memories of Sunday mornings in church, they will remember someday when they need to remember it — that God loves them. I think those things are possible; so, I have hope.
The Bible is a really story about hope trying to ward off hopelessness. The people of the Old Testament tried to maintain hope despite one historical catastrophe after another. The early Christians did the same. With Jesus, there was tremendous hope — a new kind of leader has been born. When he was arrested and killed, terrible hopelessness. On the road to Emmaus two disciples said, “We had hoped he was the one. . . but now, what?” Hope and hopelessness; back and forth.
In light of history, and all the hopelessness that has come around again and again, do we have any right to keep clinging to hope? Absolutely, we do. We have every right, even an obligation, to hope because the seeds of a better day have been planted. Trace the women’s movement. Look at the gay rights movement. Once again we’ll see that history is on the move. Things are better today then they were just a few decades ago. Therefore, there is hope that things will get better still.
Near the end of his life Jesus predicted hard times ahead. He said that days are coming when it will feel as though the sun itself has grown dark. It will feel as if the moon has become dim and the stars are falling from the sky. Jesus knew that it will occasionally feel as if everything is hopeless. It will occasionally feel as if evil is in charge. When you feel that way, Jesus said, learn from the fig tree. When it’s branches become tender and it puts forth leaves, you can be assured that summer has come. Even now, in the darkest months of the year, when all is brown and frozen, you can look at the lilac and see buds on the branches. The seeds of hope are sewn. Better days are ahead.
Advent is all about hope. At the very darkest time of year, we light our little candles and they fend off the dark. Just when it may feel as if God has abandoned us to our own devices, we hear again the story of God sneaking in the back door, or God entering the world in a barn on the edge of town. We celebrate Advent and Christmas every year, not because we expect the old Jesus to come back in a new stable, but because God comes into our world over and over again. Every time you leave hopelessness behind and step out in hope, God enters the world.
Advent reminds us that God has entered this world and planted God’s seeds. Love is putting out roots. Love is growing. You are part of it. In the weeks ahead, concentrate on rejecting despair and cynicism. Fantasize about making the world a better place. It is not foolish to have hope. Hope is all around us.
