Waiting in Hope for God

The prophet Isaiah said to God,  “O that you would tear open the heavens and come down, so that the mountains would quake at your presence…to make your name known to your adversaries, so that the nations might tremble at your presence!”  As it was in the time of Isaiah so are we moved today to long for the presence of God.  When we look around us at all the trouble in today’s world, in Jerusalem, Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, and at the racism in Ferguson and elsewhere here at home, we wait, listen and hope for the presence of God.  We desire peace and justice, compassion and kindness, love and equality for everyone.

God’s absence was unbearable for Isaiah.  He cried out with a complex emotional plea of anguish and hope.  “If you God would only tear open the heavens and come down, so that mountains would quake…as when fire kindles brushwood, and the fire causes water to boil – to make your name known to your adversaries so that nations might tremble at your presence.”

How often do we cry out in times of frustration and despair?  Where is God when we need God’s presence in our midst?  Isaiah understood this and said, “We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.  There is no one who calls on your name.”

During Isaiah’s time the people felt abandoned by God.  They were living in exile and felt God’s absence.  But even so they had a glimmer of hope and asked where was God for whom they waited. The Psalmist echoed their plight: “Hear, O Shepherd of Israel… shine forth, you that are enthroned upon the cherubim. … stir up your strength and come to help us.  Restore us, O God of hosts; show the light of your countenance, and we shall be saved.” 

Listen to the progression of the Psalmist’s words, “Hear, shine forth, stir up, restore.”  Then comes his plea: “How long will you be angered despite the prayers of your people? …. You have made us the derision of our neighbors, and our enemies laugh us to scorn.  Restore us, O God of hosts; show the light of your countenance, and we shall be saved.”

The words of Isaiah and the plea of the Psalmist are the source of hope for the grace and love of God.  “O Lord, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand.”

The Gospel of Mark echoes these earlier cries for hope and the presence of God.  “Keep alert; for you do not know when the time will come. … Keep awake -- for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or at dawn, or else he may find you asleep when he comes suddenly. And what I say to you I say to all: Keep awake."

At the beginning of today’s service we lit the first candle on the Advent wreath.  The Advent wreath is a symbol of waiting and anticipation.  It is a reminder to “keep alert, for we do not know when the time will come.”  We shall light an additional candle each Sunday between now and Christmas.  The wreath is an eternal circle that has no end and no beginning.  It is a circle of evergreen, a circle of meaning, and a symbol of all that is eternal as God is eternal.  It is a sign of waiting and hope for restoration.  Three of the four candles signify both waiting and preparation.  The fourth candle, which we shall light on the third Sunday in Advent, symbolizes joy at the coming of Christ.  Then, at Christmas we light a white candle in the center of the wreath to signify the coming of Christ, who calls us to be ambassadors of reconciliation, and who is the Revelation of God incarnate in the life of the world.

The theme of hope and anticipation of God’s presence in the midst of adversity and feelings of abandonment is what the birth of Jesus signifies during this season.  Advent is a time for reflection about living as a reconciling community.  It poses a major challenge.  We are in the beginning of the year’s busiest season.  It is a time when we can easily become sidetracked by all the holiday celebrations, buying and exchanging gifts, hosting and attending holiday parties, everything and anything that pulls us away from watching, waiting, and hoping for peace and reconciliation.

As for reconciliation, I am excited about the action of our recent Diocesan Convention in affirming a resolution to renovate our Cathedral building on North Main Street into a Center for Reconciliation.  Much of our Rhode Island economy was built on the backs of slaves during colonial times and the early days of the Industrial Age.  To rebuild the Cathedral building into a museum space for archives related to the slave trade, to have a place for regular worship, for performances, for education and workshops, and for training reconcilers to be sent forth into areas in need around the country is a wonderful development.  The Cathedral Corporation and others, including members of the former congregation, some of whom are now members of All Saints’ are discussing numerous possibilities and working to establish a list of priorities and invite others to participate.

Living in the spirit of an expectant faith can enable us to restore a realistic desire and hope for the coming of God, the Word made flesh in the birth and life of Jesus of Nazareth.  “O that you would tear open the heavens and come down, so that the mountains would quake at your presence …. to make your name known to your adversaries, so that the nations might tremble at your presence!”   “Show us the light of your countenance and we shall be saved.”  Advent is about anticipation, a time of preparation and expectant waiting for the Messiah, the anointed one of God, the Prince of Peace, who enters into our broken and troubled world reconciling all people to God.  Amen.