A Profound Hope

Advent is a time for preparing for something unimaginable.  In the midst of human suffering the prophet Isaiah proclaimed, “The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad, the desert shall rejoice and blossom; like the crocus it shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice with joy….‘Be strong, do not fear! Here is your God….  A highway shall be there, and it shall be called the Holy Way; …it shall be for God's people; …they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.”

What a marvelous prediction.  Rabbi Abraham Heschel, a renowned Jewish theologian, said that prophets give voice to the silent agony of the poor.  They give voice to God, they think with God, they feel with God.  The prophet Isaiah is so close to the mind and heart of God that he can dare to promise in God’s name that “the desert shall rejoice and blossom,…waters shall break forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert;.. the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; the lame shall leap like a deer, and the tongue of the speechless sing for joy.”  “Be strong, do not fear!  Here is your God.... He will come and save you.”

Today we are living in a time in which what used to pass for normal is shattered. Our culture is in disarray; division, frustration, and anger persist everywhere.  The political divide is wide.  Some families have trouble talking to one another; and the rift between political parties is so vast that compromise is virtually impossible.  The gap between the richest members of society and the poorest citizens is wider than ever. Issues of race, class, gender and economic disparity are blatant.

How do we heal these divisions?  Is reconciliation possible or unimaginable? What does Advent have to do with it?  For three days at the beginning of this month the Center for the Study of Slavery and Justice at Brown University hosted an international conference about slavery and global public history. Scholars, researchers, and representatives of public initiatives made presentations, and much attention was given to the interpretation of history and programs that are focused on the legacies of slavery and enslavement. They are programs that can lead to healing and reconciliation.

The author James Baldwin, writing during the civil rights movement said, “Not everything that is faced can be changed. But nothing can be changed until it is faced.”  Baldwin also said “Racism is so universal in this country, so widespread and so deep-seated, that it is invisible because it is so normal”

One of the case studies in public history is our own Center for Reconciliation.  The Rev. Canon Linda Grenz spoke on behalf of the Center:  “About 60% of all slaves brought to the Americas were transported on ships that were launched from Providence, Bristol and Newport. And most of our state’s economy was built on revenues generated by slavery and the slave trade…. Yet many Rhode Islanders remain unaware of our colonial history of slavery and slave trading.

“Many of the negative attitudes and assumptions about black people that were used to justify slavery continue to influence impressions about people of color today. It is the remaining impact of racism, discrimination and separation that we are called to address. We believe that connecting to our past will enable us to build a more diverse and inclusive future. And given the rise in racist and hateful incidents after the recent election, there is an urgent need to provide safe spaces where people can hear each other’s stories, build relationships and work together to build a more equitable and just future... so that our society can begin a transformative healing process.”

In our reading from Matthew’s gospel we have a glimpse of a transformative healing process.  God’s new presence in the birth of Jesus reinforced Isaiah’s expectation.  It was Matthew’s purpose to show that in Jesus, the prophecy of the Old Testament is fulfilled.  At Jesus’ touch, “the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them.”  What a remarkable and unexpected vision!

Matthew’s gospel asked a puzzling question on behalf of the imprisoned John the Baptist: “Are you the one, or should we look for another?”  John’s preaching had condemned sinners, announced judgment, and expressed the expectation that Jesus’ ministry would be like his.  However, Jesus’ words and actions stressed compassion.  From his blessing of the poor to the naming of the ministries that identify him as Messiah, Matthew recorded deeds that show Jesus’ concern for the poor and oppressed.  Such a messiah has scriptural precedents but may not be what John and others had expected.

The evidence of Jesus’ activity was meant to convince John, his disciples, and the people that the one who is coming has already arrived but in a much deeper form than John or the people expected.  If John “was a prophet and more than a prophet,” how much more was Jesus!  Jesus embodied every promise of God, the promise of life in the wilderness and the homecoming of God’s people with all sorrow and weariness wiped away.

Advent is about waiting, watching, and noticing God’s creative action. Jesus responded to John’s disciples by pointing to the evidence: his activity on behalf of the sick, the lame, the blind, and the poor.  Psalm 146 described how God acts, “who made heaven and earth, the seas, and all that is in them; who keeps his promise for ever; who gives justice to those who are oppressed, and food to those who hunger.”  The actions of God in the psalm were the very actions of Jesus.

Advent is the season of profound hope, a hope that is not only concerned with things to come but with confidence and courage in the present.  Hope gives us patience to wait with inner peace in the face of those things we cannot change.  Hope gives us confidence and courage, like the prophet, to change those things we can.  Hope counts on God’s creative action and opens our eyes and ears to attend to the abundance of life.  Hope assures us that Christ is alive and working on our behalf, and on behalf of the poor and marginalized, refugees, hungry and homeless people in our cities and towns.

You and I come close to God’s mind and heart as we work to see that the eyes of the blind are opened, the ears of the deaf are unstopped, the lame can leap like deer, and the tongue of the speechless can sing for joy. There is nothing to fear; God’s new presence is in all of creation.  Let us keep alive this hope for the glory of God.  Amen.