lost hope

Lost Hope

November 17 / 2013            Luke 21:5-19 and Isaiah 65:17-25

The new reports this week have been riveting – what with the behaviour of the Toronto mayor and the devastation of the Philippines, in the wake of the typhoon – the pictures emerging from there are bleak and sad and depressing.  It is hard to find hope in situations like that – Mayor Ford seems to be in a hopeless situation – you think that there is nothing more that he can do to damage his reputation farther – but he seems to be able to find new lows to sink to.  And yet – on Friday the afternoon news report was able to move away from the salacious antics of the mayor and focus on some of the work that the Toronto city council has accomplishes over the past week – they passed a unanimous motion to continue with their bike share program, and buy more bikes and create more bike share stations, they presented a financial plan to fund the renovation, upkeep and general maintenance of their social housing in the city – there is hope and the city is rising above its mayor’s behaviour and doing the business it needs to do.  And half way around the world there is hope in the Philippines’ as well as countries from all over the world come together to support and bring aid to the devastated area.  More and more planes filled with food and water and helping hands arrive and begin the very difficult task of rebuilding and restoring and returning the people to their homes – hope is returning in the midst of the devastation – hope, so fragile and yet so strong.

Have you ever lost hope...found yourself in a place that was hopeless or lived through a time of despair.  I have - that’s why you end a marriage because you can’t find any hope in a relationship anymore.  A divorce is about hopelessness. 

Have you ever face the doctor’s words that told you that you or your beloved have a terminal illness, or a chronic illness, or a life changing illness?

Have you ever dreamed a dreamed, and worked hard to obtain that dream yet in spite of all your hard work, in spite of all of your effort, in spite of everything – you fail and the hope of your dream dies.

Or the small things

·         Have you ever bought a lottery ticket and now won?

·         Have you ever hoped for it not to rain on a special day and it did?

·         Have you ever reached your hand into the mailbox hoping of for a cheque and pulled out a bill instead?

·         How about when your children where born – did you hope for a boy and get a girl or hope for a girl and get a boy?

Hope is a strange thing – a fragile thing – and when you read bible messages like the one from Luke this morning – the hope gets lost in the imagery and destructive images Jesus uses to talk to the people about hope.  And yet this morning message is chocked full of hope – it is all about the hope.

Jesus has been in the temple for a while now, he is at the end of his ministry, and this particular passage is placed just prior to the final events in Jesus life that leads to the cross.  Chapter 22 begins with the chief priests seeking ways in which to silence Jesus – it is passages such as the one we heard this morning that are threatening the religious authorities of Jesus day so that they wish to stop the messages even to the point of death.  Stepping out of the Jerusalem situation with our two thousand year old lens to look back at this story it seems a bit extreme – that the words of this itinerate preacher, could cause such discomfort, such unease that death was the solution.  Jesus words in the temple were not blasphemous – nor were they rude or belligerent or even disrespectful – no – Jesus words were hopeful – hopeful words that caused the people who heard them to begin to see things in a different way, and start to question the power and structures and political forces of that time – hopeful words started the people questioning roles of woman and treatment of the poor, and where God was in the world and were God wasn’t – and who could speak for God, and who ultimately had authority.  Words of hope that were beginning to get traction – words of hope that where causing questions – making people uncomfortable and ultimately so threatening the power structures of Jesus time that death was the method of silence.

Today’s reading finds Jesus words of hope in the midst of apocalyptic images – images of the end time – when the structures of the world topple to the ground – and this temple that Jesus is in at the moment these words are spoken – is a really good example of God’s power surpassing human power – that even huge, enormous, beautiful glorious buildings – are destructible.  This temple, Herod’s temple – was admittedly one impressive building.  It is the third temple built on this site:  “Luke and Jesus (and every conceivable ancient audience) knew that the beauty of the Temple was a matter fraught with tension and contradiction. The Temple was stunning. The Temple was huge. Paula Fredriksen notes that the outer court could hold 400,000 people, and further notes that, at festival times, it frequently held crowds nearly that large. The Temple was overwhelming, as befits the building that honors the God who alone is God. 

And the Temple was beautiful because Herod, that Roman stooge who styled himself as King of the Jews, had spent massive amounts of money making it beautiful. Herod, that vicious and brutal despot known as much for his private slaughter of his family members as for his acts of public largesse, had built up the Temple so that it would rival pagan temples built up by rival rulers. Faithful Jews knew the Temple testified to God’s unique majesty. They also knew that the beautification project was meant to bring glory to Herod, that grandson of converts whom the rabbis refused to acknowledge as Jewish. Nobody that brutal, that barbaric, that pagan, can belong to the family of the faithful.

Jesus’ words, therefore, about the leveling of the Temple, not one stone on another, would have had a double bite. On the one hand, that leveling (even at the hands of Rome) would remove the Herodian blot from the holy city. On the other hand, the Temple was the Temple, and not even Herod’s pagan corruption could change that.”[1]

And these large stones and big beautiful ramparts and walkways – that seemed impossible that they could ever be over turned and yet sixteen years after completion – they were – never to be raised again – or at least to this time almost two thousand years later.  Cause that’s how it is with human things, they don’t last.

These are end time images – apocalyptic  - the end of the temple, and all it stands for, the end of society, the end of world as they knew it.

Barbara Brown Taylor writes:  Maybe you already know that the world “apocalypse” means revelations as in that moment when you are looking at something you have looked at half your life and suddenly you see it for the first time, whether it is the sun coming up through the trees like an iridescent peach or the sorrow in your neighbours’s eyes or your own face looking back at you in the mirror.  Revelation is the moment when you can see through , see into, see beyond what is going on to what is really going on- not because your are some kind of genius but because God decided to let you, and you happened to be paying attention at the time.”[2]

Jesus apocalyptic message of hope – of something new, of something different, of something God in the midst of the end.  Close to the end of the epic journey of Frodo and Sam as written in Lord of the Rings, Frodo the hobbit has reached the place of hopelessness – has come to the end of his line and wants to stop – he says:  

Frodo: I can't do this, Sam.
Sam: I know. It's all wrong. By rights we shouldn't even be here. But we are. It's like in the great stories, Mr. Frodo. The ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger, they were. And sometimes you didn't want to know the end. Because how could the end be happy? How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad had happened? But in the end, it's only a passing thing, this shadow. Even darkness must pass. A new day will come. And when the sun shines it will shine out the clearer. Those were the stories that stayed with you. That meant something, even if you were too small to understand why. But I think, Mr. Frodo, I do understand. I know now. Folk in those stories had lots of chances of turning back, only they Frodo: What are we holding onto, Sam?
Sam: That there's some good in this world, Mr. Frodo... and it's worth fighting for.

There is good in this world –and that is worth fighting for – that is what keeps you going with the going gets tough – that is where hope is – when all the world looks bleak and doomed – where everything around you seems to be falling apart – when it seems as it is ended and it is over – it is not – because this is just the place that God gets in and something shifts and out of the bleakness, out of the darkness, out of the hopelessness – the light returns.

I see a new heaven, I see a new earth ...writes Isaiah – something new is on the horizon – it is a pretty impressive claim for Isaiah to make – the world has not been all that wonderful of late for the people of God – they had been conquered by the Babylonians, forced from their homes and places of business, and their land, the Babylonians were in turn conquered by the Persians – and the people of God were then freed to go back – to go back to Jerusalem, to rebuild what they once had, to build homes and re-establish business and to restore what was left of the temple to its former glory.  It is in the midst of this rebuilding that the hopeful images of Isaiah are written – speaking of the world as God would have it, telling of time that the Kingdom comes and God’s will is done

·         Delighting people

·         Children living a full and rich life

·         People living to ripe old ages

·         Being able to reap what you plant and eat what you sow

·         Living in home

·         And the lion and the lamb will lie down together – symbolizing peace and justice and hope

Hope – the people live in hope – God’s hope – God’s kingdom.

Jesus boldly declared, again and again, that the new heavens and new earth were already happening, that God’s kingdom was even then in our midst, though still yet to come in its fullness. The seeds that would lead to the kingdom’s flowering and abundant harvest had been planted everywhere and could not be stopped from germinating and spreading. The signs of this promise are all around us if we have eyes to see them and ears to hear them. Ours is to call attention to those signs, nurture them into full blossom wherever and however we can, and rejoice to bring in the harvest.

There is good in this world, and it is worth fighting for, when it seems as it is ended and it is over – it is not – because this is just the place that God gets in and something shifts and out of the bleakness, out of the darkness, out of the hopelessness – the light returns.  To live this kingdom life – is to see the hope, to share the joy and to know that God is with us – we are never alone.

---

[1] http://www.workingpreacher.org/preaching.aspx?commentary_id=1853

[2] Barbara Brown Taylor:  Apocalyptic Figs

Remember When

Remember When

November 10/2013                 Haggai 1:15b-2:9

The process of writing a sermon title for me varies each week – sometimes the thoughts come and I form a title around that and other times the title comes and the sermon develops around those line – this week however, after thinking about the theme of remembrance day, and going over the interesting readings from Scripture –the title came – but it came with the voice of Alan Jackson singing the song in my head and it has been a bit distracting ever since....Remember When..

“Remember when I was young and so were you”
and time stood still and love was all we knew”

So I googled it and what came up with was Alan singing with the opening scene from the movie “Up” running in the background.   It is a beautiful piece of the movie – about a couple of ordinary people living their ordinary lives.  It begins in the middle of their two lives – when the couple are getting married, Ellie and Carl Fredricksen and then we see scenes of their life together, buying their first house and decorating it, working together at the zoo, pursuing their dreams, hoping to have children and finding out they can’t, reawakening an old dream and discovering the roadblocks and detours they have to take on the bumpy road of life.  The gentle melody and lyrics accompany this lovely montage of ordinary life moments,

“Remember when we vowed the vows and walked the walk
Gave our hearts, made the start, it was hard
We lived and learned, life threw curves
There was joy, there was hurt
Remember when”  (Alan Jackson)

The short video spans about 40 or 50 years as we watch this young couple age and grey and grow stockier and wrinkleyier  - until we get the moment when Ellie reaches the end of her life and she dies, and it obvious that for the other – for Carl - he feels like it is his end as well – its over – and that the story is complete - but it is not –in fact it is just the beginning of the story, this clip is what sets the scene for the whole movie – it is only the preamble for the next big adventure of the reluctant hero – even though all Carl Fredricksen wants to do is to sit in his chair and remember when... he is to take those memories and use them as his guide post and move on to tomorrow.

The Prophet Haggai proclaims:   Who is left among you that saw this house in its former glory? How does it look to you now? Is it not in your sight as nothing?  Who remembers?

Remember when says Haggai –

·         remember how it used to be –

·         remember before the exile,

·         remember before the destruction,

·         remember before the scattering and the conquering

·         remember before the eventual return –

·          remember he says – remember what it used to look like,

o    when the temple stood tall and grand and the people came to worship our God

o   when the temple had priests and sacrifices and was a hub of activity

o   when you could see the very presence of God in the midst of the magnificent temple building

Remember when – Haggai proclaims to the people, remember who you are and whose you are.  Because when you do you are put back together again – as God’s people and hope returns and God gets in.

It is the second year of King Darius of Persia, the seventh month, the 21^st day – this is the day that God comes to Haggai and tells him that he is the one that is to rally the people together and begin again to rebuild the temple.  God give Haggai words and passion to share with the people – the discouraged and lethargic people of Israel.  It has been16 years since the Jewish nation was given permission to return to Jerusalem and to rebuild the city and the temple.  Work had begun but due to some unrest in the area – it had slowed to a halt and had remained in hiatus for many years – Haggai has been commissioned by God to encourage the people back to the task – to remind them that not only is rebuilding the temple a noble task, but it matters to God and it is important work, -  it is vital work- vital to who they are as God’s people. 

A fellow preacher this week puts it this way, Liz writes:  “It was a huge task to rebuild the temple and return it to its former glory.  It took a huge commitment - hard work and dedication.
The prophet Haggai realised that, what the people needed, was not simply someone to appeal to their work ethic, and their charity, they needed someone to stir their soul.
To take them back to basics - reminding them of their roots in God, their relationship - a symbol of which is this temple that honours God and the unique relationship that these people share with God in community.

·         It's more than - " build the temple and God will reward you"

·         It's more too, than " build the temple and people will flock to it"

Haggai's message strips away all the superficiality and invites the remnant, those who remember the old times, to remember specifically how God has been at the heart of their culture for ever - and more, will always be at the heart of their being in community.
            God - yesterday, God today and God forever.

That is the God who is to be honoured in the building of this temple, a work that demands only the best in recognition of the God at the heart of all life.”[1]  ... they are to take those memories and use them as their guide post and move on to tomorrow, reclaiming themselves as God’s people, rebuilding their new lives in Jerusalem, coming together as one as the temple is restored.

Remember when....

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.[2]

These words written by Laurence Binyon in September of 1914 will be spoken at pretty much every single cenotaph in our country tomorrow around 11 am – because we are called to remember. 

·         We are called to remember those who fought so valiantly in the wars of the twentieth and twenty first centuries. 

·         We are called to remember those who lost lives because of war including all the civilians who were in the wrong place at the wrong time, and those who were targeted because of their faith or ethnicity or disability, all the casualties of war. 

·         And we are called to remember so that maybe we might learn something about how not to engage in war any more. 

·         And we are called to remember so that our children and our children’s children understand that there were those who gave of their lives to a cause that they believed in, and fought for a world safe from tyranny and a nation where people are free to make choices about their faith, their culture and their lifestyle. 

·         And we are called to remember so that we can take these memories and use them as our guide post and move on to tomorrow working for a world without war. 

“Remember when old ones died and new were born
And life was changed, disassembled, rearranged”

Remembering is not about looking into the past and wishing to remain there, and finding only good in the past – that is nostalgia and quite frankly it is not healthy nor is it how God wants us to live.  Haggai was really clear – remember how it was, see that as your inspiration and then allow God to do a new thing, a different thing, not better than what was – nor worse than what was – different than what was.  It is a matter of stepping out in trust – that God is not done with us yet and that what ever is before us will be fine.

I think that we in the church need to hold on to this message as never before as we are in the midst of great change – there is no denying it any more – the church is not what it used to be – remember

·         Remember full Sunday schools and large choirs

·         Remember Sunday mornings being about church instead of hockey arenas or grocery shopping

·         Remember when there were people clamoring to get on committees

·         Remember when the church had status in the community

·         Remember when there was enough money and more to meet the budget needs

These days are gone, and no matter how much we wish it were not so, we cannot go back to the way things used to be.  But neither are we called to forget this time for in this time we had a glimpse of God at work in the world in that way, and the message of Jesus being proclaimed to that generation – and it is the foundation of many of us who sit in these pews this morning.  But – now is now – and this time is about a different expression of being God church in the world – I do not know what we are going to be looking like in 10 years, but I do know that we will be here in some form or another and I know this by knowing about who we were.  And i know this because at the very core of everything there is God, and God gets into this world – in spite of all of our cultural attempts to keep God out – God gets in, and God is not done with us yet – just as God came to the ones who came before and supported and upheld and challenged the generation before us – God comes now and supports and uphold and challenges us to love our neighbours, to seek peace, to proclaim Jesus crucified and risen – to love and serve our God, in this time and in this place as we remember when.“We won't be sad, we'll be glad
For all the life we've had
And we'll remember when”

                                                                                                     

---

[1] . http://somethingtostandon.blogspot.co.uk/2013/11/why-remember.html

[2] http://allpoetry.com/poem/8528573-For-The-Fallen-by-Robert_Laurence_Binyon