"Finding Hope"
Psalm 146; Romans 8:18-24
November 5 did not go as I had hoped it would. I come from a family that has voted Democratically since FDR in the 1930's. Few of us have strayed from that family party line. So, my hope that night was invested in the political process and the hope that my side would win. It did not. I found myself feeling much like I did after the 2016 election. This was 2016 2.0. I thought of the Psalmist's words in Psalm 46 and said, yep. That is how I feel. "1 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. 2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change, though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea; 3 though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble with its tumult. Selah," I admit I was more focused on the "time of trouble, mountains trembling water foaming" part than the "God is my refuge and strength" part.
Then I remembered the phrase I had used for the sermon I preached at Presbytery last Saturday from Theologian Shane Claiborne. "My ultimate hope is not in an elephant or a donkey. It is in the Lamb- Jesus Christ." I sat in my chair, watching those returns roll in, and pondered that phrase. Could I practice quite literally what I had just preached? It was time to put the rubber on the road. Where does my ultimate hope lie?
Do I put my ultimate hope and trust in the leaders of this world? No. Psalm 146 helped me see things from God's perspective. "Do not put your trust in princes, in mortals, in whom there is no help. 4 When their breath departs, they return to the earth; on that very day, their plans perish." Though I believe in the basic tenets of the Democratic party, in particular, the voice of the oppressed being part of the conversation, I do not have ultimate trust in them.
I continued scrolling and listening to the results, which grew more and more dismal. At some point, out of desperation, I thought maybe sports was a place to lodge that hope and trust, just for a bit. I saw an ad for a figure of my favorite football team, the Buffalo Bills. It was a Josh Allan figure, the great quarterback for the Bills, and it was only $19.99! Without thinking, I ordered it on the spot, probably out of desperation, and for the moment, my hope was there. The Bills are in first place in their division and are having a great season. Yay! Hope abounds!
Then I remembered that sports is NOT a place to put my trust. I am a former fan of the twice-moved Oakland Raiders and a mourning fan of the once Oakland A's now moving to Sacramento and perhaps Las Vegas. Ultimate hope and trust do not come from supporting and loving a team. That being said, "Go Bills." And you'll likely see that Josh Allen figure on my sports shelf in my office very soon.
For a bit, I tried escaping the whole thing. Paula was still at work, and I asked my Alexa to play some 70s rock and went and played video games. That worked for about 15 minutes until I needed to recheck what was happening. The news was even worse.
I decided it was time to have something to drink. Having portrayed a character from one of Paula and my favorite Coen brother movies, "The Big Lebowski," I decided to try a White Russian, Jeffery, the Dude's go-to drink. There was an initial numbing of the circumstances I found myself in, but after a while, my stomach felt kind of yucky-Milk and vodka do not make for a great combination. Paula came home, and I filled her in while we were putting dinner together.
I then tried watching something else, anything else, and went to comfort television. One of my go-to escape films is the old "Conan the Barbarian" movie from 1982, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. That worked for about an hour. But that movie didn't give me any lasting hope, just a bit of escape.
Finally, I went to bed and wrestled with this idea- Do I trust in the Lamb of God, even as my world crumbles around me and falls into the churning sea? I then began to consider my question to God- How could God let this happen again? I tossed and turned most of the night.
The following day, Rev. Nadia Bolz Weber sent me a prayer of lament that reads, in part, "If it is possible to remind us that millions of human beings throughout history have lived through worse political situations and still managed to make art, and find joy, and share meals and resist despair, could you do that for us, please, God? And then keep guiding us toward their wisdom." That portion of the prayer (which I recommend thoroughly and is available online) helped put things into perspective. I began considering other people of faith worldwide and some of their situations. I remembered my time in the Soviet Union in 1985. There were millions of faithful Christians during World War II and beyond who faced terrible persecution for their faith, who had sanctuaries closed and burned by their government, who were placed in prisons run by KGB, and who were infiltrated into their church leadership by KGB spies. Had God not listened to their prayers to depose Stalin or Lenin? What about the people of Nicaragua- a place I have visited twice- who are faithful and attend church in large numbers as a nation? Yet they are led by an evil dictator who puts those who speak out against him in prison or makes them disappear? What about today and the people in Ukraine who still attend church on Sundays amid bomb threats and missile attacks by unprovoked Russian aggression? What about people of faith who have faced suffering, disease, warfare, and difficult outcomes for centuries? Is my faith that shallow? Or do I have ultimate hope that God is still working, still present in the midst of it all, no matter who is politically powerful?
What does that phrase about trusting and hoping in the Lamb of God, Jesus, mean, and can I live by it? Can I resist despair, share meals, make art, and have hope? Since I preach for a living, I began putting together what it means to have ultimate trust in the Lamb, Jesus Christ.
- Consider God's Perspective. When I do not understand an outcome, when a family member experiences prolonged suffering and death, when I see injustice and evil unchecked, I remember I do not see as God sees. Isaiah 55:8-9 tells us God says, "My ways are not your ways, says God. Nor are my thoughts your thoughts." God's perspective is not ours. I fully believe that God is involved up close in our lives and in the struggle for justice and spreading love. Yet that same God is above all in ways we can barely perceive. Consider these two pictures of the planet on which we live. The first is of Earth as the Cassini spacecraft travels through the rings of Saturn. This is what the earth looks like from 990 million miles away. Then there is the image Voyager Two took of an even smaller world, much farther away. That tiny red dot is where we live and how God perceives us in one respect.
- Consider Our Limited Perspective. Can we see the image of God in all others? That is so difficult to do. Yesterday, I saw an old SUV with a giant American flag and a huge "Trump Won!" flag on the back. I did not see the image of God in that man in the truck. All I saw was someone trying to rub the results in my face. I saw through anger. Jesus, the Lamb, reminds us in Mark 12:38-41 to love our neighbors as we love ourselves. We are all made in the image of God, but because of sin, that image gets distorted, and we hate. Theologian and author Anne LaMott writes, "You can safely assume you've created God in your own image when it turns out that God hates all the same people you do." We are still image-bearers and must live with that in mind as we interact with others in this fractured, thoroughly divided nation. And yes, I know it is so difficult to do that, especially now.
- Stay Grounded in Faith. Pray regularly and often. Share your anger, anxiety, and frustrations with God. Read and study the Bible every day to help keep you grounded in faith. Our Discernment Team is doing that right now, using the 40-day prayer and Bible study in the Sailboat Church book by Rev. Joan Gray. I find it helpful to pray to God and consistently study the Word. And yes, we still have copies of that book for free. Get one today! Or look at the Lamb's teachings in Matthew 5-7. Read a Beatitude a day. Then, read a new teaching daily and try to live it out. Let the Lamb ground you. Ask to use our sanctuary or chapel for quiet, prayer, and grounding during the week.
- Be Kind to Yourself & Others. Right now, I need to be full of grace and love for myself (Remember, Jesus said love yourself) and others. I need to rest well, take a nap or three, make time for myself, and share God's grace and love with those around me. I need to unload on my therapist and my spiritual director (I hope neither one of them is watching this morning.) Find people who can support and love you. If there are people sowing hate, bringing injustice, being unmerciful, I just don't have a lot of energy to do as the late American civil rights leader and man of faith, John Lewis, said, "Never, ever be afraid to make some noise and get in good trouble, necessary trouble" I will get there, but my justice reserves are a bit tapped at the moment. That being said, I will act out and follow God's call to justice, leading to my 5th way to have hope and trust in the Lamb.
- The Mission of the Church Has Not Changed. The Psalmist reminds us, "The Lord sets the prisoners free; the Lord opens the eyes of the blind.
The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down; the Lord loves the righteous.
9 The Lord watches over the strangers; God upholds the orphan and the widow, but the way of the wicked will be brought to ruin." We are still called to do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly, whoever is in the White House for the next four years. We may also need to speak some prophetic words a bit more loudly in the next four years. But the church is still the church, and we are still the people of God, called to work for the kindom so that it will be on earth as it is in heaven.
American Theologian Howard Thurman, in his poem "The Work of Christmas" wrote,
When the song of the angels is stilled,
When the star in the sky is gone,
When the kings and princes are home,
When the shepherds are back with their flock,
The work of Christmas begins:
To find the lost,
To heal the broken,
To feed the hungry,
To release the prisoner,
To rebuild the nations,
To bring peace among others,
To make music in the heart.
God be with us. The mission has not changed. The work continues. May we go from this place, placing our ultimate trust not in what can be seen, for who hopes in all that? Let us put our ultimate hope and trust in the Lamb, Jesus. Alleluia. Amen.
