Lighting the candle of hope

Isaiah 2:1-5 (NRSV)

2 The word that Isaiah son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.

2 In days to come
the mountain of the Lord’s house
shall be established as the highest of the mountains,
and shall be raised above the hills;
all the nations shall stream to it.
3 Many peoples shall come and say,
“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
to the house of the God of Jacob;
that he may teach us his ways
and that we may walk in his paths.”
For out of Zion shall go forth instruction,
and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
4 He shall judge between the nations,
and shall arbitrate for many peoples;
they shall beat their swords into plowshares,
and their spears into pruning hooks;
nation shall not lift up sword against nation,
neither shall they learn war any more.
5 O house of Jacob,
come, let us walk
in the light of the Lord!

First Sunday of Advent

The Hanging of the Greens service was yesterday morning. As always, it was wonderful to see the sanctuary decorated for the season. The kids placed the first animal in the nativity scene. The choir previewed a song from the upcoming cantata and members of the congregation each got to place a Chrismon on the tree. We heard the words of prophecy and began the process of waiting for Jesus’ birth at Christmas.

Part of the waiting process in our tradition is the lighting of a candle on the Advent wreath. There are four candles, three purple and one pink. Each candle marks a week of the Advent season. On Christmas Eve we will light the Christ candle to symbolize God’s son entering into our world. Yesterday members of the Beacon adult Sunday school class lit the candle of hope and reminded us of what it means to hope in Christ.

Our need for hope

The hope that we have Jesus is as important now as it has ever been. At the end of a bitter election season all of the divisions that mark our nation’s politics are reflected in members of the congregation. We are just as human, and just as tempted toward polarization, as the rest of society.

However, the hope of the gospel reminds us that it does not have to be that way. We follow a savior who entered our world to usher in a new kind of kingdom. Isaiah tells us that the realm of God is a place where divisions will be overcome, where peace will prevail, and the tools of violence and oppression will undone. Quite obviously that is not our current reality, but it is the future for which we hope.

In worship we got to see the foretaste of that realm breaking into our world. On Sunday we saw people of all political persuasions come together to hang the symbols of our shared faith. In a world where generations are more segregated than ever, we saw young and old exchange hugs and laughter. Through the Thanksgiving offering we gave of our financial resources to provide for the education of future generations of leaders. We heard words of gratitude, grace and forgiveness exchanged during our time of prayer.

Most importantly, we gathered around the table. The Lord’s Supper is our weekly foretaste of the heavenly banquet that Christ has prepared for all who love him. The Holy Spirit meets us in the elements and assures us of Christ’s presence in our lives. The sacrament proclaims our hope God’s victory over sin through the forgiveness offered in Jesus Christ.

The kingdom breaks in

From prophecy to resurrection, the entire story of salvation was on display yesterday. When I look at the body of Christ on days like yesterday, I see hope incarnate. For me, the kingdom of God is not an abstract future concept. The inhabitants of God’s realm have specific names and faces. They are right here, right now.

God’s realm is the reality that I experience whenever I see God’s people learning to forgive and love each other just Christ forgives and loves us. The prophet Isaiah reminds us of our goal as the church, and of God’s intention for all of humanity. At its best, the church is the body of Christ learning how to walk by the Lord’s light. Yesterday in worship I got a glimpse of that coming reality. That glimpse was enough to give me hope for the rest of the world.