Our call: Restoration of peace and equality for all
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What is God waiting for us to do?
December 1, 2024 First Sunday of Advent Helen Weber-McReynolds, RWCP Jeremiah 33:12-13, 15-16; On Jordan’s Bank; Thess. 3: 6-13; Luke 1: 5-15. Advent is traditionally a time of new beginnings, of looking to the future with hope, with efforts to understand the Incarnation in new ways and put them into action in our lives. It is a time of recommitment to justice for those on the margins in our midst. Our readings refer to renewal and restoration of the oppressed, to their land and their livelihood. But new beginnings may have other implications for us these days, as well. You may have had thoughts like I did the day after the election. I thought, “Oh, no. We will have to start that kind of administration again. We will have to repeat all those bad new beginnings. It was bad the first time, and this time may be worse.” Many are asking, “What will it be like for our immigrant human family members? For those LGBTQ siblings of ours? For us as women? For our sacred threatened planet? Why do we have to begin all these battles all over again?” Many of our traditional songs and prayers for Advent imply waiting for God. “O Come, O Come Emmanual, Prepare Ye the Way, Soon and Very Soon,” we say. But what if Advent is really more about God waiting for us? Our readings seem to call us to step up to embody God’s justice and love for one another in new ways, more audaciously and fiercely than ever. Our first reading was from Jeremiah, a prophet from a time when Israel and Judah’s land had been occupied and decimated by the Babylonians. Unfortunately, there is war and destruction in some of the same regions today, and the need for peace and restoration, of Jewish life and homes, but even more so of those of Palestinian humans. So it is not difficult for us to image a prophet crying out for the righteous to rise up and help those in need of safety and security. Jeremiah called out for those who would reintroduce justice and integrity, and assured the people God would be with them. God was waiting for those who would act on their own convictions that their God was justice. The second reading sounds like Paul had been waiting eagerly to hear about his friends in Thessalonica, implying he was maybe literally dying to hear. He said that since Timothy’s positive report, he was now really alive. He said he prayed night and day that they had been loving one another and “standing firm in the Christ.” He prayed that God would help them persevere in holiness until the Christ came, implying patience and waiting by both God and the people. Our Gospel passage from the first chapter of Luke describes many kinds of waiting—Elizabeth and Zechariah waiting for a child, the people waiting outside the sanctuary for Zechariah, and then the angel waiting for Zechariah to realize the great blessing he was announcing, finally declaring that Zechariah would be struck mute for his slowness in belief. But behind all those waitings lies the idea that God that God has been waiting on us all to “convert to the wisdom of justice.” So this Advent presents an opportunity to respond to God’s longstanding call in a whole new way. We can recognize that God is waiting for us to translate our fear, depression, and temptation to silence, to actions to speak up and help those threatened and persecuted over the next four years, or for as long as it takes. We cannot allow ourselves to be struck mute by our hesitancy to believe in God’s justice and our ability to actualize it in today’s world. God is waiting for us to look for ways to help restore the land in Palestine, to speak out for peace and reparations. God is waiting for us to protest for our immigrant, LGBTQ, and black and brown neighbors. God is waiting for us to protect our land, air and water, against those who would destroy them in the name of profit margins. And God is waiting for us to strengthen ourselves in prayer and contemplation, to be able to tackle these daunting tasks. We know that God is patient and that with God’s help we can accomplish more than we ever thought possible. But it takes true conviction, the kind rooted in solid prayer and reflection. Let us make this Advent the time when we really listen to what God is waiting for us to do. |
Helen Weber-McReynolds ,
RCWP, Pastor
Maria McClain,
RCWP, Retired Pastor
Angela N. Meyer, RCWP Brownsburg, IN community
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