Reflection: The Expectations of the Prophets – Hope for a broken world?
As Advent 2019 begins and we are left pondering how on earth it is this time of year again, I wanted to take just a few moments to pause and bring some context to this season. Kind of like Easter that is lost in chocolate eggs and fluffy chicks and cheeky daffodils, the purpose of Christmas is lost in tinsel and busyness. In a world where the competition is to see who is ready first, and who will be raiding Asda shelves on Christmas Eve, we have to take a step back and remember as the cliché goes – the reason for the season.
I deliberately started with the story of the fall – the story of Adam and Eve in the garden. This story is designed to help us understand that the brokenness in the world around us is our own doing. Of course we can blame evil influences, the devil indeed but the choice was and is always ours. We can choose to do good or to do evil. We can choose to look after our own self-interest or we can choose to look after another. The story of the fall is powerful because it doesn’t allow us to lay the blame with another, and we see its counterpart in the temptations of Jesus in the wilderness. He was offered a similar choice to Adam and Eve, and he was able to resist the temptation. Could we find that as our faith and relationship with God grows deeper we too might resist negative and evil influences and make good choices?
However, the story of the fall of humankind, the separation that appeared between God and human beings is important because without an understanding of this, the need for a Saviour seems irrelevant. Regardless of whether the story of the Fall is fact or fiction, we know that stories help us understand reality, and the reality is that humans are not willing to be under the authority of another. To be fair we are usually too busy beating up one another to be interested in God.
And throughout the Old Testament we read the stories of tribal warfare, of king against king, nation against nation, families against families. We read in these stories the realities of today – mental health issues, family breakdown, adultery, murder, lies, genocide but also courage, bravery, wisdom, adventure, and love. We might not be able to pronounce the names or keep up with the twists and turns as we race through the various kings, but when we look for the themes of these stories, we know, we know we are all the same. Capable of good and evil, of heroic faith and epic failure, and yet into the broken world of the Old Testament, such as we have it recorded, comes God.
The prophets foretold him – the carol singers sing – throughout these stories of death and war, poverty and exile, homecomings and heroes (girls and boys) – the promise of a Messiah. One who bear everything – the suffering servant as Isaiah paints him. And you know, this is what gets me every year when I sit to ponder the Advent mystery. God doesn’t send some knight in shining armour, or angel soldiers to march across the land. He doesn’t send us Thor or Superman or Wonder Woman but a baby born to a couple of young people barely born themselves it seems.
We might want God to come stomping into our world and sort it all out. Maybe he could be like Thanos and wipe a section of the population just to give the rest of a chance. Maybe he reverse the climate damage we have done and we might believe in him. What if God showed up and simply blew our minds?
God did show up and he does show up. But the prophets told us that this Messiah wouldn’t be a bully, he wouldn’t crush us – rather he would suffer and die for us, in our place. And to truly know us, and for us to truly know him, he became one of us – God Immanuel. God with us!
This is the wonderful message of this season, reflected in the gifts we give, the time we spend with family, the celebrations that surround. Yet all of this is window dressing, because there are still children even in Blantyre going to bed hungry, there are families separated by war, poverty, abuse…
We are setting up our divisions and building our barricades, despite all we know of Northern Ireland and the troubles, or the holocaust and the suppression of Jews…
In Old Testament times the prophets pointed to a coming Messiah, a message of hope, of reconciliation, of mercy, of learning how to be truly human in the image of God…and now we are called like John the Baptist to prepare the way. To make the paths smooth – enable people to find God, find faith, find hope in this life and the next. It is not our job to protect God or his message. It is our job to make it as easy as possible for people to meet the God who loves them.
We are the prophets. We are the ones who are bringing good news – news worth hearing, news that will bring hope in a broken world. We are not just offering a Merry Christmas greeting, we are offering a way of living that is full of hope, peace, love and joy.
As you prepare for Christmas once again, think about you share the reason for the season. Can we really put Christ back at the centre of our Christmas? Change what we do to put him at the centre even if that means breaking family protocol. If we don’t put Christ at the centre of his celebration, then we are missing the gift given, and no-one else will believe he is necessary.
The prophets spoke of suffering and then victory. Who will you be celebrating the ultimate victory with? Remember this world is transient but God’s world is eternal.
Be a prophet – spread the message of hope in a broken world. You have it – share it. Amen.
Blessings
Sarah 💖
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