A Time To Hear Hope Calling
Sermon
Love Is Your Disguise
Second Lesson Sermons For Lent/Easter
Huckle the Cat and his school teacher Miss Honey the Bear, Bananas Gorilla, Captain Salty, Pig Will and Pig Won't, Sergeant Murphy the Police Dog, and my favorite, Lowly the Worm; if you know these names then you are familiar with the work of Richard Scarry, author and illustrator of children's books, who passed away in '94 at age 75. Scarry wrote over 250 books, which in thirty languages have sold over 100 million copies. He said, "The greatest compliment I can receive is to be told that some of my books are held together with more Scotch tape than there is paper in the original book. They've been used so much, they've been torn to pieces."1
In the many Richard Scarry books, the character most intriguing to me is Mr. Fix It the Fox. Mr. Fix It is the one in Busytown who fixes things and doesn't always get it right. And it is because today is the remembrance of Our Lord's Ascension that I mention Mr. Fix It. For in some ways Christ's disciples wanted him to be Mr. Fix It for them and for their community. There had been a great longing for a Messiah who would restore Israel, who would ascend to the throne of David and would reestablish the good fortune of the Hebrew people -- God's chosen ones. So, when Jesus came and some began to proclaim him Messiah, there were certain expectations attached, that he might be God's Mr. Fix It finally come ... thus, his enthusiastic entrance into Jerusalem with palm branches waving.
But the view of this Messiah on the day of his ascension is quite different. The Book of Acts gives us the most vivid description of Christ's ascension.
The Risen Christ appeared to the disciples over a stretch of forty days, encouraging and instructing those who would carry on his work. Then preparing to return to his Father, he told the disciples to wait in Jerusalem until they were empowered by the Holy Spirit.
And the disciples asked him:
Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?
He said to them, "It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has fixed by his own authority. But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samar'ia and to the end of the earth."
-- Acts 1:6-8
And after Christ had said this, he was lifted up "and a cloud took him out of their sight" (v. 9) and they all stood there gazing into heaven, but two in white robes standing near called to them, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven" (v. 11).
Then they returned to Jerusalem from Mount Olivet to pray and to wait for the coming of the Spirit. And the Spirit did come soon enough, with tongues as of fire and with rushing winds, and though for a time many expected the immediate return of Christ as an apocalyptic conclusion to history, the "pray and wait" instruction until the coming of the Spirit, became "pray, wait, and work" as the disciples picked up the ministry of Christ.
In Ephesians, Paul prays: "that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ ... may give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you ..." (Ephesians 1:17-18).
Christ went to heaven and his followers went to pray, wait, and work. Some wanted to pray and wait for the coming of the Lord, with no work. And this has always been true in the church. Some are inclined to pray and wait, wait and pray, being drawn ever closer to God in mystic sweet communion. Some followers of Jesus are tempted to scoff at such an approach with its inner focus and lack of tangible fruitfulness, but if one reads the Christian mystics one is quick to realize that the mystical journey is often not an entirely sweet one and that there is more work involved than might be seen at a glance.
Many, however, picked up the active ministry of Jesus, healing the sick, caring for the lost, proclaiming that the Kingdom of God is at hand. This is true, of course, even in our time: followers of Jesus healing the sick, caring for the lost, preaching peace, proclaiming the Kingdom of God is at hand. These days most do not expect that Christ's return is scheduled in a few weeks or months or even at the turn of the millennium. Most expect to live out their days in his service, one day being prayed into heaven in a place such as this and remembered as faithful followers of the risen Christ.
So we are "Christians in between," awaiting the fulfillment of what God started by sending Jesus, doing the best we can to carry out his ministry, sometimes wondering if we are making progress, sometimes fairly sure we are losing ground, struggling sometimes to hold onto the hope Paul writes about and wishing a "Mr. Fix It" God would show up from time to time to take care of the things which are clearly broken.
Of course, occasionally almost all of us think of God as Mr. Fix It. We pray for God to fix our illnesses, our relationships, our indecision, and our selfishness, and to remove or lighten the burdens of others. And it is important for us to pray in this way because we know God welcomes the thoughts and desires of our hearts when earnestly brought to God in prayer. God is fully capable to sift out the trivialities and longs to be united to us in this way. But sometimes we Christians would be helped if we adjusted our expectations of the result of prayer. Sometimes when we pray, it sounds as though we believe the only successful prayers result in miracles of biblical proportion.
When Jesus raised Ja'irus' daughter from the dead, or Lazarus, there is no suggestion that from that moment on the two (or others for that matter whom Jesus blessed in special ways) went on to lives free from life's major challenges. One day they all concluded their earthly lives, as will we. The delaying of death for Lazarus and Ja'irus' daughter is a sign of who Jesus is in our midst. And we need to thank God richly, even as did the families of Lazarus and Ja'irus, whenever we receive a sign of the profound ever-presence of God's love and God's power. We should not, however, expect God to prove God's love by being for us "Mr. Fix It." God's love has already been proven!
But it is true that there are more than a few things which need to be fixed, and we are proud and pleased to be a part of a community of faith which has set out to do some of the fixing. Dear friends, it is easy to be overcome with a feeling of haste, with a sense of urgency, and then on seeing the size of the task, to become discouraged. I think it is a thorn of the flesh or the spirit for every serious Christian. We all sometimes fight a feeling of futility. Where is the Power of Almighty God when we really need it, where is "Mr. Fix It," anyway?! What do you mean we are the ones through whom the Kingdom will come and, for the time being, it is through us that the fixing will happen? Can you hear Hope calling?
Can You Hear Hope Calling?
Paul prays for us in his letter to the Ephesians: "that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ ... may give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you ..." (Ephesians 1:17-18).
Jesus was lifted up, as we have proclaimed remembering Our Lord's Ascension, and we will be lifted up with him. We have been told that in the same way we saw him go, he will come. "A cloud took him out of their sight" (v. 9) and a cloud will bring him.
When life is clouded and unsure,
for you he will come.
When the path is fogged and frightening not only for your self,
but for those you love,
he will come.
When the clouds provide gentle spring rain bringing joy
as the flowers of the earth again come forth,
he will come.
When the clouds are of storm and conflict,
for you he will come.
And when clouds seem to cover the whole earth,
he will come,
as he said he would.
Do You Hear Hope Calling?
Jesus Christ planted a church in Coventry, England, in 1043, first a Benedictine monastery, then the Cathedral of St. Michael, an inspiring Gothic structure. The service of St. Michael's was abruptly and forever changed when in 1940 the cathedral took a direct hit during a nighttime bombing raid. As fire brigades bravely tried to control the many fires in the huge structure, one portion of the fire burned especially bright. It was the pipe organ which had played God's music in thousands of services going back to the days when Handel had played the instrument. In the morning, when the smoke clouds lifted, only the main spire, a portion of the sanctuary cross, and a few sections of the exterior walls and arches remained. Coventry was stunned, as much by the loss of its cathedral as by the bombs themselves.
Within days of its destruction, the decision was made to rebuild the cathedral and to make the church a symbol of hope. But how could this be done? It was still 1940 and England was taking a pounding. Then out of the rubble a priest of the church picked up some nails and made them into a cross. The rebuilding of the church could not begin right away, it would have to wait until after the war. So in the clearing of the rubble, nails were collected, saved, and sent at war's end to churches in Germany and elsewhere, telling the story of the demolished church. In a little while, German students had organized themselves to come and assist in the reconstruction, which was carried on successfully to its completion in large measure because of the German students. A group was organized named the Community of the Cross of Nails and initially helped with the reconstruction of many churches across war-ravaged Europe, including Dresden, Germany.
The Community of the Cross of Nails is now an international organization for the promotion of reconciliation bringing together people from such places as Bosnia, Northern Ireland, the Middle East, and South Africa who seek solutions to conflict in our world.
When the old cathedral was rebuilt it was replaced with a modern structure, but the original spire, some surviving arches, and the damaged cross were kept in place in a large pedestrian mall adjacent to the new church.
From the inside of the new cathedral through windows etched with angels, worshipers can see the old spire still standing and the arches, a reminder of what was and what happened ... They wanted to rebuild their church and they made it a symbol of hope. Can you hear hope calling?
Paul prays: "that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ ... may give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you ..." (Ephesians 1:17-18).
When Jesus left us, a cloud took him out of our sight. And when in our lives, clouds descend, even when they seem to cover the whole earth, for you he will come as he promised.
____________
1. Laurie Lanzen Harris, Biography for Beginners (Detroit: Omnigraphics Inc., Spring 1995, Issue 1), p. 75.
In the many Richard Scarry books, the character most intriguing to me is Mr. Fix It the Fox. Mr. Fix It is the one in Busytown who fixes things and doesn't always get it right. And it is because today is the remembrance of Our Lord's Ascension that I mention Mr. Fix It. For in some ways Christ's disciples wanted him to be Mr. Fix It for them and for their community. There had been a great longing for a Messiah who would restore Israel, who would ascend to the throne of David and would reestablish the good fortune of the Hebrew people -- God's chosen ones. So, when Jesus came and some began to proclaim him Messiah, there were certain expectations attached, that he might be God's Mr. Fix It finally come ... thus, his enthusiastic entrance into Jerusalem with palm branches waving.
But the view of this Messiah on the day of his ascension is quite different. The Book of Acts gives us the most vivid description of Christ's ascension.
The Risen Christ appeared to the disciples over a stretch of forty days, encouraging and instructing those who would carry on his work. Then preparing to return to his Father, he told the disciples to wait in Jerusalem until they were empowered by the Holy Spirit.
And the disciples asked him:
Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?
He said to them, "It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has fixed by his own authority. But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samar'ia and to the end of the earth."
-- Acts 1:6-8
And after Christ had said this, he was lifted up "and a cloud took him out of their sight" (v. 9) and they all stood there gazing into heaven, but two in white robes standing near called to them, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven" (v. 11).
Then they returned to Jerusalem from Mount Olivet to pray and to wait for the coming of the Spirit. And the Spirit did come soon enough, with tongues as of fire and with rushing winds, and though for a time many expected the immediate return of Christ as an apocalyptic conclusion to history, the "pray and wait" instruction until the coming of the Spirit, became "pray, wait, and work" as the disciples picked up the ministry of Christ.
In Ephesians, Paul prays: "that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ ... may give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you ..." (Ephesians 1:17-18).
Christ went to heaven and his followers went to pray, wait, and work. Some wanted to pray and wait for the coming of the Lord, with no work. And this has always been true in the church. Some are inclined to pray and wait, wait and pray, being drawn ever closer to God in mystic sweet communion. Some followers of Jesus are tempted to scoff at such an approach with its inner focus and lack of tangible fruitfulness, but if one reads the Christian mystics one is quick to realize that the mystical journey is often not an entirely sweet one and that there is more work involved than might be seen at a glance.
Many, however, picked up the active ministry of Jesus, healing the sick, caring for the lost, proclaiming that the Kingdom of God is at hand. This is true, of course, even in our time: followers of Jesus healing the sick, caring for the lost, preaching peace, proclaiming the Kingdom of God is at hand. These days most do not expect that Christ's return is scheduled in a few weeks or months or even at the turn of the millennium. Most expect to live out their days in his service, one day being prayed into heaven in a place such as this and remembered as faithful followers of the risen Christ.
So we are "Christians in between," awaiting the fulfillment of what God started by sending Jesus, doing the best we can to carry out his ministry, sometimes wondering if we are making progress, sometimes fairly sure we are losing ground, struggling sometimes to hold onto the hope Paul writes about and wishing a "Mr. Fix It" God would show up from time to time to take care of the things which are clearly broken.
Of course, occasionally almost all of us think of God as Mr. Fix It. We pray for God to fix our illnesses, our relationships, our indecision, and our selfishness, and to remove or lighten the burdens of others. And it is important for us to pray in this way because we know God welcomes the thoughts and desires of our hearts when earnestly brought to God in prayer. God is fully capable to sift out the trivialities and longs to be united to us in this way. But sometimes we Christians would be helped if we adjusted our expectations of the result of prayer. Sometimes when we pray, it sounds as though we believe the only successful prayers result in miracles of biblical proportion.
When Jesus raised Ja'irus' daughter from the dead, or Lazarus, there is no suggestion that from that moment on the two (or others for that matter whom Jesus blessed in special ways) went on to lives free from life's major challenges. One day they all concluded their earthly lives, as will we. The delaying of death for Lazarus and Ja'irus' daughter is a sign of who Jesus is in our midst. And we need to thank God richly, even as did the families of Lazarus and Ja'irus, whenever we receive a sign of the profound ever-presence of God's love and God's power. We should not, however, expect God to prove God's love by being for us "Mr. Fix It." God's love has already been proven!
But it is true that there are more than a few things which need to be fixed, and we are proud and pleased to be a part of a community of faith which has set out to do some of the fixing. Dear friends, it is easy to be overcome with a feeling of haste, with a sense of urgency, and then on seeing the size of the task, to become discouraged. I think it is a thorn of the flesh or the spirit for every serious Christian. We all sometimes fight a feeling of futility. Where is the Power of Almighty God when we really need it, where is "Mr. Fix It," anyway?! What do you mean we are the ones through whom the Kingdom will come and, for the time being, it is through us that the fixing will happen? Can you hear Hope calling?
Can You Hear Hope Calling?
Paul prays for us in his letter to the Ephesians: "that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ ... may give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you ..." (Ephesians 1:17-18).
Jesus was lifted up, as we have proclaimed remembering Our Lord's Ascension, and we will be lifted up with him. We have been told that in the same way we saw him go, he will come. "A cloud took him out of their sight" (v. 9) and a cloud will bring him.
When life is clouded and unsure,
for you he will come.
When the path is fogged and frightening not only for your self,
but for those you love,
he will come.
When the clouds provide gentle spring rain bringing joy
as the flowers of the earth again come forth,
he will come.
When the clouds are of storm and conflict,
for you he will come.
And when clouds seem to cover the whole earth,
he will come,
as he said he would.
Do You Hear Hope Calling?
Jesus Christ planted a church in Coventry, England, in 1043, first a Benedictine monastery, then the Cathedral of St. Michael, an inspiring Gothic structure. The service of St. Michael's was abruptly and forever changed when in 1940 the cathedral took a direct hit during a nighttime bombing raid. As fire brigades bravely tried to control the many fires in the huge structure, one portion of the fire burned especially bright. It was the pipe organ which had played God's music in thousands of services going back to the days when Handel had played the instrument. In the morning, when the smoke clouds lifted, only the main spire, a portion of the sanctuary cross, and a few sections of the exterior walls and arches remained. Coventry was stunned, as much by the loss of its cathedral as by the bombs themselves.
Within days of its destruction, the decision was made to rebuild the cathedral and to make the church a symbol of hope. But how could this be done? It was still 1940 and England was taking a pounding. Then out of the rubble a priest of the church picked up some nails and made them into a cross. The rebuilding of the church could not begin right away, it would have to wait until after the war. So in the clearing of the rubble, nails were collected, saved, and sent at war's end to churches in Germany and elsewhere, telling the story of the demolished church. In a little while, German students had organized themselves to come and assist in the reconstruction, which was carried on successfully to its completion in large measure because of the German students. A group was organized named the Community of the Cross of Nails and initially helped with the reconstruction of many churches across war-ravaged Europe, including Dresden, Germany.
The Community of the Cross of Nails is now an international organization for the promotion of reconciliation bringing together people from such places as Bosnia, Northern Ireland, the Middle East, and South Africa who seek solutions to conflict in our world.
When the old cathedral was rebuilt it was replaced with a modern structure, but the original spire, some surviving arches, and the damaged cross were kept in place in a large pedestrian mall adjacent to the new church.
From the inside of the new cathedral through windows etched with angels, worshipers can see the old spire still standing and the arches, a reminder of what was and what happened ... They wanted to rebuild their church and they made it a symbol of hope. Can you hear hope calling?
Paul prays: "that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ ... may give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you ..." (Ephesians 1:17-18).
When Jesus left us, a cloud took him out of our sight. And when in our lives, clouds descend, even when they seem to cover the whole earth, for you he will come as he promised.
____________
1. Laurie Lanzen Harris, Biography for Beginners (Detroit: Omnigraphics Inc., Spring 1995, Issue 1), p. 75.
