Visions Of Hope
Sermon
Living In Hope
Cycle C Sermons for Lent and Easter Based on the Second Lessons
Welcome to the Second Sunday of Easter. Yes, my friends, Easter is not simply a feast day, it is a season of the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus. There is much to learn and to explore between now and the beginning of Pentecost, the next liturgical season to arrive in our calendars.
We begin this Sunday with a passage from the New Testament book of Revelation, the Revelation of John, which can be one of the most difficult books to understand and interpret. Once, when asked how I interpreted the book, without meaning to be funny or facetious, countered, “Which interpretation: theologically, politically, historically, or metaphorically?” I could have added many more forms of interpretation, but those were the ones that came to my mind initially. I suppose writings about visions are almost always difficult to understand.
Luckily, this passage is relatively easy to interpret, as interpretations go. We know that John was writing to seven churches, his churches, as their pastor. He wanted to share with them his wisdom, insights, and one presumes, pastoral care while he was in exile. There was triumph and hope in this passage. He offered his parishes peace and hope ― peace and hope from God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. There is strength in these words, a positive focus, a renewal of hope in the omnipresent God. John wrote with acclamation for Jesus, the faithful one, the firstborn of the dead who with God would reign in glory forever, and the ruler of all kings of the earth. The preeminence of Jesus was clear. He was one, the most faithful one, who witnessed to the love of God even to his own death. Jesus was the first to be raised from the dead, resurrected to reign in glory with God forever. Jesus was the one with power over all earthly kings; he was exalted above all others.
John was affirming to us that those who follow in the way of Jesus will likewise remain faithful, be resurrected, and be joined with God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit in the realm of God. There was deep hope in this; an abiding hope shared with the churches from which John had been removed and exiled. The people were not alone. Cling to the faith ― follow in the footsteps of Jesus. God is in control.
And it is not just the present time in which God has control. Utilizing the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet, John accented that God is the beginning and the end, always was and always is. God is both the author and the keeper of time in an absolute sense. This harkens us back to the Old Testament reading of Exodus here when asked who God was, God revealed, “I am who I am” (Exodus 3:14). There is no doubt that God is, was, and always will be. John reminded us that God is the source of all that is, all human experience flows out of the creative and creating power of God.
John did not just speak of the past and the present time. John spoke with the knowledge of the eschatology, with a vision of the coming of Jesus that reminds us of the prophet Daniel. This future in which Christ returns to earth, comes amidst the clouds in a way that every eye will see him, and will know him to be the Christ. God, through Christ, will have the last word for all humanity, for everything created. This vision of the world, this future second coming of Jesus, will encompass all the world. All will know Christ. All will see Christ. All will experience Christ, even those who pierced him ― the oppressors from Rome and the hierarchy of the Jewish faith who colluded with them, will know Christ.
These are powerful images. Images that align the followers of Jesus, oft persecuted, imprisoned and killed, with a future defined by Jesus, ruled and manifested through Jesus. Imagine being the most oppressed of people, your pastor arrested and exiled, and receiving a message of hope that professes that the best is yet to come. Jesus is coming. God is coming. We, the faithful, will be redeemed and triumph. It’s like magnifying the underdog team’s victory over their opponent by hundreds. Our pain is not in vain. Our faithfulness pays off. We, in the end, will win.
Have you ever been on a team that wasn’t expected to fare very well? When I was a senior in high school, the high school boys challenged the high school girls to a soccer game. Even though we spoke out of confidence, we were pretty sure we girls would lose. Yet, we faced the challenge. We played our hearts out. The boys who were a little overconfident, didn’t start out taking us very seriously. Ultimately, we girls won. We cheered and celebrated and I have to admit, even bragged a little. It was as if we had been told we were good enough.
Another story shared by my sister: When she was in high school, the football team was really good. They won a regional title the previous year and were expected to go all the way to the state finals during that season. However, the coach discovered the whole first string had been to a party and had been drinking. All of them were underage and this was a violation of their code as players. At the next practice, the whole first string was benched. They were told they would be required to come to all practices and all games, but they would not be allowed to play. The second string would play the remainder of the season. You can imagine the uproar. They had the chance to win the championship. How could the coach do this? Didn’t he care about having a winning season? The second string persevered. They practiced harder than ever before. Even when the stands were empty because people were angry with the coach, the boys played their hearts out. At the end of the season when the second string captain held the state championship trophy, there was not a dry eye in the stadium or in the school the following weeks. They had done it. Their hard work and faith had paid off. Doing the right thing was rewarded.
This is the kind of message John was sending to the churches. Keep the faith. Hang on to hope. God is with us. Jesus will come again. We are loved. We are freed from our sins. Jesus has done that for us. We now are called to be priests on God’s behalf. There is power in that kind of message and in John’s belief in his churches, in Jesus’ belief in his followers.
And yet there is a message, a warning about the future, perhaps it is even a threat against those who have caused his exile on Patmos. “All the people on the earth will mourn because of him.” Some translations read, “All the peoples of the world shall lament in remorse” (REB). There will be difficult times ahead. There will be mourning, lament, and weeping. There will be a need for repentance and forgiveness. The message is both a warning and message. Remain faithful and know you are redeemed. Those who threaten will also lament and need forgiveness. There are the beloved of God and those who ignore God. One group will find peace and the other will mourn.
The message is clear. Come into, and stay in relationship with God through Jesus. God is the author of time and is absolutely the beginning and the end. The church needs to know that God stands at both the beginning and the end of time. That assurance is how the churches, and we, can live in hope.
Let me share a story from Parade Magazine in 2020. “Mr. Eugene Lang, a self-made millionaire was asked to speak to a sixth grade class of ‘59 in East Harlem. What could he say to inspire these students, most of whom would drop out of school? He wondered how he could get these predominantly black and Puerto Rican children even to look at him. Scrapping his notes, he decided to speak to them from his heart. “Stay in school,” he admonished, “and I’ll help pay the college tuition for every one of you.” At that moment, the lives of these students changed. For the first time they had hope. Said one student, “I had something to look forward to, something waiting for me. It was a golden feeling.” Nearly 90% of that class went on to finish high school.”
Where does your hope come from? Where does the hope in your faith come from? Is it in prayer, worship, meditation, and study? Is it in mission work or fellowship? Is it in the preaching of the word or the celebration of sacraments? Is it in conversation with, and pastoral care provided by, your pastor? I have often been teased as being a minister of hope. I know I am optimistic, but my hope is more than optimism. My hope is in my absolute belief that God is with me, has been in the past, is in the here and now, and will be in the future. I am not alone. I am loved and embraced by the God who is and was and will be. I am redeemed by the Christ who is and was and will be. Nothing can separate me from that certainty, from that belief, for that hope.
Yes, I believe the world needs God. I believe that the world needs the Holy Spirit and the gifts it brings. I believe the world needs Jesus, while I acknowledge for my interfaith siblings Jesus is not the way they find God. When I say that my hope is in the Lord, I truly mean it, in my mind, in my body, in my soul. That is where my hope is birthed.
Where do you find hope? How do you share hope? When do you most need hope? John wrote to his churches assuring them that hope lives, as Jesus lives. This Easter season, may we know that Jesus lives. May we proclaim again and again, Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! That is where we find and keep our hope! May it be so for each and every one of us. Amen.
We begin this Sunday with a passage from the New Testament book of Revelation, the Revelation of John, which can be one of the most difficult books to understand and interpret. Once, when asked how I interpreted the book, without meaning to be funny or facetious, countered, “Which interpretation: theologically, politically, historically, or metaphorically?” I could have added many more forms of interpretation, but those were the ones that came to my mind initially. I suppose writings about visions are almost always difficult to understand.
Luckily, this passage is relatively easy to interpret, as interpretations go. We know that John was writing to seven churches, his churches, as their pastor. He wanted to share with them his wisdom, insights, and one presumes, pastoral care while he was in exile. There was triumph and hope in this passage. He offered his parishes peace and hope ― peace and hope from God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. There is strength in these words, a positive focus, a renewal of hope in the omnipresent God. John wrote with acclamation for Jesus, the faithful one, the firstborn of the dead who with God would reign in glory forever, and the ruler of all kings of the earth. The preeminence of Jesus was clear. He was one, the most faithful one, who witnessed to the love of God even to his own death. Jesus was the first to be raised from the dead, resurrected to reign in glory with God forever. Jesus was the one with power over all earthly kings; he was exalted above all others.
John was affirming to us that those who follow in the way of Jesus will likewise remain faithful, be resurrected, and be joined with God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit in the realm of God. There was deep hope in this; an abiding hope shared with the churches from which John had been removed and exiled. The people were not alone. Cling to the faith ― follow in the footsteps of Jesus. God is in control.
And it is not just the present time in which God has control. Utilizing the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet, John accented that God is the beginning and the end, always was and always is. God is both the author and the keeper of time in an absolute sense. This harkens us back to the Old Testament reading of Exodus here when asked who God was, God revealed, “I am who I am” (Exodus 3:14). There is no doubt that God is, was, and always will be. John reminded us that God is the source of all that is, all human experience flows out of the creative and creating power of God.
John did not just speak of the past and the present time. John spoke with the knowledge of the eschatology, with a vision of the coming of Jesus that reminds us of the prophet Daniel. This future in which Christ returns to earth, comes amidst the clouds in a way that every eye will see him, and will know him to be the Christ. God, through Christ, will have the last word for all humanity, for everything created. This vision of the world, this future second coming of Jesus, will encompass all the world. All will know Christ. All will see Christ. All will experience Christ, even those who pierced him ― the oppressors from Rome and the hierarchy of the Jewish faith who colluded with them, will know Christ.
These are powerful images. Images that align the followers of Jesus, oft persecuted, imprisoned and killed, with a future defined by Jesus, ruled and manifested through Jesus. Imagine being the most oppressed of people, your pastor arrested and exiled, and receiving a message of hope that professes that the best is yet to come. Jesus is coming. God is coming. We, the faithful, will be redeemed and triumph. It’s like magnifying the underdog team’s victory over their opponent by hundreds. Our pain is not in vain. Our faithfulness pays off. We, in the end, will win.
Have you ever been on a team that wasn’t expected to fare very well? When I was a senior in high school, the high school boys challenged the high school girls to a soccer game. Even though we spoke out of confidence, we were pretty sure we girls would lose. Yet, we faced the challenge. We played our hearts out. The boys who were a little overconfident, didn’t start out taking us very seriously. Ultimately, we girls won. We cheered and celebrated and I have to admit, even bragged a little. It was as if we had been told we were good enough.
Another story shared by my sister: When she was in high school, the football team was really good. They won a regional title the previous year and were expected to go all the way to the state finals during that season. However, the coach discovered the whole first string had been to a party and had been drinking. All of them were underage and this was a violation of their code as players. At the next practice, the whole first string was benched. They were told they would be required to come to all practices and all games, but they would not be allowed to play. The second string would play the remainder of the season. You can imagine the uproar. They had the chance to win the championship. How could the coach do this? Didn’t he care about having a winning season? The second string persevered. They practiced harder than ever before. Even when the stands were empty because people were angry with the coach, the boys played their hearts out. At the end of the season when the second string captain held the state championship trophy, there was not a dry eye in the stadium or in the school the following weeks. They had done it. Their hard work and faith had paid off. Doing the right thing was rewarded.
This is the kind of message John was sending to the churches. Keep the faith. Hang on to hope. God is with us. Jesus will come again. We are loved. We are freed from our sins. Jesus has done that for us. We now are called to be priests on God’s behalf. There is power in that kind of message and in John’s belief in his churches, in Jesus’ belief in his followers.
And yet there is a message, a warning about the future, perhaps it is even a threat against those who have caused his exile on Patmos. “All the people on the earth will mourn because of him.” Some translations read, “All the peoples of the world shall lament in remorse” (REB). There will be difficult times ahead. There will be mourning, lament, and weeping. There will be a need for repentance and forgiveness. The message is both a warning and message. Remain faithful and know you are redeemed. Those who threaten will also lament and need forgiveness. There are the beloved of God and those who ignore God. One group will find peace and the other will mourn.
The message is clear. Come into, and stay in relationship with God through Jesus. God is the author of time and is absolutely the beginning and the end. The church needs to know that God stands at both the beginning and the end of time. That assurance is how the churches, and we, can live in hope.
Let me share a story from Parade Magazine in 2020. “Mr. Eugene Lang, a self-made millionaire was asked to speak to a sixth grade class of ‘59 in East Harlem. What could he say to inspire these students, most of whom would drop out of school? He wondered how he could get these predominantly black and Puerto Rican children even to look at him. Scrapping his notes, he decided to speak to them from his heart. “Stay in school,” he admonished, “and I’ll help pay the college tuition for every one of you.” At that moment, the lives of these students changed. For the first time they had hope. Said one student, “I had something to look forward to, something waiting for me. It was a golden feeling.” Nearly 90% of that class went on to finish high school.”
Where does your hope come from? Where does the hope in your faith come from? Is it in prayer, worship, meditation, and study? Is it in mission work or fellowship? Is it in the preaching of the word or the celebration of sacraments? Is it in conversation with, and pastoral care provided by, your pastor? I have often been teased as being a minister of hope. I know I am optimistic, but my hope is more than optimism. My hope is in my absolute belief that God is with me, has been in the past, is in the here and now, and will be in the future. I am not alone. I am loved and embraced by the God who is and was and will be. I am redeemed by the Christ who is and was and will be. Nothing can separate me from that certainty, from that belief, for that hope.
Yes, I believe the world needs God. I believe that the world needs the Holy Spirit and the gifts it brings. I believe the world needs Jesus, while I acknowledge for my interfaith siblings Jesus is not the way they find God. When I say that my hope is in the Lord, I truly mean it, in my mind, in my body, in my soul. That is where my hope is birthed.
Where do you find hope? How do you share hope? When do you most need hope? John wrote to his churches assuring them that hope lives, as Jesus lives. This Easter season, may we know that Jesus lives. May we proclaim again and again, Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! That is where we find and keep our hope! May it be so for each and every one of us. Amen.
