Hope in the Midst of Privilege

Zephaniah 3:14-20; Luke 3:7-18

Penitence and preparation are never easy. Many long years ago, Advent was a penitential season. That is, it was to be a time of self-examination, confession, fasting, to both purse the sinfulness that clings so closely to us and to heighten the realization of the absolute need that humanity has for the Savior whose birth celebration was immanent. The problem with all this crepe-hanging, woe-is-me, self-flogging is that it is a real downer. A person can kick themselves in the seat of their britches only so much. There needs to be sense that there is an approaching end to all the sackcloth and ashes. So the third Sunday of Advent became the joy Sunday, a break in the gloom and doom, a breath of fresh air to get us to the celebration. You noticed I hope that today’s Advent Candle is pink. Pink is a happy color, I suppose. Especially compared to the penitential purple.

Our word from the prophet today begins with the command to rejoice. Have joy. Raise the rafters, be happy, celebrate. The prophets message was one of hope, of promise; it was a lightening of the grief in which the people had been or would soon be living. Those were dark times. A foreign power was sweeping through Israel and Judah, rending families, decimating crops, removing leaders, destroying culture. Fear was the predominant emotion. Hope was in short supply. Joy was non-existent.

Here’s a question for you: What does hope look like? How would you describe it? How might you paint a picture of it? If you had to come up with a universal symbol, a kind of catch-all image for this universal experience and feeling that we call hope, what would it be?

Is it a mother holding her newborn child? That has to be joy, hope, promise. What about the shout of a fan when his team finally wins it all, like the Boston Red Sox breaking their curse and winning the World Series? Hope keeps the people coming to Wrigley Field. Some day, in somebody’s lifetime, the Cubs will win the big one. With three major league sports teams, Cleveland has been waiting since 1964 for one of them to take the trophy.

Hope is tough to explain and difficult to put into words, yet, when you see it, it’s unmistakable and when you feel it, it’s unforgettable. We’ve all seen it. We’ve all felt it. So again, how might you describe this thing called hope? What would you say is the symbol of hope?

Zephaniah gives us some symbols as he tells of God’s future activity.

Watch what I am about to do to all your oppressors at that time.
I will deliver the lame;
I will gather the outcast.
I will change their shame into praise and fame throughout the earth.
At that time, I will bring all of you back,
at the time when I gather you.
I will give you fame and praise among all the neighboring peoples
when I restore your possessions and you can see them—says the LORD. 

Zephaniah is acutely aware of the corruption and injustice perpetrated by Judah’s leaders. Right up to an admonition to “wait” several verses before today’s speech, Zephaniah laid out line by line the details of the spiritual and political oppression perpetrated by Judah’s leaders. The prophet pulls no punches about God's impending punishment: destruction. As a result of the social injustice, the oppressed are fearful and ashamed, while the powerful are haughty and corrupt and totally oblivious to the coming divine correction.

Zephaniah gives us a foretaste of the words which Mary will utter to Elizabeth in what we have come to call “The Magnificat”:

He has shown strength with his arm.
He has scattered those with arrogant thoughts and proud inclinations.
He has pulled the powerful down from their thrones and lifted up the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things and sent the rich away empty-handed.(Luke 1:51-53)

As we prepare for the celebration of the birth of Jesus, both the context and the content of the prophet’s words challenge us to remember the character of God's continuing and living promise to protect and exalt the lowly. The prophetic word affirms that God's purposes are to make right systems of injustice, to heal the shame that results from oppression.

All that is difficult for us to understand and process. We aren’t oppressed. Things may not go the way we would like, be we are far from being victims of injustice. And in spite of what the folks seeking nominations for President, we are not overrun, we are not subjugated, we are not in chains. We have roofs over our heads, chickens in our pots, dollars in our piggy banks, honor in our names, dignity in our lives. So how can we imagine hope in the midst of our privilege?

We hope because we are privileged. We hope because we know the message that the prophet gives, even though it may seem to be far from accessible right now. We hope because we have faith in God who cries out against the sins of greed, self-centeredness, falsehood, and fear. How many times has the message from God been, “Do not fear, do not be afraid”?

Fear is a sin. Fear is a sin because to distrusts the righteousness, the purpose, the love, the grace of God. Fear is being ladled out generously by so many people. Some are filled with hatred. Some are filled with ignorance. Some are filled greed. Some are filled with fear and don’t want to be alone in it.

Fear is a desiccant. It dries up joy, hope, love, and peace. It destroys relationships between people as well as the relationship God desires to have with us. Fear builds walls, fear digs bunkers, fear arms itself to the teeth, fear skews rational thinking. Fear says that I am inadequate unless I have more than someone else. Fear says that I am inadequate unless I have more power than someone else.

Fear is rampaging  throughout the world. It is promoted by the Boko Haram of West Africa, by ISIL in the Middle East, by armed communities dotting our country. Fear destroys. Fear of not knowing everything destroyed the relationship between God and our first ancestors.

"Do not fear" is not a plea, but a declaration. Luke uses it to instill confidence in unsuspecting recipients of God's news: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah,” “Don’t be afraid, Mary.” Later in the story we will hear, “Do not be afraid… I bring good news to you.” Another Gospel proclaims at its end, “Don’t be afraid… He isn’t here, because he’s been raised” (Matt. 28:5-6).

God’s promise is universal. God’s promised messianic kingdom and restoration of fortunes are not just for us, our challenges, and our privilege. God’s promises are for the whole world. In Gods messianic kingdom, oppressors will be dealt with (v. 19), because there will be no oppressed and no oppressors. In God's messianic kingdom, all the lame and the outcast will be restored. There will no “in groups” and “out groups,” there will be no favored nations and unfavored nations. There will be no scattered nations and refugees, for all of God’s people will be brought home and gathered (v. 20).

Our privilege brings responsibility. We do not experience extreme deprivation or shame, but because we love the world, we listen to that pain in the peoples of other nations and other classes. Then, informed and compassionate, we can pray in solidarity with our sisters and brothers around the world who do experience the world in ways much more like the experience of Zephaniah's hearers. We pray for an end to all disasters and conflicts, and we trust in God's promise for restoration. And when the opportunity presents itself, we allow God to use us move the kingdom forward, one act of gracious kindness at a time.

God's promise is for us. At the end of the day, once we have recognized the differences between our own fears and the fears originally addressed by Zephaniah, we can say that God will banish our fears as well. God will ultimately bring an end to our pain and our suffering, whatever nature that pain and suffering take.

So what does hope look like? It looks like Jesus, born in a foreign territory, placed in a feeding trough instead of a bassinet, forced to be a refugee while still an infant, run out of his adopted town because he dared to speak to and for God, recognized by sinners and repulsed by the self-proclaimed sinless, crucified, raised, and reigning. We are privileged to hope in him.

O come, O come, Emmanuel.

Unless noted otherwise, all scripture references are from The Common English Bible, © 2011 www.commonenglishbible.com. 
Copyright © 2015 First Presbyterian Church of Waverly, Ohio. Reprinted by permission.