Part 2 - Longing for a Savior
Yesterday was the first Sunday of Advent. This is a season during which we step into two stories: after the prophet Malachi, Israel waits in the thick of God’s deafening silence for her Messiah; after the vision of John, the Church waits for the return of her Messiah. Both stories are stories of longing for God to establish his rule and restore shalom within his creation.
Malachi’s word for Israel
Israel returned from exile, rebuilt the temple and has lived in the land for two generations waiting for God:
“[N]early a century [has passed] since the great prophet of the exile gave comfort to those of his nation who longed again for the hills of Palestine. What has taken place during this period… Have the brilliant promises of the Deutero-Isaiah come to pass?… The phrase that best describes these sixty years is that of Professor G. A. Smith, who calls them ‘a time of disillusion, disheartening, and decay’” (see Clifton Gray’s article, The Historical Background of Malachi - http://www.jstor.org/stable/3137078).
The people of God may have escaped Babylon, but only to find themselves ruled by the Persians (and later the Greeks, and then the Romans). This is the setting in which the people of God heard Malachi speak.
“See, the day is coming… the sun of righteousness shall rise, with healing in its wings” (New Revised Standard Version, Malachi 4:1-2).
“[Malachi] appears to have represented a class, a remnant of people, who had not been engulfed by the popular pessimism. They were made of sterner fiber, and, notwithstanding hope so long deferred, still believed in Yahweh’s love for Israel… Malachi raised his voice in protest against the evil tendencies [distrust in God that leads to despair, defiance and immorality] of the time” (see link above).
John’s vision for the Church
Revelation, a letter to churches faced with increasing pressure to compromise in order to avoid persecution, urges Jesus followers to resist “the powers that be” and live according to their confession of faith that Jesus is Lord. (Check out Kurt Willems’ discussion of Revelation on the PangeaCast: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/revelation-1-we-all-need-revelation/id878056251?i=1000318634790&mt=2.) In the midst of a world of injustice and tears, John describes his vision:
“I looked again and could hardly believe my eyes. Everything above me was new. Everything below me was new. Everything around me was new because the heaven and earth that had been passed away, and the sea was gone, completely. And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, prepared like a bride on her wedding day, adorned for her husband and for His eyes only. And I heard a great voice, coming from the throne.
See, the home of God is with His people. He will live among them; They will be His people, And God Himself will be with them. The prophecies are fulfilled: He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; Mourning no more, crying no more, pain no more. For the first things have gone away.
And the One who sat on the throne announced to His creation,
See, I am making all things new… Yes. I am coming soon.” (see The Voice translation of Revelation 21:1-5, 22:20)
This week as we begin our journey through Advent, these stories are our stories: in our chaotic world of suffering where justice feels absent for so many, we long for new life to overcome deathliness, for light to eradicate darkness. In our desperation, too often we travel the path of the people in Malachi’s day. Instead of clinging to God and his way of love and peace, we “put [our] trust in princes” (see Psalm 146) and walk in their way of scarcity, of vying for power so that we might feel secure. Our suffering may be legitimate. But our choice to “build the kingdom using the devil’s tools” mirrors Israel’s plea for a king: “Samuel was upset to hear the leaders say they wanted a king, so he prayed about it. The LORD answered: ‘Samuel, do everything they want you to do. I am really the one they have rejected as their king” (Contemporary English Version, 1 Samuel 8:6-7).
Released in 2007, Derek Webb’s A Savior on Capitol Hill (On The Ringing Bell, INO Records)
exposed the futility of thinking that “all our problems gonna disappear when we can whisper right in that President’s ear”:
you can render until Caesar everything that’s hisyou can trust in his power to come to your defenseit’s the way of the world, the way of the gunit’s the trading of an evil for a lesser oneso don’t hold your breath or your vote untilyou think you’ve finally found a savior up on Capitol Hill(listen: https://youtu.be/ok0ntGj4WWM)
The way many Christians overwhelmingly support Trump feels like they’ve accepted him as a savior. I understand that many who cast their vote for Trump did so because they thought that he could deliver something Clinton would not. When asked about qualities that mattered most in selecting a candidate to vote for, the majority of those polled chose “can bring change,” and of those responses, 83% voted for Trump. Trump supporters overwhelmingly believe that he can “change” things. Sociologist Arlie Hochschild “spent five years listening to Tea Party conservatives who later came to support Donald Trump - mainly working-class whites.” She reflects on the reasons for “regarding Donald Trump as a hero”:
“Most came to him ambivalently, at first. They didn’t think he was a truly good, moral person. One evangelical was very horrified by him mocking the disabled. Another woman feared he would start a war. But they all voted for him eventually.
And the reason, I think, is that he spoke to their 'deep story.' Emotions are at the bottom of anybody’s political beliefs. Those emotions are evoked by a story that feels true. So a deep story is a story that feels true. You take facts out of a deep story, you take moral judgments out of a story…
I think there’s a group that has felt silenced, who are the losers of globalization. And they found a guy who pointed to them and said, 'You’re not losers and you’re not silenced, and I’m your guy.' They found a guy who’s very good at brand promises, magical promises, who says he’s single-handedly going to reverse the trends of globalization, who’s quick with blame and shame” (read the whole interview at http://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/why_we_need_empathy_in_the_age_of_trump/success).
There are legitimate concerns fueling Trump support; however, in voting for “change” one must ask: What kind of change? and At what cost?
Trump demonstrated a particular vision of a “great America” that capitalized on restoring or increasing the security and fortunes of some at the cost of others who have historically been marginalized. This has fueled further division, distrust, and animosity between “us” and “them.” One of the core values of the gospel is reconciliation: “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace; in his flesh he has made both groups into one and has broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us… that he might create in himself one new humanity in place of the two, thus making peace, and might reconcile both groups to God in one body through the cross, thus putting to death that hostility through it” (NRSV, Eph. 2:13-16).
David Gushee, reflecting on the human “need to believe in something, or someone, or Someone,” ends his article for Religion News Service on November 7 by saying, “Hopelessness is not generally viewed as a virtue. But in this context it is to be commended. Of course, I do not mean hopelessness in a general sense. I mean the loss of hope that here is a candidate in whom we can invest True Belief. I have come to believe that no political candidate is ever worthy of such belief. Having lost unrealistic hope this time around, perhaps we will be forced to move to a move mature posture. Perhaps we will recognize that the future of our society, our institutions, and our politics rests in our own imperfect hands” (http://religionnews.com/2016/11/07/our-need-to-believe/).
The first Sunday of Advent, we light the candle of hope. Who or what shapes our hope? What is the story our hope promises? Who is included in that hope? The words Rev. Elizabeth Armstrong, priest at St. Augustine of Canterbury Episcopal Church in Rocklin, CA, shared on Sunday brought tears to my eyes and reminded me that countless others weep in this time of uncertainty as a Trump presidency approaches (watch: https://vimeo.com/193278644). She challenged us to “stand up [and]… have the courage to help God’s love win. Doing what [we can] for [our] brothers and sisters on this planet who [are] facing life-shattering prejudice.” As David Gushee said, it is our “imperfect hands” that are called to bring shalom - wholeness and harmony within and between people and communities. In our waiting, in this season of Advent, we must actively resist the patterns of this world and work to create the conditions of shalom.
Next week we light the candle of love.
Next week we light the candle of love.