I am sharing what I wrote for our church's Advent devotion booklet. Advent is the season that precedes Christmas in the Christian calendar.
On the first Sunday of Advent we light the candle of Hope. We remember how the Hebrew people awaited the
arrival of the Messiah. They longed and
hoped for the anointed one who would bring them to a time of justice and peace.
When Jesus was
beginning his ministry, he returned to his hometown of Nazareth. At the synagogue he stood up and read from
Isaiah and afterwards told those present that the scripture had been fulfilled
in him.
“The Spirit of the
Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor.
He has sent me to
proclaim
release to the captives
and recovery of sight to the
blind,
to let the oppressed go free,
to proclaim the
year of the Lord’s favor.”
(Luke
4:18-19)
Jesus brought hope to those who needed it the most.
Over Labor Day weekend I had the opportunity to attend the very first
Western Methodist Justice Movement retreat at Lake Tahoe called “Stepping Out
in Faith.” I met Methodists from all
over the West who are passionate about justice.
We had workshops and discussions on indigenous peoples, women’s
reproductive rights, ministry to LGBTQ people, global economics, disabilities,
cultural approaches to death, racism and heterosexism, mental health,
immigration, and more. How do we as
Christians, and specifically United Methodists, respond to these issues? We discussed ways we can step out in faith to
work for justice.
The speakers at the conference were inspiring. One statement particularly stood out for
me. “Never deprive someone of hope; it
might be all they have.” It reminds me
of another quote from Harvey Milk. “The
only thing they have to look forward to is hope. And you have to give them hope. Hope for a better world, hope for a better
tomorrow. . . Hope that all will be all
right. Without hope, not only gays, but
the blacks, the seniors, the handicapped, the us’es, the us’es will give up.”
As followers of Jesus, we spread the word of God’s love for all
people. We can give them the gift of
hope by working for justice, following in Jesus’ footsteps.
Holy God, as we begin this season of Advent, we thank you for your gift
of your son, Jesus, who brought hope to a hurting world. Help us to be like him by bringing love and
hope to all your people. Amen.
