The Message, December 3, 2023, Advent 1: "The Promise of Hope," Psalm 80:1-7, 17-19

Author: Rev. Scott W. Cousineau
December 05, 2023

 

“The Promise of Hope”
A Message by Rev. Scott W. Cousineau
Psalm 80:1-7, 17-19

            What a contrast to the spirit in the air and the energy in this building today. As I read that passage from Psalm 80, some of you may have been thinking, “Why so negative, Pastor Scott?! Why are you harshing our good feelings, man?!”

            To be sure, it is a valid question. Why am I raining on our holiday parade?

            We had a great day yesterday! The building was full of the wonderful spirit of Christmas! The church was decorated … IS decorated beautifully, Christmas music was playing, children and adults were shopping for gifts for family and friends, Santa’s helpful elves were everywhere, and the Jolly Old Elf himself even made an appearance or two. Everyone that walked through the doors added to the energy and enthusiasm of the day.

            So, with our hearts all dancing like Sugarplum Fairies, why not focus upon a passage about gumdrops and reindeer? Why not focus upon something happy?

            Believe me … it would be nice to spend our lives in a Christmas snow globe that plays nothing but “Let There Be Peace on Earth” when we wind the crank. But our passage this morning is to remind us that Jesus Christ came to earth because the people lived in darkness.

            Our passage this morning predates the birth of Jesus by about seven hundred years, but the words still spoke to those people seven centuries later that were still waiting; still waiting for the Light to come.

            The words of the psalm this morning were a prayer of desperation. Three of the tribes in the northern kingdom of Israel were under assault by the Assyrians. Having just outfitted their army with swords and shields made of steel, the Assyrians were the new bullies on the block. They were attacking, marauding, and defeating their neighbors, plundering their land, and hauling captives into exile as we heard in our opening hymn (O Come, O Come, Emmanuel).

            We can hear the plaintive plea in the voice of the psalmist. The people had been calling out to God, but they believed that God was not present for them. They believed that God had abandoned them. Some even believed that it was God that was using the Assyrians to punish those who believed themselves to be God’s Chosen People. “If we are so CHOSEN God, where are you?!”

            “Return to us, O God! Make the light of your face shine upon us! Restore us … help us … save us!”

            “Give ear to our prayers, O God! Where are you? Why are you not helping us? Why are you letting this terrible thing happen to us?!”

            “We want to return to the way things used to be. We want your favor to shine upon us. We know that we made some mistakes … but you made mistakes too, God. In fact, we want you to repent from YOUR poor treatment of us!”

            Yes … the people went so far as to blame God for their situation and accused God of bad behavior. However, let us not harden our hearts against our ancient cousins. As we listen to their words, as we hear their complaints, we also hear the depth of their pain.

            “How long, O God? The bread of your Presence has been replaced by the bread of tears. We are no longer sustained by your Presence, O God. We feed on nothing but tears.”

            The image is painfully powerful. “We feed on nothing but tears.” In the midst of their misery, they called out to God. From the depth of their suffering, they called out. Their circumstances were so incredibly horrible they were struggling, grasping, looking for something, or someone, to blame. They blamed God. “We thought you loved us … but look at us. Look at us!!”

            Just like poor old Job, the psalmist rails against God. But just as it was with Job, this psalm is a song of faith. Even though the people saw God as the cause of their affliction, they also saw God as the solution to their suffering. “Restore us, O God. Restore us.” We hear those words over and over again. “Restore us. Save us.”

            While the word “hope” was never mentioned in the psalm, the persistence of the people’s petitions and their pleas suggest a deeply rooted belief that God would indeed restore them. Remember those old days when God was faithful … speaks to the steadfast love and grace that God has had for the people in every generation.

            The psalm recognizes that they are the work of God’s own hands. They are God’s vineyard. God worked the soil, planted and cared for the vineyard. And the psalm looks forward to the day when the vines will the restored. The psalm seeks a movement from wrath to grace, and also recognizes that grace is given by God.

            This is a psalm of hope. The people who live in darkness search desperately for the light of the face of God. The people place their hope in the heart of God.

            As we gather in this beautiful space this morning, we bathe in the light of God. We hear and sing the Advent hymns and know that there are many people who are experiencing terrible darkness in their lives. The words of the psalm resonate with the people in Gaza and Israel. The brooding darkness and the diet of tears speaks to those in Ukraine and other places torn apart by war. The families in Lewiston who are preparing for their first Christmas without their loved ones know the pain of tears and sorrow. Those who put on a happy face but whose inner selves are shattered or grieving may also utter the question of heartbreak, “Where are you, God? Why have you abandoned me?”

            We light the Candle of Hope this morning to remember those who walked in darkness two thousand years ago. And we light that Candle of Hope recognizing that there are people today who experience that same darkness.

            We light the candle of Hope that we may remember and offer our thanks for the light that breaks through every darkness. We also light it to remind ourselves that Jesus told US that WE are the light of the world. Made in God’s image we too offer hope.

            If you are experiencing darkness of any kind … God’s Light and God’s Presence is here for you. We are here for you.

            We light this candle to serve as a beacon to those who walk in darkness. And we light this candle as a reminder that we are the bearers of God’s light in the world.

            Yes, there is darkness in our world today, but there is also light. There is the pure and perfect light of God’s love. May God’s light shine in us and through us. Amen.

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