Dec 1, 2019                  Hope in the Darkness                               

Once upon a time there was a road with a dangerous curve in it. Three or four times a year there was always an accident on that road, and some of the townspeople had lost family or loved one’s on that road. So one day, someone came to the local council meeting and suggested that the road be changed, be made straight, so that people would no longer lose their lives on the road.

This sounded like a great idea to the town council, and so they called for an engineering study, in order to see how the road could be changed, and where it would go if they made it straight. And they found that the dangerous curve affected three properties that came together at the corners and was the reason for the curve in the first place.

Now the properties were owned by some pretty wealthy and influencial people, who didn’t want their land changed, and so they hired lawyers to fight the proposed changes. And there were a series of council meetings where people spoke for and against them. In the end, the council decided it would just be to much to trouble to make changes in the road, and people continued to die on that dangerous curve.

I know this was not a real happy story, but the point of the story, was to illuminate how changes, particularly good changes that would benefit all, can often be held up by some, based upon power and privilege. Which, whether we like it or not, is a regular theme in human life.

The main text that our lectionary group studied this week, was the passage from Isaiah 2:1-5, that we read for our advent candle lighting this morning. It envisioned a day when the sort of power and priviledge in our story above, would be overthrown, and when people would freely choose what was in the best interests of all, and be willing to give of themselves in the process. How did we get all that from Isaiah 2:1-5, well let’s look at the text.

First of all, the text from Isaiah speaks of the day when the mountain of the LORD will be raised up above all. This is a more poetic way of saying that the nation of Israel shall become the greatest of all nations. Second of all, it talks about the people of the nation’s stream to it to learn it’s ways, to learn what makes it so great. And third, what makes it so great is the law of God, God’s instruction that will teach them not to make war and destruction – that is the swords and spears part, but to invest themselves in more productive lives – that is the rakes and shovel part. That is the Jewish interpretation of this passage.

The Christian interpretation is a little different. In the Christian interpretation, the mountain that is lifted up is Calvary, upon which Christ was crucified. And the people of the nations will stream to Christ, seeking to become Jesus disciples, and as Jesus disciples they will turn away from the ways of sin, violence, and death, and turn to the ways of righteousness, peace and life. Then all shall walk in the light of the LORD!

Walking in the light of the LORD, the road in our opening story, gets made straight, and people cease to lose their lives. Walking in the light of the LORD, people of power and privilege are willing to do what is best for all. Walking by the light of the LORD, people will have the strength to demand what is best for all. Now I know, that a lot of worldly people might scoff at this, “the world just doesn’t work like that” they would say, and I would agree with them, but what if the world did work that way…, what if the people of the world, cast aside power and privilege, swords and spears, sin and death, and chose instead the ways of common interest, justice, rakes and shovels, peace and life?

It might look a little like Luke’s version of the apocalypse, where the worldly are swept away, where those who dare to hope are taken away, and those who are set in their ways are left behind. And in Luke’s gospel, Jesus warns us to be ready, make yourselves ready by believing and acting as if that day has already come, live that new life that is ours through faith in Jesus Christ. That is our hope, and the good news of Jesus Christ.