{"id":2453,"date":"2017-12-04T13:13:13","date_gmt":"2017-12-04T02:13:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.leighmoorunitingchurch.org.au\/?p=2453"},"modified":"2017-12-04T13:18:33","modified_gmt":"2017-12-04T02:18:33","slug":"hopethe-oxygen-a-meaningful-life-04-12-2o17","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.leighmoorunitingchurch.org.au\/?p=2453","title":{"rendered":"Hope:the oxygen of a meaningful life 03-12-2017"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hope: the Oxygen of a Meaningful Life<\/i>.<\/i><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Isaiah 64: 1-9;\u00a0 Mark 13: 24 – 27<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Is <\/i>gravity pu?<\/i><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Today marks the end of the first week in Advent. Advent marks the coming of Christ Jesus to earth to live amongst us and reveal more clearly the nature and intention of God. Advent also reminds us that we live in expectation of Christ\u2019s return and the fulfilment of God\u2019s Kingdom. These subjects contain the themes of expectation and hope.\u00a0 Emil Brunner wrote:\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u2018What oxygen is to the lungs, such is hope for the meaning of life.\u2019<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

From times of old, people longed for, hoped for, and expected God to right the wrongs and bring peace. That longing, hope and expectation is as real and relevant today as it was yesterday.\u00a0 We still have our troubles, our suffering and political turmoil. Injustices, abuse and exploitation remain.\u00a0 We face our personal struggles and suffering. What sustains us is our hope. Our hope will be grounded in people, systems and of course God. Without hope our energy is sapped and motivation drained. We enter despair.\u00a0 Without hope there is only death of the spirit and life.\u00a0 It is hope they keeps us alive and keeps us expecting and working towards a better world.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Oscar Hammerstein\u2019s (II) said:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u2018I know the world is filled with troubles and many injustices. But reality is as beautiful as it is ugly. I think it is just as important to sing about beautiful mornings, as it is to talk about slums. I just couldn\u2019t write anything without hope in it.\u2019<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Our Scripture readings speak of the hope that preceded the coming of Christ Jesus. The prophet Isaiah lived through the times when Israel had returned from Exile, but the hopes of re-building the Temple and re-establishing the nation were not completed. There was a sense of despair. Where is God?\u00a0 That is the question that lies behind our Isaiah reading.\u00a0 What kept their spirits alive is the memory of the great deeds of God.\u00a0 So the prophet asks the peoples\u2019 question;\u00a0 \u2018Why don\u2019t you do it again<\/i>?<\/i>\u2019\u00a0 The prophet\u2019s answer is revealing and insightful:\u00a0 no one has ever seen or heard of a God like you, who does such deeds for those who put their hope in him. You welcome those who find joy in doing what is right, those who remember how you want them to live. <\/i>[Is 64:4ff]\u00a0 What the prophet rightly observes is that God will act in conjunction with our faith and obedience.\u00a0 God welcomes those who find joy in doing what is right.\u00a0 God will not answer our needs without our cooperation for that merely turns God into a false insurance against trouble \u2013 usually the trouble we have caused. God gives us freedom and dignity by working with us rather than working for us. This is the spiritual lesson we must learn: God calls us into a partnership. God will bring about redemption and renewal, healing and restoration in our lives in conjunction with our faith.\u00a0 I\u2019m reminded of those five young maidens who ran out of oil for their lamps and found themselves shut out of the wedding feast. They had failed to do their bit. They were the type of person who expects God to do things for them when they\u2019re in trouble, rather that working with God through the trouble.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Our suffering can lead us to the question: \u2018Where is God?\u2019\u00a0 That cry is often being uttered. Elie Wiesel writes about the absence of God in her book, Night<\/i>.\u00a0 Wiesel describes the agony of the experience of God\u2019s absence.\u00a0 A child hangs from the gallows set up by the SS. Someone is heard to ask, \u2018Where is God?\u2019\u00a0 \u2018Where is He?\u2019 The child struggles between life and death for more than half an hour, and the same person asks again, \u2018Where is God now?\u2019 \u00a0 Wiesel writes:\u00a0 And I heard a voice within me answer him: \u2018Where is He? Here He is \u2026 He is hanging here on this gallows. <\/i>[Wiesel pp.61-62]<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

The true prophet does not offer slick answers. The true prophet lets the contradictions of life exist. The true prophet challenges facile explanations of faith and invites us to trust and cooperate with God.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

The second lesson is that hope and faith help us see God breaking into our lives in new ways that astound us. How excited those first disciples of Jesus must have been when they witnessed miracles and saw the crowds grow large? How dumfounded must those first disciples been when they witnessed the cruel death of their Lord at the hands of the authorities in collusion with Rome? How bemused they must have been when they witnessed the Resurrection? How amazed those first disciples must have been to witness the church emerge around the Roman Empire?\u00a0 How incredible it would have been when later generations heard of the Emperor\u2019s acknowledgement of Christ Jesus as Lord and in time the rise to power of the Church? But living through any one of these times in history required faith and hope followed by obedience to Christ Jesus.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Here is a picture of a changed life set free. \u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

In 79 AD, the city of Pompeii in southern Italy was destroyed by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. Less well known is another town, Herculaneum, which was also destroyed. This town was a popular first century resort until that day Mount Vesuvius exploded and buried it under sixty-five feet of solidified mud and lava.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Excavations of Herculaneum have revealed a wealthy town and like all towns had smaller blocks of tenement houses for the workers. In one of the smaller houses in a back room was found a cross that appears to have been hidden.\u00a0 There are three nail prints that suggest the cross was covered.\u00a0 We also know that there were persecutions in Italy. It is probable that the people of this home held a house church here in this ordinary house.\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

It tells us a story. The archeologist sees this cross and knows that Christians lived in this home. They were poor and possibly isolated from the pagan community. So the cross is of some general interest as it is part of the first archaeological evidence of Christianity in Rome. The Christian sees this cross and begins to understand a great deal about this room and its occupants. There was hope in this tiny room; hope in the midst of what must have been a very meagre existence. There was hope that raised the hope of the few who lived or gathered there. There was freedom from the gods<\/i> that filled the lives of so many people with superstition and fear.\u00a0 The cross symbolised the knowledge that one is loved. These were people who believed that the ultimate meaning of the universe is life-nourishing love. They believed they were not alone. They believed that there was a future with God. They lived in hope that gave them an inner strength to rise above the superstition, fear and drudgery of the common life.\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

When we stop to see what is happening around us and in the world at large we too want to ask the question; \u2018What is God doing?\u2019\u00a0 How can we respond today to the helplessness we feel? We live in a world which is bedevilled by turmoil and tension brought about largely by our wilfulness and self-interest.\u00a0 Millions starve while others trash their excess food! Millions remain homeless incarcerated in refugee camps. Our politicians are caught in a quagmire of self-interest. We who have so much but only share the excess crumbs from our table. We protect our indulgent way of life at the expense of others\u2019 dignity. Our hope rests in our ability. It is strange that with all our resources and wealth we experience high suicide rates, suffer with obesity and diabetes, family violence continues and drug addiction expands.\u00a0 When hope slips through our fingers like sand then we turn in the circles of despair. \u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

The other night I went to relax and re-play a Songs of Praise<\/i> recording on Negro Spirituals. The music was beautiful: the words were inspiring. Negro Spirituals developed amongst the black slaves in the Americas. If any people had reason for despair and give up hope they did. They were helpless and you could readily excuse them for giving up. They had been literally and figuratively stripped of everything. They were brutalised with no means to free themselves. Yet they heard the Christian story, entirely foreign to their cultures out of which they were plucked. They believed in God the Father, Christ Jesus and the Holy Spirit.\u00a0 Their songs became a protest that transcended their pitiful state. Their songs lifted their spirits and gave them dignity. They knew that money couldn\u2019t buy God\u2019s love so they too had access to God\u2019s love. They survived the brutality of their condition and faith in Jesus provided the hope to eternal life with God. They would also get a ticket on the heavenly train. Hope was the oxygen of their dreadful earthly lives.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Faith in God feeds our hope and our hope transports us above our condition that undermines our spiritual health.\u00a0 Faith and hope are the antidote to the despairing situations we find ourselves in. I want to suggest that our communal worship, our thankfulness to God for every small blessing, and our obedience in walking with Christ Jesus leads us forward.\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Gilbert M Beenken said; \u2018Other people see only a hopeless end, but the Christian rejoices in an endless hope.\u2019<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

*******<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Peter C Whitaker, Leighmoor UC:\u00a0 03\/12\/2017<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

pcwhitaker@icloud.com<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\/ www.leighmoorunitingchurch.org.au<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Hope: the Oxygen of a Meaningful Life. Isaiah 64: 1-9;\u00a0 Mark 13: 24 – 27 Is gravity pu? Today marks the end of the first week in Advent. Advent marks the coming of Christ Jesus to earth to live amongst us and reveal more clearly the nature and intention of God. Advent also reminds us that we live in expectation of Christ\u2019s return and the fulfilment of God\u2019s Kingdom. These subjects contain the themes of expectation and hope.\u00a0 Emil Brunner wrote:\u00a0 \u2018What oxygen is to the lungs, such is hope for the meaning of life.\u2019 From times of old, people longed for, hoped for, and expected God to right the wrongs and bring peace. That longing, hope and expectation is as real and relevant today as it was yesterday.\u00a0 We still have our troubles, our suffering and political turmoil. Injustices, abuse and exploitation remain.\u00a0 We face our personal struggles and suffering. What sustains us is our hope. Our hope will be grounded in people, systems and of course God. Without hope our energy is sapped and motivation drained. We enter despair.\u00a0 Without hope there is only death of the spirit and life.\u00a0 It is hope they keeps us alive and keeps us expecting and working towards a better world. Oscar Hammerstein\u2019s (II) said: \u2018I know the world is filled with troubles and many injustices. But reality is as beautiful as it is ugly. I think it is just as important to sing about beautiful mornings, as it is to talk about slums. I just couldn\u2019t write anything without hope in it.\u2019 Our Scripture readings speak of the hope that preceded the coming of Christ Jesus. The prophet Isaiah lived through the times when Israel had returned from Exile, but the hopes of re-building the Temple and re-establishing the nation were not completed. There was a sense of despair. Where is God?\u00a0 That is the question that lies behind our Isaiah reading.\u00a0 What kept their spirits alive is the memory of the great deeds of God.\u00a0 So the prophet asks the peoples\u2019 question;\u00a0 \u2018Why don\u2019t you do it again?\u2019\u00a0 The prophet\u2019s answer is revealing and insightful:\u00a0 no one has ever seen or heard of a God like you, who does such deeds for those who put their hope in him. You welcome those who find joy in doing what is right, those who remember how you want them to live. [Is 64:4ff]\u00a0 What the prophet rightly observes is that God will act in conjunction with our faith and obedience.\u00a0 God welcomes those who find joy in doing what is right.\u00a0 God will not answer our needs without our cooperation for that merely turns God into a false insurance against trouble \u2013 usually the trouble we have caused. God gives us freedom and dignity by working with us rather than working for us. This is the spiritual lesson we must learn: God calls us into a partnership. God will bring about redemption and renewal, healing and restoration in our lives in conjunction with our faith.\u00a0 I\u2019m reminded of those five young maidens who ran out of oil for their lamps and found themselves shut out of the wedding feast. They had failed to do their bit. They were the type of person who expects God to do things for them when they\u2019re in trouble, rather that working with God through the trouble. Our suffering can lead us to the question: \u2018Where is God?\u2019\u00a0 That cry is often being uttered. Elie Wiesel writes about the absence of God in her book, Night.\u00a0 Wiesel describes the agony of the experience of God\u2019s absence.\u00a0 A child hangs from the gallows set up by the SS. Someone is heard to ask, \u2018Where is God?\u2019\u00a0 \u2018Where is He?\u2019 The child struggles between life and death for more than half an hour, and the same person asks again, \u2018Where is God now?\u2019 \u00a0 Wiesel writes:\u00a0 And I heard a voice within me answer him: \u2018Where is He? Here He is \u2026 He is hanging here on this gallows. [Wiesel pp.61-62] The true prophet does not offer slick answers. The true prophet lets the contradictions of life exist. The true prophet challenges facile explanations of faith and invites us to trust and cooperate with God. The second lesson is that hope and faith help us see God breaking into our lives in new ways that astound us. How excited those first disciples of Jesus must have been when they witnessed miracles and saw the crowds grow large? How dumfounded must those first disciples been when they witnessed the cruel death of their Lord at the hands of the authorities in collusion with Rome? How bemused they must have been when they witnessed the Resurrection? How amazed those first disciples must have been to witness the church emerge around the Roman Empire?\u00a0 How incredible it would have been when later generations heard of the Emperor\u2019s acknowledgement of Christ Jesus as Lord and in time the rise to power of the Church? But living through any one of these times in history required faith and hope followed by obedience to Christ Jesus. Here is a picture of a changed life set free. \u00a0 In 79 AD, the city of Pompeii in southern Italy was destroyed by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. Less well known is another town, Herculaneum, which was also destroyed. This town was a popular first century resort until that day Mount Vesuvius exploded and buried it under sixty-five feet of solidified mud and lava. Excavations of Herculaneum have revealed a wealthy town and like all towns had smaller blocks of tenement houses for the workers. In one of the smaller houses in a back room was found a cross that appears to have been hidden.\u00a0 There are three nail prints that suggest the cross was covered.\u00a0 We also know that there were persecutions in Italy. It is probable that the people of this home held a house church here in this ordinary house.\u00a0 It tells us a<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[24],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2453","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sermons"],"rttpg_featured_image_url":null,"rttpg_author":{"display_name":"Leighmoor.Master","author_link":"https:\/\/www.leighmoorunitingchurch.org.au\/author\/leighmoor-master"},"rttpg_comment":0,"rttpg_category":"Sermons<\/a>","rttpg_excerpt":"Hope: the Oxygen of a Meaningful Life. Isaiah 64: 1-9;\u00a0 Mark 13: 24 – 27 Is gravity pu? Today marks the end of the first week in Advent. Advent marks the coming of Christ Jesus to earth to live amongst us and reveal more clearly the nature and intention of God. Advent also reminds us…","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.leighmoorunitingchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2453","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.leighmoorunitingchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.leighmoorunitingchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.leighmoorunitingchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.leighmoorunitingchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2453"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.leighmoorunitingchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2453\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2456,"href":"https:\/\/www.leighmoorunitingchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2453\/revisions\/2456"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.leighmoorunitingchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2453"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.leighmoorunitingchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2453"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.leighmoorunitingchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2453"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}