12/01/2024 ~ First Sunday of Advent ~ Jeremiah 33:14-16; Psalm 25:1-10; 1 Thessalonians 3:9-13; Luke 21:25-36 ~ The Sunday on Which the Christian Virtue of Hope Is Celebrated ~ First Sunday in Year ‘C’ of the Three Year Lectionary Cycle ~ EXPERIMENTAL YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=suljR1XwmgI
VIDEO OF FULL SERVICE: https://vimeo.com/showcase/7960701/video/1036460858

Justice and Integrity

“In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous branch, a branch who maintains a right relationship with Me, to be raised up from the line of David who shall bring justice and integrity to the land.” — Jeremiah 33:15.

Rumor to the contrary, prophets do not predict the future but speak the word of God. And my guess is most of us have had an experience not of prophecy but premonition. I’ve had my share.

Here’s one: in August of 1964 I was about to become a Senior in High School. On August 4th I watched as President Johnson addressed the nation. A Navy destroyer, the President said, had been attacked by North Vietnamese PT boats. He then asked Congress for permission to use the military in Southeast Asia without declaring war.

They passed the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution. As I watched the President I had a premonition that something which happened half way round the world would affect me.

Sure enough, at age 19 I got drafted and at 20 I shipped out to Saigon. Now, when I was 19, 20 and 21 a lot happened while I was distracted, otherwise engaged.

Aside from Vietnam, Martin Luther King, Jr. and Robert Kennedy were assassinated. Johnson decided to not run for President and there were riots at a national political convention. A revolution exploded and failed in Czechoslovakia. Much of what was happening made it seem like there was very little hope left in the world.

The other side of that coin: Americans landed on the moon, the Beatles released the White Album. The Who released Tommy. The underdog Jets won the Super Bowl and the previously hapless Mets won the World Series. But that side of the coin is more about fun than hope. We often confuse the two— fun and hope. (Slight pause.)

These words are in the Scroll of the Prophet Jeremiah: “In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous branch, a branch who maintains a right relationship with Me, to be raised up from the line of David who shall bring justice and integrity to the land.” (Slight pause.)

Most people describe my sense of humor as verbal. But I do visual, physical humor too. On my first day of High School— I was 13— my mother walked me to the front door. With a tear she gave me a tight hug and wished me well. I think she even said the world is dangerous— be careful. I could not resist.

I walked out the door, did a pratfall down the short stoop and landed on my butt. Mom screamed. I looked up at her and said, “See? You do have to be careful. The world is really a dangerous place!” I don’t think she ever forgave me for that one.

Despite making a statement in a humorous way I was, of course, right. The world is a dangerous place. How dangerous?

Ask Jeremiah. This Prophet knows about both danger and hope. The people are under siege from the armies of Babylon. It does seem like a hopeless situation. Despite that, Jeremiah addresses hope.

And yes, the world both then and now is dangerous. And this is also often true: precisely because the world is dangerous we sometimes fail to hope. (Slight pause.)

I have a friend who is the Executive Director of a non-profit. This agency strives to address issues which become inflamed because of poverty. A question folks constantly ask him is ‘can anyone escape poverty or is the situation hopeless?’

My friend says the goal of the organization he leads is to seek justice for all people and if there is no hope then all is lost. But he also says to seek justice for all, the agency employs a ‘Two E’ approach— education and engagement.

He insists education is necessary but not enough. Engagement is the real key to education. People need to engage with one another to really educate and get tangible results.

And yes, engagement is a two way street. So, the practice of engagement needs what Jeremiah calls (quote:) “justice and integrity”— justice and integrity. Applying integrity means interacting with others no matter what the person you’re trying to help does; no matter how the person you’re trying to help behaves.

Further, when integrity is a guideline we must understand God’s justice is not a result, something you point to and say ‘oh, it’s done! We now have justice!’ Rather, justice is a practice, a continuing, constant practice, no matter what the circumstances are.

Hence, justice can never stand alone but must mingle with integrity. And integrity is practiced and accomplished by living into the reality of the community of God.

In the Christian community integrity is about equality for all people. And that is our real hope for the future: equity for all people— equity. (Slight pause.)

That brings me back to my pratfall and the observation of a 13 year old. Yes, the world is a dangerous place.

It’s clear a lot of people today from prelates to pundits to politicians try to instill fear, want us to be afraid. But should we fear the world, hide our heads in the sand because the world is a dangerous place or even just do nothing because we are afraid?

What we need to do is heed Jeremiah’s words of hope. We need to accept the challenge to boldly confront this dangerous world. Jeremiah’s words are an invitation from God to us to consistently, constantly, therefore with integrity, confront a dangerous world. Put differently, these words are an invitation to practice justice, God’s justice.

You see, the practice of justice never happens in isolation. Justice happens in community. Why? God’s justice is not about my justice, not about your justice. God’s justice is about our justice, communal justice, justice which includes all people.

If you exclude someone, anyone, exile them, you’re saying that individual is not a child of God. That individual is not human. (Slight pause.)

So why is this reading from Jeremiah assigned on the Sunday of Advent when we celebrate hope? (Slight pause.) The season leads us to the birth of the Messiah. The birth of the Messiah is about the hope embodied by taking action in the world, just as Jesus did.

The birth of the Messiah is about the hope of God which insists the Dominion of God will be seen when we act with one another to confront the reality of tribalism so prevalent these days. Too often this tribalism says only I am right, so no one else counts. Tribalism tries to counter God’s justice in an effort to make today’s world dangerous.

The hope to which God calls us insists justice and integrity— constant vigilance— need to go hand in hand. And it’s integrity which insists on constant action, constantly working toward the justice of God. Given that, we are faced with yet another question.

Are we willing to work with integrity toward God’s justice in this world, God’s world, and thereby allow our very actions to be filled with hope, no matter what happens? And yes, I know. Being hopeful no matter what happens— that is hard. (Slight pause.)

But I think this is also obvious: hope does not happen in the past or the present tense. Hope is about what happens in the future.

Perhaps that’s why hope and community are always entangled. Community needs to not be about the past nor the present. Community always needs to be about the future. So can we, do we have hope for the future, a future this congregation will build together? Your call. Amen.

12/01/2024

Elijah Kellogg Church, Harpswell, Maine

ENDPIECE: It is the practice of the Pastor to speak after the Closing Hymn, but before the Choral Response and Benediction. This is an précis of what was said: “Well known Baptist theologian the Rev. Dr. Tony Campolo died last week at the age of 89. This is one of his many observations. (Quote:) ‘Jesus never says to the poor, come find the church. But Jesus did say to those of us in the church, go into the world and find the poor, the hungry, the homeless, the imprisoned.’”— Tony Campolo

BENEDICTION: Let us go in joy and in love and in peace, for our hope is in the one who has made covenant with us. God reigns. Let us go in God’s peace. And may the face of God shine upon us; may the peace of Christ rule among us; may the fire of the Spirit burn within us this day and forevermore. Amen.