A Poem and Reflection or Advent I St. Andrew's Church, Nags Head, NC December 1, 2019 Thomas E Wilson Supply
Waiting In Hope
Today we have combined the lessons and prayers for the Feast of St. Andrew (November 30) and the 1st Sunday of Advent. I wanted to do this since I heard that you hadn't celebrated the feast of your Patron Saint, St. Andrew in a very long time.
This is the first Sunday of Advent and the theme of this Sunday is “Hope”. If we looked at the lessons set for the this Sunday, they deal with hope. The Hebrew Testament lesson for today is from the 2nd Chapter of Isaiah when the prophet knowing they are surrounded by hostile nations, envisions a time when there will be peace and he sings a song of hope where: “they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning-hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation,
neither shall they learn war any more.” That is hope!
But the Bible also tells us about Andrew. In the Gospel lesson for the Feast of St, Andrew, Andrew is fishing with his brother, Simon Peter when the Lord comes by and calls them to follow him. I think Jesus called many others but only those with some degree of hope answered by following. I think hope is a prerequisite for following. Hope looks at the present and dares to think of something beyond. They live in an occupied country ruled by corrupt rulers who practice greed and deceitful bullying practice by twisting the law to serve their own purpose. Day after day of that abuse will drain the life out of anyone, where you keep your head down and try not to pay attention. Except those who choose to hope, perchance to dream, of a different way of living; they keep paying attention, fully aware of themselves, of nature and of God. They are listening so they can hear. When we are ready to listen, we are ready to hear.
Some people think that prayer is talking to God, but the true reality is Prayer is the deep listening, especially during the times when nothing seems to be said. But God is the WORD and is being said all the time. I think of Andrew, looking over the sea of Galilee, hearing the waves lapping against the gunnels of the boat, feeling the motion of the rocking up and down, being aware that he is not the center of the universe; there is something greater than himself. Being connected to and having a reverence for the gift of the sea, he is connected to the one who created the oceans, sea and land. He slows down, aware of where, who and whose he is in each task he is doing. People who rush through life really don't listen to God for they are too busy. There is no room for God and hope because it is all up to them. People who are constantly distracted by all sorts of things really don't listen to God, because they are not paying attention. Andrew is throwing the nets over the side because he hopes there will be enough fish on that day to make up for the days when the catch will be small. To cast your nets is a sign of hope. It is not wishful thinking that demands nothing from you, but hope is about taking life as one step at a time, one moment at a time, hoping for a better world which begins with him; he must be willing to change in order to change the world. If the church that is named for St. Andrew wants to have Hope, they learn to slow down, pay attention and listen.
Andrew has hope in that he knows that he cannot do it all himself; he must join with others. He enters in communion with God and with others. Communion not just with people who are alike but with those people who are different. We learn from the experiences of others, and that can help us see things we might overlook. Andrew does not become a solitary disciple; he joins with others to nourish the hope they share. They are not Lone Rangers and are sent out two by two to share the experience of hope. In one story Andrew brings into the community outsiders who wish to speak to Jesus. If the church that is named for St. Andrew wants to have Hope, they learn by having unity of purpose not uniformity of outlook. They must learn to work together than separately.
Andrew has hope because he is able to think outside the box. There is the story where Andrew, facing the task of feeding thousands, sees a young boy with a small basket of loaves and fishes. It is a ridiculous idea to think there is enough in that basket to feed all of the multitude. A Person without hope would dismiss the whole idea out of hand. But in hope Andrew brings the most he can find and brings it to Jesus. Jesus then takes, blesses, breaks and distributes and there is more than enough. Hope is open to different ways other than the way we have always done things. If the church that is named for St. Andrew wants to have Hope, they learn to consider other options no matter how out of the box they might be, and then listen to see what God can do.
Andrew is a disciple and that group is hungry as well. There would have been enough in that basket to feed Jesus and his disciples. But they gave it away to people who were not part of their small group. Hope considers the outsider needs as important as their own needs. If the church that is named for St. Andrew wants to have Hope, they learn to pay attention to the larger community as part of the beloved of God.
Andrew, after Jesus dies, is emotionally drained with fear and could go into hiding. But, Andrew joins with the other disciples to share their grief and disappointments. They slow down to listen and the Resurrected Christ comes in the middle of the suffering and brings peace, the peace that passes all understanding. If the church that is named for St. Andrew wants to have Hope, they learn to honestly share what is going on in their walk with Christ with each other.
After the Ascension, Andrew and the disciples gather to spend time in prayer to determine the next step in the journey. They enter into hope that they can be faithful on the Way, and it takes longer than they want. However, they don't just settle for the first plan that comes up. They are patient, because they know God's Holy Spirit is in charge. They are waiting in Hope. If the church that is named for St. Andrew wants to have Hope, they learn to be patient and not just settle.
Waiting In Hope
Hope is not a wish with eyes closed
breathing fast, saying magic words,
and incantations over ouija boards
crossing of fingers, arms and toes.
Hope is taking one step at a time,
not down yellow brick to the wiz,
but to a goal which in the future is
beyond mere achievement, sublime!
Hope may not get there by next year,
but we won't be grinding in old place,
stagnant, unaccepting of God's grace,
but finding the indwelling holy near.
Hope, waiting now, for us to choose
to move as if there is nothing to lose.
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