Isaiah 11:1-10 “Practicing Hope”

Dec. 9, 2007 By Rev. Kathy McDowell

There is a story told about the family who was eating dinner together

one evening during December. They had a family Advent wreath on the table,

and so the mother asked the two young children,

“Who can tell me what the four candles around the advent wreathe mean?”

The 8 year old brother quickly began to answer: “There’s love, joy, peace, and . . .” He paused, just long enough for his 6 year old sister to jump in with an answer.

“I know,” she said. “I know! Peace and quiet!”

There may be times where we would like the candles of Advent

to be love, joy, peace, and quiet. But the missing candle was Hope.

The four Advent candles traditionally stand for Love, Joy, Peace, and Hope.

Hope is a precious commodity. And it just may be the missing piece in many of our lives.

It’s hard for us to imagine it and even harder to practice it.

Now when I say hope, I’m not talking about optimism.

Optimism is an attitude of expecting that things will get better - the drought,

our finances, our family relationships, the political situation. It’s positive thinking.

But Hope is a different thing altogether. Hope is from God.

Hope sees that which is possible but not yet.

Hope trusts that with God all things are possible.

Today’s scripture reading from Isaiah has got to be from God.

Who else could imagine the wolf living with the lamb, the leopard lying down with the kid, the calf and the lion together, with a little child leading them all? Who would think that bears and cows would graze together

and children need not fear poisonous snakes? Who could imagine such a possibility unless you were the Creator of all possibilities? Reasonable people would listen to this scripture and say “It’s just a story.”

Have you ever seen the painting called “The Peaceable Kingdom?”

It’s a painting done by an artist named John August Swanson and it is such an imaginative vision of this scripture from Isaiah. I have brought a couple copies, which are part of the Sunday School materials,

and I am going to pass them through the congregation.

But sensible people might very well look at this painting and say “impossible.”

Did you hear the choir today and the beautiful story they told through music?

Does it ever seem to you like one of God’s possibilities that this kind of music could come from these 11 people? Practical people could take a look at our choir and say “no way.”

Sometimes it takes writers, and artists and musicians to help us imagine

that which is possible but not yet and remind us of that hope.

Sometimes when we hear and see these possibilities - call them God-possibilities -

then we can remember and trust that with God all things are possible.

But what we need to remember about hope is that even though these are God-possibilities,

we can all take part in them. We can practice hope.

Because most of the time hope doesn’t show up in huge, dramatic ways.

Hope comes to us in seemingly small, insignificant ways.

When we commit to being part of a choir and sing our hearts out.

When we remember to bring food and toys for the children who come to NCM.

When we forgive a wrong instead of hold onto a grudge.

When we make that phone call just to check in on someone.

When we work - hard sometimes - to build bridges with one another.

When we teach others, and just that one thing we say sometimes makes a difference.

When we expect that all of us here will not agree,

but we won’t let that stand in the way of working together as the body of Christ.

When we contribute, instead of criticize, at home, at work, at school, at church.

When we pray for one another.

Hope comes to us in seemingly small, insignificant ways.

In the form of a baby born in Bethlehem.

At this table in bread and cup as we remember the

life, death and resurrection of our Savior Jesus Christ,

who was that Baby born in Bethlehem.

Hope is what we practice each week at this Table,

in this seemingly small, insignificant way.

But as we practice hope, even in small ways, we see that which is possible but not yet.

Here we know that with God all things are possible

All are invited to receive God’s hope at this table.