HOPE OF THE PROPHETS -- SALVATION OF HUMANITY

Isaiah 2:1-5

Matthew 24:36-44

What gives you hope? What inspires you and gives you the strength to continue on through the darkest of nights?

The passage from Isaiah comes from a very dark time in the history of the people of God. After the death of King Solomon, the nation of Israel split into two kingdoms. There were conflicts between the two kingdoms, and each had their share of kings who led their people away from God and into idol worship and oppression of their people.

Also, more powerful nations like Egypt, Assyria and Persia fought to take over the kingdoms in order to expand the borders of their own empires.

The weapons of war are always spears and swords, guns and bombs. In an embattled, broken and dark world, there are those who are armed with hate, divisiveness, greed, prejudice, opportunism, self-gratification and need for power. Hate-filled words and fear tactics can become more destructive than any weapon of mass destruction.

We often count the cost of war in terms of lives and territory lost. It the war that is carried out within a culture is the loss of human dignity, civility and compassion. Poverty, both spiritual and material, and alienation of those with the least amount of power results in fear and hopelessness.

So, into this landscape of darkness, God sent the people a word, a prophecy, a vision that was almost absurd in it's contrast with the present reality. Despite this, it was and remains a promise of hope to all humanity.

God would raise up a king who would be the savior of all people. This king would set his authority among the nations, not only governing through the Law of God's love, but doing what other leaders can never do – convincing their consciences, changing their hearts and ordering their lives in the ways of peace, compassion and mercy.

In the first chapter of the Gospel of John (John 1:1-5), we are introduced to this king:

In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and      the Word was God.
The Word was with God in the beginning.
Everything came into being through the Word, and without the      Word nothing came into being.
What came into being through the Word was life,
    and the life was the light for all people.
The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness doesn’t             extinguish the light.

The king God promised is Christ Jesus, the son, God-incarnate, who moved into humanity's neighborhood.

This is a special time of year when we joyfully celebrate Christ's coming in the past. We should also earnestly and joyfully anticipate Christ's second coming.

The promise of Christ's return contradicts so much of what we see in the world today, a world which is not that different than countless generations of the human condition which have come before us.

Like the Word of God brought to the people of Isaiah, it is a promise of hope. It is a promise that the work of salvation and redemption Christ begun will be finished – deceit and falsehood will be defeated, the forces of evil will be destroyed, and even death itself will die.

All of creation, humanity included, is a work of God's redeeming love in progress. Although we do not when that work will be finished, we do know this, we are to be prepared.

I believe that means holding firm to our faith and letting the light of Christ's love that is within us to shine out into the world.

St. Francis of Assisi said, “All the darkness of the world cannot extinguish the light one candle.” 

And when we share that light, we lose nothing, but the power of the light of Christ grows.


Until that time comes when people no longer war against each other, when love, peace and compassion are cultivated instead of hate and hopelessness, let us live in hope of what we do not yet know by sight and spread the light of Christ abroad in a embattled, broken and dark world.