Proper 13 / Ordinary 18 / Pentecost +11 Year C July 31, 2016
Luther Memorial Lutheran Church Seattle, WA
The Rev. Julie G. Hutson
Ecclesiastes 1:2, 12-14; 2: 18-23 + Psalm 49: 1-12
Colossians 3: 1-11 + Luke 12: 13-21
May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, our rock and our redeemer. Amen.
When my children were little I had a rule that was especially helpful in these summer days after school has been out for awhile and the novelty of having nothing to do all day long has worn off. My rule was “NO WHINING”. It also applied to me, for the record.
The reading from Ecclesiastes this morning sounds a little bit like one gigantic whine. Everything is an illusion! It’s ALL going to just vanish like mist in the air. Life is like chasing after the wind. Why work so hard, why sweat and struggle when it will not matter in the end? Wow. It’s almost ironic that we listen to this lesson being read in worship and our response is “Thanks be to God.”
Some days it is easy, like the author of Ecclesiastes, who in Hebrew is called Quoheleth, which is also what the Hebrew people call this particular book of the Hebrew Bible…it is easy some days to think in much this same way. Our world continues to fight the same battles over the same events, seemingly never learning the lessons that would prevent the next war. Tyrant after tyrant, evil dictator after evil dictator rises to power. People are killed in genocide after genocide, too often in the name of God and for the cause of religion. So why does it matter, we ask, much like Quoheleth. Why even bother to stand for the right thing? Why even bother to work hard to speak truth to power if it will make so little difference in the end?
One of the interesting aspects of this story is that Quoheleth sought to look for hope and meaning in a number of places. First he looked in wisdom, but after acquiring the wisdom he sought he found that it all led to sorrow and futility. So, he then turned to searching for meaning through pleasure…seeking both sensual pleasure and the pleasure some consider will be found in wealth. He found both of those to be fleeting…offering nothing of any lasting hope. And at that point he began to write.
There are many places we look for hope. Quoheleth was not the first or the last to look in wisdom or knowledge or pleasures of the body or wealth. So, where do we find signs of hope?
Many of you know that Bruce and I are moving back up north, as we call this end of the city. We are happy to be moving to a house that was built in 1908 and carries with it all of the rich history of many years. You can almost feel it when you walk through the door. Like many old homes, though, the basement felt a tad bit foreboding to me the first time I walked down the stairs. But last Sunday, as I was showing the house to a friend, I saw it…a piece of paper stuck on a nail that had been pounded into a beam. Carefully I took it down to find this written on it:
Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;
6 In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct[a] your paths.
My friend said to me “That is a sign of hope” and I realized that he was absolutely right. I was holding in my hand a literal sign of hope.
And that led me to spend some time this week asking where YOU see signs of hope. Here’s what you told me:
I see hope in the unity of unlikely groups of people. ..many of you spoke of this. How beautiful is that? The unity of unlikely groups of people. Perhaps in these days we can all seek to find the places and ideas and dreams we have in common. Surely hope would grow wings in the process.
The mother of our God-son said that she sees hope in his eyes when he discovers something new. And that put me in mind of the words of Scripture: the mercies of the Lord are new every morning. Do we see those mercies each day? Surely hope would put down roots and grow if we did.
Several of you told me that you find hope here in this place. That you find it in the symbolic sturdiness of the rock wall. That you find it in the soaring steady presence of this cross. That you find it in the way our children have a full and joyous place at the table. And that you find it when we pray together.
Another of you mentioned the hope that is present in those who come here for lunch and other help and in the faithful persistence of this congregation in providing that help. She also noted that hope is present in the everyday little things: safe travel of family and friends, healing, and the close relationships present here in this place.
Another person told me that she sees hope in the creatures in her neighborhood that she feeds every morning, appreciating that they depend on her for food. And she depends on their presence to remind her of how they need her. This is such beautiful interdependence and our world is designed for it…to create community and connection…and too often we lose it in our quest for fierce independence. How would hope grow and multiply if we lived into this interdependence and let go a bit of our independence?
A young woman who is a candidate for ministry and whose path there has been filled with unexpected challenges said that she finds hope in courageous growth of those in her circle of influence to try new things and be bold in their leadership as women! What a gift…that her hope is in the courage of her friends. What might happen if we looked to the gifts present in our friends and neighbors? Those gifts grow when tended and nurtured.
I have a friend who is a pretty famous fiddler and folk artist. He’s played with Prairie Home Companion numerous times. He’s also a hopeful person and a songwriter, so I reached out and asked him where he finds hope. This is what he said: I see signs of hope when I hear children laughing; when I look at old people holding hands; when I watch someone crying when they hear an old fiddle tune; when I discover those first little crocuses come up in January. I was filled with hope this week watching the convention, because I witnessed such a wide range of people pulling the plow… even the floor fights gave me hope, because people are alive and passionate about something. I had to tell him, in return, that I see signs of hope in his face, because he is the brother of one of my very closest friends, who no longer lives on this earth, but has joined the church triumphant. His very genetic material reminds me that she was a person who brought grand grace to the world. So, remember, your very presence might be hopeful to someone in your life.
I have a dear friend from my high school who is in town this week. We also went to college together. This was her response: in prayer; in the youth who are smart, thoughtful, and enthusiastic about life; in people who stand up for what they believe, yet do not degrade others who have different beliefs; when I see Americans who are thankful and proud that they live in a free country. While I was very grateful for her thoughtful response, I found hope in a friendship that has spanned so many years. In our very mobile culture, where disconnecting is as easy as unfriending someone on Facebook, the gift of long time friends reflects hope back to us through the prism of the years.
My beloved husband actually emailed me in response to the mid week update and said this: I see signs of hope in our three kids growing and learning about life. I see hope as we journey forward in our life together. I see hope when I look into the sky, and the nature that surrounds us.I see hope in ur cute face. Of course, the love we share with those we are lucky enough to walk through life beside is a reason for rejoicing and hope.
And one of you, a mom of a preschooler offered this gem of wisdom: “Hope is the unconditional love of a child when you just ate her last Starburst.”
Beloved community, hope is all around us. It is the enduring thing, along with faith and love. It is the one thing that endures even when we think that we are chasing the wind. Let’s continue to look for signs of hope in the world…and you never know, like the paper in our basement, it may be found in the most unlikely of places.
Thanks be to God. And let the church say…Amen