Sunday, March 22, 2015

La Esperenza Maera Ultima


Jeremiah 31:31-33; John 12:20-33
 
        Which is better, no God or an unfaithful God? Sometimes, when confronted by the calamities and chaos of life, one can sink to an undesirable place where we wrestle with the very existence of that mysterious and sometimes aloof presence we call God. This is not just a 21st century problem and it is not just a dilemma faced by folks who lack faith. Many of the great theological minds of any era find themselves wondering aloud why God allows the existence of that which causes humanity harm. I have no answer to this question but I certainly have a lot of angst. Why does God allow evil? Why does it sometimes seem God is unwilling to confront evil? Why haven’t we found a cure for various forms of cancer? Why is God withholding the final piece to so many puzzles? Is God even in the conversation? Where is God when God is needed most?
        These are question which I grapple with most often during the season of Lent. While these questions are applicable during any season, Lent introduces us to music and Biblical texts that are filled with somber and conflicting chords.  This time of year has a darkness which opens our souls to conversations that might not emerge when the flowers are in bloom and the birds are cheerfully singing.       During Lent, God’s Holy Word dares us to look deeply into its very core for meaning.  During Lent, God’s Dangerous Word challenges every presupposition, every truth, every grain of logic that is the foundation of our very being.
Trust me; it is much easier to give up chocolate for Lent than question the roots of our empirical thoughts. If you dare to dive headfirst into the turbulent waters of the “Word of the Lord”, you might want to wear a life preserver.  
Imagine the year is 587 BCE. Zedekiah is King of Judah and the city of Jerusalem is surrounded by the armies of Babylon. The water supply has been cut off and food supplies are non-existent. We know what is about to happen. It is recorded in our history books. Babylon stormed the walls and captured the city. The Temple was destroyed. King Zedekiah was decapitated after he witnessed the execution of his wife and children. The leaders of the city were enslaved and taken into captivity. It is not difficult to imagine this happening because this scene continues to be played out today in the same corner of our world.
In the midst of this chaos, Jeremiah and the King stood together. Both knew what was going to happen to Jerusalem and the King knew his death was imminent. In anger, in fear, in desperation, Zedekiah turned to Jeremiah and spat out the words, “If God cares, if God values life, if God is going to give us some hope, then God better show up right now.” Zedekiah must have been asked himself why he bothered talking to a man who represented an absent God. The King  probably wondered if God even existed. Why does it always take a catastrophe to raise questions about God’s fidelity and existence? The ambiguity and pain of our ordinary lives are more than sufficient to cause a raised eyebrow or two.
A number of years ago Ralph Frink was diagnosed with cancer. The prognosis was grave and Ralph took it seriously. His team of doctors worked aggressively, successfully allowing Ralph to enthusiastically jump back into his active life style. Last fall the cancer returned. Again Ralph insisted the doctors be aggressive in their treatment. Last month Ralph was feeling so good, despite being in the midst of  Chemo, he and some friends headed out to one of their favorite greasy spoons.  When you are in the best of health these places guarantee indigestion. When Chemo has destroyed much of your resistance to fight infection, greasy spoons guarantee much worse.
Ralph entered the hospital February 22 and he finally came home Thursday. If you are counting, that is twenty-seven days to kill an infection. Cancer didn’t put Ralph on the 8th floor of the University Hospital. Salmonella was the culprit. Regardless of the cause, the 8th floor was a lot closer to heaven than Ralph wanted to be.
At the conclusion of each visit Ralph, Pat, and I would spend time in prayer. These were holy moments. They were also private moments. But I want to share this. At the conclusion of each prayer Ralph would say, “God, thank you for being with Pat and my daughters.” Ralph’s faith reflected a realistic understanding of his own illness and a belief that God would be with his family ………. regardless.  
Hope is holy language. Hope is the affirmation that God will be our God and we will be God’s people. Hope confirms that God will be with us……….. regardless.
It began with a rainbow across the sky announcing to Noah that life was precious. It continued with a promise to Abraham and Sarah that they would be the parents of a nation. It was written down in stone at Sinai and handed to Moses. Each covenant was a fulfilled promise.
But Zedekiah could see no future. In his eyes the promise was about to be destroyed by flames. He feared not only for his life, he feared for his dynasty. In anger he screamed, “Where is God? Why has God left us?”
Jeremiah, knowing his death was also less than a breath away responded, “God did not leave us. We left God.”
If those had been Jeremiah’s final words, they would have secured his place as the ultimate prophet of doom. But Jeremiah had one more word for his desperate King. “The covenant that we broke will no longer be written in stone. Next time God will write it upon their hearts.”
The cynic would say, “What good did that do Zedekiah or Jeremiah? They still died.”  Fortunately the world does not live on cynicism alone.                
One of our great oral historians, Studs Terkel, shares the story of an interview he had with Jessie de la Cruz, a migrant farm worker in Southern California. Studs asked, “What is it that keeps you going?”
Jessie responded, “We have a saying around here, La esperenza maera ultima; Hope dies last. If you lose hope, you have lost everything.”
Realizing all you preacher types will raise your hands because you don’t want to look bad, if any one else has ever heard the name King Zedekiah before today please raise your hand. Now raise your hand if you have previously heard of the Prophet Jeremiah.                You see,Hope Dies Last!
600 years later Jesus was having a conversation with his disciples. Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem for the last time and in the tradition of the Gospel of John where no secrets are kept, Jesus told them what was about to happen. He began with a metaphor. “Unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies it remains a grain of wheat. But should it die, it will bear much fruit.” The disciples looked at him as if they had missed something. Jesus then explained, “If you lose your life for my sake, you will live.”
Again the disciples got a bit perplexed. It always bothered them when Jesus talked about death. Jesus smiled and responded, “Should I plead with God to save me? Nonsense, this is why I came. Who can stand against God? Not the powers of this world. La Esperenza Maera Ultima.”
I’m sure none of the gospels quote Jesus speaking Spanish, but he did speak the language of hope. According to Walter Wink, when Jesus mentioned The Powers he was referring to the structures and institutions of that day. Jesus lived in the midst Roman Empire. By now the Babylonian Empire was a forgotten speed bump along the road of history. While we have heard of the Roman Empire, raise your hand if you can tell me who was Emperor of Rome when Jesus died? It was Tiberius, another forgotten name. But the name of Jesus lives on because, hope dies last.    
Hope drives our faith, hope sustains our faith, and hope revives our faith. Of course one person’s hope is another’s wishful thinking.  Zedekiah was hoping to be saved from death. Jeremiah hoped for the continuing presence of God in God’s people.  The disciples were hoping to make it to their next meal. Jesus was hope personified.
Hope is to live in the present and beyond. Moltmann reminds us, “God’s hidden future announces itself and exerts its influence on the present through the hope it awakens.”
Jeremiah wasn’t thinking of himself. He was already looking for a day when the captives would return to Jerusalem. Jesus wasn’t thinking of himself. He was looking to a day when the captives would return to his empty tomb.
La Esperenza Maera Ultima. New Empires and institutions are born every generation. A new personification of evil seems to raise its ugly head every day. But as Isaiah reminds us, “Like the grass of the field both wither and die. But the Word of our God will stand forever.”
Open your Hymnbooks to page 432 and let’s read together.
May the God of hope go with us every day,
Filling all our lives with love and joy and peace.
May the God of justice speed us on our way,
Bringing light and hope to every land and race,
Praying, let us work for peace, singing share our joy with all.
Working for a world that’s new, faithful when we hear Christ’s call.                         And God’s people say,  Amen.    

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