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3rd Advent 12/12/21—Highland—Meute
“Hints of Hope” Advent Series: “God Will Renew You”
Zephaniah 3: 14-20: Luke 3: 7-18
Pearl: We are renewed as we bear fruits worthy of repentance.
Function: To encourage listeners to find hope through the love of God which impels us by compassion and empathy to bear fruits which emerge from that tender, empathetic heart that God gives to us.
One of the most powerful metaphors for God that most of us naturally use, is that of a good parent.
- This comes to mind when you read the prophet Zephaniah and such wonderful words of hope that were in today’s scripture reading. But just before those wonderful sentiments were words of a very stern nature. You may call them judgmental.
- With that in mind good parents can be stern with their children but usually from a loving place.
- Healthy sternness comes from a place of wanting good and wanting the best for the children placed in your care.
- Children can be frightened by our adult, parental anger but most come to learn that beneath it is a fun-loving, warm and well-meaning foundation of goodness that has their best interests in mind.
- This is how we can understand God’s dealings with his people from the scriptural record to today.
- Any sternness and judgement from God comes always from a place of deep well-meaning which has our best in mind and in heart.
- With God it is the best and healthiest kind of sternness and judgment.
- God’s people were in a low place as a nation. They were in exile, driven from their homeland, and there were few hints of hope.
- Then came this word of the Lord through Zephaniah which said, “The Lord, your God, is in your midst, a warrior who gives victory; he will rejoice over you with gladness, he will renew you in his love” (Zeph. 3:17).
- How does God who loves us renew us? Hope comes through renewal. God renews us in his love. But how does God do this in us?
We come alive by acting from compassionate, empathic hearts.
Prophets, in particular Elijah, and John the Baptist who was believed to be a new-Elijah that would uniquely prepare the way and be a literal precursor to the appearance of the Messiah, and including the prophet/Messiah Jesus himself, all taught and proclaimed a message of turning from self and turning toward others. In fact, this is the “repentance” which John preached.
- Throughout scripture and through every biblical prophet comes this portrayal of God and God wanting his people to be concerned for others, especially the lame and the outcast, for example.
- We read in Zephaniah, “And I [God] will save the lame and gather the outcast…” (Zeph. 3:19b).
- Not only does God want his people to have their eyes on others but especially on those others who live in more fragile circumstances.
- Not only to have eyes on them but to act on their behalf from a place of compassion and empathy.
- A story was posted on a page I follow called “Sad Jesus.”
- A woman and her companion were eating at a restaurant. She noticed that a homeless woman came into the restaurant and she was going from table to table asking if anyone had any leftovers that they would share with her, because she was hungry.
- Sadly, no one was sharing anything with her. They even treated her with disdain and seemed aggravated at the intrusion.
- The watching woman determined that she would certainly share some food with her when she came to her table. She even left a bit on her plate to share with her. When she was ready to go and to give the lady her leftovers she looked around and did not see her. So she was about to throw one chicken finger and some French fries away when she heard a soft voice and felt a tap on her shoulder.
- It was the woman. She was glad to give her what she saved. But then she felt like it wasn’t much at all so she purchased another entire meal and brought it to the woman.
- As she gave it to her the two women embraced with tears. It was a long embrace and they could feel each other’s humanity as they hugged.
- The feelings she felt as she noticed, and gave, and embraced were the feelings of coming alive through acting from a place of compassion and empathy.
- In fact, what happened for this homeless woman was fulfilled what was written in the prophet Zephaniah: “…I will change their shame into praise and renown in all the earth” (Zeph. 3:19b).
- A story was posted on a page I follow called “Sad Jesus.”
Come alive and be renewed by acting from your empathic, compassionate heart.
We find hope and literally come alive not by claiming the heritage of Abraham as our ancestor but by exercising a compassionate, empathic heart toward others and toward creation.
- When John the Baptist used that harsh expression, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?” he was speaking to the leaders of the religious establishment the Pharisees and the Sadducees (Matthew only).
- And he proceeded by criticizing their typical claim “We have Abraham as our ancestor,” which is similar to claiming the myth that our nation is Christian or the glory of our church’s long history. John said, no, no, no! “Even now the ax is lying at the root of the trees: every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire” (Luke 3:9).
- John, prophetically and powerfully preached, “Bear fruits worthy of repentance” (Luke 3:8).
- That is how we will come alive. We will come alive by exercising compassionate hearts toward others and to all creation.
Well, the crowds heard John’s message of “Bear fruits worthy of repentance” and collectively begged, “What should we do?”
- John then proceeded to describe the bearing of fruits that are indicative, of changed, compassionate, empathetic hearts which will go on to spread hope.
- Sean Patel demonstrated this very heart during the Christmas holiday last year in Kodak, Tennessee. In fact he received the renown Zephaniah wrote about from Readers Digest, being designated as one of the “nicest places in America.”
- A significant snow and ice storm hit his region of Eastern Tennessee. It hit on Christmas Day and most homes in the area lost power due to downed trees and power lines from the thick ice which fixed itself to everything. One couple hung in there as long as they could but couldn’t stand the cold any more so they took up residence in their truck.
- As the hours drug on they began to look for other options. They noticed a post on Facebook from the local owner of the Quality Inn, Sean Patel, which said, “Hello Neighbors! If you are affected by the power outages, please call us at Quality Inn in Kodak, right off Exit 4. We will take care of you. We are not charging the usual holiday or weekend rates. We have had a few cancellations and have allocated those rooms to help out.”
- The significance of his invitation was powerful. There are many hotels in this area due to the fact that the region attracts a lot of tourists. It is near the Great Smoky Mountains State Park. So most of the hotels in the region have a “no locals” policy. In this emergency, still, none of the hotels were lifting that restriction. “No rooms at the Inns!”
- But Sean at the Quality Inn was inviting his local neighbors in their time of need. And he even dropped the nightly rate to as low as the corporation would allow: $25 per night.
- As families arrived they were completely overwhelmed with their welcome. It was warm; it was clean; there was food; and they had beds on which to sleep.
- Folks hung out together and enjoyed each other’s company. The Christmas spirit was alive and well in Sean’s hotel.
- Sean emigrated from India. He was born a Hindu but attended a Christian school. And he believed in the concept of karma, a spiritual principle held by Hindus and Buddhists that those who do good to others will receive good in return.
- “Bear fruits worthy of repentance” is pretty much the same thing. Or “give, and it will be given to you” (Luke 6:38).
- Others saw his Facebook post and made their way to Sean’s hotel. One woman said, “We felt safe the minute we walked in; they rolled out the red carpet.” They could stay for as long as they needed, staff told them. When she and her husband went downstairs for breakfast the next morning they found a smiling, bespectacled man offering them hot coffee. It was Sean.
- Harold Hines lives in an extended-stay residence Patel owns, just behind the Quality Inn. Hines landed there four years earlier after losing his business. When he was down and out, says Hines, Patel welcomed his family with open arms.
- You will never go hungry even if you don’t have food,” says Hines. “Sean has made this a home.”
- Sean’s friend Steve Smith says, “I frequently ask him to dial it back a bit because he spends so much of his own money and energy to help others. But he has such a big heart, I know he will only give more.”
- Steve nominated Sean Patel and his Quality Inn as the “Nicest Place in America.”
- Harold Hines lives in an extended-stay residence Patel owns, just behind the Quality Inn. Hines landed there four years earlier after losing his business. When he was down and out, says Hines, Patel welcomed his family with open arms.
- Sean Patel demonstrated this very heart during the Christmas holiday last year in Kodak, Tennessee. In fact he received the renown Zephaniah wrote about from Readers Digest, being designated as one of the “nicest places in America.”
- Sean and his wonderful staff, and all individuals and all churches and all communities and all people who have compassionate and empathic hearts produce hint after hint of hope for this world.
- God will renew us in his love as we bear fruits indicative that we perceive the gifts of God to us and to the world.
We will be renewed and we will come alive, as will all creation, as we act on behalf of others, especially as we act on behalf of the neediest among us, from places of compassion and empathy.
Hope will spread!
