"A Glimpse of Hope" - Jeremiah 31:17-14 - January 4, l998

When you read the newspaper the front page is normally filled with bad news. There are articles from all over the world about tragedies, crime and sorrow. When I read last Wednesday’s Dayton Daily News I was somewhat amazed at two articles. One had to do with the reduction of the homicide rate. Dayton had a 22% reduction in homicides in l997 which reflects a national trend. The other article really captured my attention. It was about the "good news" in Africa. Africa? Could it be the same country that has been suffering from war, drought, famine and poverty for decades? Although there are still problems in Africa almost half of the nations have realized improved economic conditions. People are developing systems for safe drinking water. There are good fruit crops. The infant mortality rate is decreasing. And, only l% of the population are refugees.

What these two articles said to me that there is still a glimmer of hope for the human race. While so many preach gloom and doom, there are signs of hope in two critical areas that society routinely refers to when summarizing the condition of the human race. In the midst of a world that is still having conflict in the mid-east, suffering from financial collapse in the far east and struggling with El Nino in South America, there comes a glimpse of hope.

This is exactly what the prophet Jeremiah was doing in our lesson today. In the midst of the worst of times, he gives the Israelites a glimpse of hope from God. They are wandering aimlessly, unorganized, lacking in resources and vision. In the past he has berated them for their sins and preached constantly about divine judgment. Now he focuses on new abundance in agriculture, a time when poverty is clearly over. Grain and flocks are flourishing and wine and oil are flowing. He states, "I will turn their mourning into joy, I will comfort them, and give them gladness for sorrow." (verse 13b) God is presented as a shepherd who is gathering the scattered flock. In spite of their plight God continues to hold them firmly in the grasp of divine grace.

It has been my experience when people seek me for counseling they are not seeking advice or wanting me to fix their problems. They are in search of a glimmer of hope, some thread of light, a bit of sunshine in their world of darkness. That does not mean I can comfort them with some Pollyanna statement that everything will be okay. Everything is not okay and the last thing people need is someone that discounts their despair. They need to be heard and go away with a glimpse of hope.

What Jeremiah did for the Israelites that they couldn’t do for themselves is help them to see the big picture. Jeremiah could see beyond the wrath of God to a time of divine grace. When folks are overwhelmed and desperate they have tunnel vision and clouds of pain and sadness hinder their ability to witness a piece of the kingdom in their midst. Just when it seems that every thing is going down the tubes, God breaks through and delivers a message of consolation.

I recently had my Christmas pictures developed. I really enjoyed the snapshots of my grandchildren and other candid shots of the family. While I was cleaning out my drawers over Christmas I found a panoramic picture of the Chesapeake Bay. I became aware of the contrast between a snapshot of a family event as opposed to a scene that covers many miles. The reason people are without hope is that they see their lives through snapshots and not panoramic views. There is a much bigger picture of which we are not in control. When we are able to see the big picture we are in touch with the grace of God on a much larger scale.

I have been trying for weeks to obtain a title to my daughter’s car form a bank in Columbus. The title is missing and I cannot sign it over until I receive it. Each time I call I get a different person and time was running out since the license expired December 31st. I had no choice but to go to the Bureau of Motor Vehicles. I was sure that I would have to pay for a full year even though I was in the process of transferring the car to my daughter. I didn’t want her to have to turn around and pay for a whole year too. The clerk said that without the title there was nothing I could do, unless… My eye brows raised and I wondered where this was going. She told me that I could use my wife’s birthday, which was in August, instead of mine, which is in December. To make a long story short, I saved about 20% of the fee. I had received a glimmer of hope from the government.

For the year l998 their is a definite spirit of optimism. The economy is still strong and growing. The unemployment rate is the lowest in decades. There are encouraging trends in the reduction of violent crimes. It’s almost too good to be true. I was talking to a good friend recently who works for the government. He said, "It’s scary, you wonder when the bottom will drop out." Perhaps it is scary, but there is a bigger picture then what we know and God is doing just like Jeremiah preached, restoring the earth to a time of peace and abundance.

Just because we have hope does not mean we can "eat, drink and be merry." Hope is only realized as hope when we stay connected to God. Note that while God is promising abundance and harmony, God wants to be acknowledged for what is taking place. There is a human tendency to take credit for our "good fortune", priding ourselves on our good works, dynamic programs and charismatic leadership. We can celebrate our abundance and joy as long as we give praise to the creator who is ultimately responsible.

One of my goals every year is to pray that the church is financially solvent for the year to come. In other words it is always my hope that we end up in the black. On Wednesday, December 31st, we were still about $150 short of meeting our budget. Later in the morning a member of the church came it and handed me a check for e exactly that amount. It just so happens that he was immensely filled with hope because of how God was working miracles in the life of his family. God’s hope comes through when we least expect it.

For whatever reason God is offering us a glimpse of hope in the a moment in antiquity. Will it last? No one knows. Why now? No one knows that either. Our task is to recognize the glimmers of hope that are around us and give praise to their source, the almighty and loving God.

Dr. Keith Wagner, St. Paul's United Church of Christ, Sidney, Ohio