"Why There is Hope" – Isaiah 11:1-10 – December 5, 2004

Recently I noticed that the movie, Karate Kid, was on television. It’s been a long time since I have seen the movie, but I remember that Daniel, the Karate Kid, was bullied and beat up by a Karate club. They used Karate as a tool to destroy their opponents. On the other hand, Daniel, (played by Ralph Macchio), was trained to use harmony, patience, trust and wisdom to defeat those whom he competed with. Mr. Miyagi, (played by Pat Morita), was Daniel’s teacher, who taught him that these attributes would prevail over force and brutality.

I believe that there are many people in society, especially the poor and disenfranchised, who feel powerless. They may experience injustice in their lives and feel that life is not fair. They may lack the resources to compete, which inhibits their ability to succeed or improve their lives. If any of you have ever been an underdog or underprivileged in some way, you know how hopeless it feels when you have no one to represent you.

It was the disenfranchised folks that Isaiah the prophet was speaking to. He saw the world suffering. The poor were judged unfairly and those in power had the upper hand. There were greedy predators, oppressing the masses and praying on the most vulnerable. Isaiah was called to give them hope, promising them better times for the future, a time of peace and harmony. There would come a time when justice and righteousness would prevail.

This transformation would happen because God would intervene and provide new leadership in their midst. "A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots." This was a metaphor for the emergence of a worthy ruler who would be an advocate for the oppressed and a representative of Yahweh.

Like the Karate Kid, the new leader would use harmony, patience, trust and wisdom to lead, not force or power. Instead of wearing a brown belt or a black belt as a symbol of dominance or strength, the new leader would have "righteousness as a belt around his waist and faithfulness as a belt around his loins."

In other words, there is hope. There is hope for those who feel powerless. There is hope for those who want peace in their lives and in the world. There is hope that someone actually cares about you. The hope Isaiah promises is in those who "fear the Lord."

The most difficult challenge for the Karate Kid to learn was patience. Mr. Miyagi had him painting a fence, making him stroke back and forth, again and again. Daniel became impatient and couldn’t see any connection between stroking the paintbrush and being skilled in Karate. But, he was learning patience, a key virtue in being able to overcome any opponent.

This coming week Lin and I are going to Germany. We will be fly to Frankfurt then take a cruise of the River Rhine. We registered for the trip last May. It has involved a lot of planning. For example; we had to acquire passports. The process takes about two months. After patiently waiting for seven weeks they finally came. Now we can officially travel overseas. With our passports in hand we will be able to board our overseas flight and be free to sight see in Germany not to mention Holland and Belgium. It’s hard to believe the trip of a lifetime is here. Believe me, it has required much patience. Realizing the hope of God requires patience. Peace does not happen over night, it takes time.

Just recently we received our airline tickets. We were beginning to worry since the time of our departure was getting close. Some friends of ours who had made a similar trip last year told us they wouldn’t arrive until a few weeks before the time of our trip. We trusted them, not only because they had "been there" but because we value their word.

Daniel had to trust in Mr. Miyagi although some of the things he was told made no sense. What did standing perfectly calm on one leg on a pole have to do with Karate? Once again, Daniel had to learn an important lesson, the lesson of trust.

Isaiah wants his listeners to trust in God. Those who fear the Lord trust that God will provide and that God is fully capable of bringing peace and hope. But when things go wrong or don’t happen on our time schedule we become fearful and fail to trust in God and God’s agents.

The Christmas season is one of the most stressful seasons of the year. There are gifts to buy, places to go, food to prepare, decorations to put up and people to tolerate. It gets a little crazy sometimes and we wonder if we will be ready for the big day. I believe we could all use some peace and quiet. But, finding that balance and harmony in our lives is a huge task. How can we find that peace that Isaiah proclaims?

Daniel had to learn that everything he did was connected. His life had to be in perfect balance. It meant that his physical strength, his emotions, his attitude and his spirit had to be one. This is difficult for us to achieve because we don’t always see the connection between the various segments of our lives. Perhaps the following story will help to explain.

At St. Mary’s Catholic Church on the coast of Maine they have a tradition of ringing an old, heavy, cast iron bell in the steeple on Christmas Eve. Since 1809 the "Blessing Bell" as they call it, has been rung to bless the fishermen and families along the coast. This year it was Patrick’s turn to ring the bell. He is one of the altar boys in the parish. The honor of ringing the bell goes to the oldest altar boy under twelve.

Patrick has a twin brother named James. But he was born fourteen minutes later than Patrick, so he would never get to ring the bell unless, God forbid, something happened to his brother. The tradition in their family went back several generations. The boys’ grandfather, father and older brother all had the honor of ringing the Blessing Bell on Christmas Eve. Because of the tradition, James would be left out. Talk about powerlessness.

Patrick was really excited about ringing the bell. So much so, he couldn’t sleep. He couldn’t wait to pull the rope twelve times, the traditional number of pulls. But, two days before Christmas Patrick woke up with a fever. The family doctor told his parents he was too sick to ring the bell. He imagined holding onto the rope, grasping it tightly and tugging it with all his strength. It was a lifelong dream. But, he had pneumonia and would need all his energy to get well.

James came into his brother’s room and Patrick told him that he would have to ring the bell. He gave him instructions about ringing the Blessing Bell and reminded him of how sacred it was. He said, "I will be with you in spirit." Father Callahan came in and prayed with him. Patrick was devastated. He was looking forward to ringing the bell on Christmas Eve. James left the room but he overheard Patrick tell Father Callahan, "Father, please bless my brother and help me be with him in spirit." Father Callahan gave the blessing.

Christmas Eve came and it was just about time for the bell to be rung. Patrick could see the church steeple from his bedroom window. As he lay in his bed he pictured himself ringing the bell. He knew his brother James would ring the bell well, but he couldn’t hold back the tears.

Suddenly he heard a commotion outside his bedroom door in the stairway. James burst in along with some other boys from the church. In his hand he had a rope with a knot on it. It looked like the bell rope. It appeared like they were dragging a fire hose through a burning building. But, it was just a rope with knots every few feet. James gave the end of the rope to his brother and told him to pull. Patrick thought it was some sort of cruel joke. "The ropes too long," he protested. "It is too heavy to ring the bell from such a great distance."

James told his brother to look out the window. All the way from the church to his bedroom was a long line of people; friends, neighbors, church folks and all the altar boys. Father Callahan was standing on the church steps waving his arms. That was the signal to pull the rope. It was midnight. "Hurry!" James said to Patrick. "Pull the rope so the bell will ring." Patrick gave the rope a tug but nothing happened. Patrick stared out the window wondering why the bell didn’t ring. Then he noticed a ripple of movement through the chain of people stretched across the road. It went from one person to the next, and then the next and the next. It was like a slow burning fuse. Finally the sound of he bell could be heard.

Twelve times James told Patrick to tug the rope and twelve times there was a ripple of movement through the chain of people and twelve times the bell rang. It’s hard to say who was blessed the most that Christmas Eve. Fortunately Patrick’s fever broke that night and the next day he was able to be at the dinner table with his family on Christmas. Thirty years later, Patrick’s son was the one to ring the Blessing Bell. Two years after that, it was James’s daughter. The tradition lived on and the village continued to be blessed. (from A Christmas Dozen, by Steve Burt)

When we are connected we can expect a blessing. When we all work together and share in the work of the Lord, peace will come. We don’t have to know Karate to live in peace. We do, however need to trust in the power of God.

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