Elizabeth Edwards & Advent Hope

The heartbreaking news of Elizabeth Edward's death leads us to once again join the Psalmist in crying out to God.

"Is your steadfast love declared in the grave, or your faithfulness in Abaddon? Are your wonders known in the darkness, or your saving help in the land of forgetfulness. But I, O Lord, cry out to you; in the morning my prayer comes before you." - Psalm 88:11-13

I have a wonderful small book that I often take with me for hospital visits. It's a book filled with verses from various Psalms and brief prayers that connect with the themes of those Psalms. There are Psalms of thanksgiving when there has been healing from illness. There are Psalms of guidance and direction when the way doesn't seem clear. There are Psalms of hope when we are sensing despair. There are Psalms for use before a surgery as well as after a surgery. And there are Psalms for times when life support is withdrawn.

The Book of Psalms is the ultimate prayer book in the bible. This June, I'll be preaching a sermon series on how the Psalms can serve as a wonderful prayer guide in our faith journey. The series is called, "Expressions of the Heart."

While the Psalms (and the bible in general) do not address the question, "Why does God allow bad things to happen," at least directly, they do provide a tremendous word of hope in helping us respond to times of sickness, grief, sorrow, and pain. The Book of Job does give us the opportunity to wrestle with the question of why God allows bad things to happen but it never gives us the complete answer to that question.

Even though the bible doesn't give easy answers when facing times of loss and sadness, it does offer us an incredible word of hope which is a word we often hear in this Season of Advent. And the word of hope consists of the following:

1. God created this world and called it good.
2. Even though we sinned and there is brokenness, pain, and death in God' creation, God is on a mission to rescue the world.
3. The life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ was the launching of God's rescue of the world. Jesus' resurrection in the middle of history is the signpost of a future time when all of God's creation will experience complete healing and wholeness by a special act of God's grace. This will be a time when all righteousness will be fulfilled.
4. In the meantime, the Holy Spirit empowers us (specifically the church) to continue to carry forth what God has already begun through Jesus' death and resurrection.

Whenever we cry out with the Psalmists during times of sadness and pain, it's important for us to remember all of the points above but especially #3. While #3 doesn't give us an easy answer as to why bad things happen, it does remind us that there will come a time when everything will be made right.

Unlike some religions/philosophies, Christianity embraces a linear view of history in which we are moving toward a future time when justice, righteousness, and love will one day fill all of God's creation the way it was always meant to be. If we ever doubt this to be true, which many of the Psalmists remind us that it is OK to do since life can be really difficult, it's important to hear from people like Mary who we will hear this Sunday for the 3rd Sunday of Advent.

"My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior...He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, according to the promise he made to our ancestors, to Abraham and to his descendants for ever." - Luke 1:46-47, 54-55

Mary proclaimed these words because she knew that the baby in her womb was going to be the means by which God would fulfill his covenant in reclaiming and rescuing the world. Mary knew that this was a significant part of God's salvation plan for the world to fulfill the covenant that had been made centuries earlier with Abraham and Israel.

The Christian faith offers this tremendous word of hope - A day is coming when sin and death will be defeated once and for all. This is at the heart of our Advent hope. This is the hope we can embrace especially upon hearing the news that a very courageous and faith filled woman has just passed away from cancer.