Advent Lutheran Church

"God the Real Promise Keeper (Advent I midweek)"

            Grace and peace to you from God the Creator and the Lord Jesus.  Amen.

            “The days are surely coming when I will fulfill the promise … .” 

Promises, promises, promises – it may well be that a promise is most welcome when it comes at a time of great need, when we most need to hang onto some hope.

            Such as: “I’ll never forget you, no matter what.”  Or, “I’ll pay you back just as soon as I cash my check, I promise.”  Or, “Believe me, I won’t let you down; I’ll be there on time.” 

            Since promises are the adhesive of human relationships, the promises we make to each other are consistently important.  The problem is, we’re not very consistent in our attitudes about keeping the promises we make.  A couple of anonymous, non-Biblical proverbs illustrate the differences in those attitudes.  A casual attitude about promises is reflected in this one: “There is nothing lighter than a promise.”  A deadly serious attitude is expressed by this proverb: “A promise made is a debt unpaid.” 

            But whether we’re casual or deadly serious about the promises we make, it’s true that, despite our best intentions, we’re often simply flawed keepers of our promises. 

            In Tennessee Williams’ play, “A Streetcar Named Desire,” there are two figures – Mitch and Blanche – who are, in their own ways, very tragic characters.  Mitch is grossly overweight; he’s embarrassed by the fact that he perspires heavily; he simply can’t seem to connect with women; he’s desperately lonely.  Blanche is a fragile, neurotic soul who also is almost frantically lonely.  In their mutual vulnerability and need, they find each other, and Blanche is at last able to confide her tragic life to Mitch.

            Mitch listens, and then takes Blanche into his arms and blurts out: “You need somebody, and I need somebody, too.  Could it be you and me, Blanche?”  Blanche seems startled by the idea, then she surrenders to his embrace.  Tears fill her eyes, and she says, “Sometimes there’s God, so quickly.”

            It’s quite a romantic vignette, isn’t it?  It would be wonderful to be able to say that they get together, they stay together and they live happily ever after.  But that’s not the way the story goes.  There’s conflict, they decide to part company; it turns out that they are not the happy ending to each other’s story.  But for that brief moment, in their shared need, they find each other and are for each other a beacon of hope and promise.  The beacon just can’t last very long.

            It was at the point of greatest need that God spoke to God’s people.  Israel was in trouble; it was about to be overrun by an invading army.  The future would be one of humiliation, of weakness and subjugation.  And it’s into that context that God speaks a word of hope, of promise: “The days are sure coming when I will fulfill the promise … .”  And God is no flawed keeper of promises; in time, Israel is indeed restored.

            It seems that it’s in the places of weakness and longing in our own lives that God speaks words of promise.  He doesn’t seem to speak to those parts of us that want to swagger through life, proud of our self-sufficiency.  Instead, God seems to speak into the broken places, places that confirm that we cannot make it on our own; he speaks when we manage to get over ourselves long enough to notice the needs of the people around us and take steps to actually meet those needs.  It’s into those times of vulnerability that God speaks words of promise and hope.

            What are those places in your life, the places that need to hear a word from the Lord?  As you identify those places to yourself, take heart: It won’t be long before God speaks again.  On a dark night in the little town of Bethlehem, God will speak another Word, one that will lift up the lonely and fill the hungry with good things.

            Good news: It’s Advent, time to live hungry, time to live ready.  Amen.