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"Things are Looking Up!"
Jeremiah 33:14-16 & Luke 21:25-36
December 3, 2006
Rev. Tonya Arnesen

When I was just a child, I loved helping my mother – it made me feel so grown up to be useful. I especially liked pretending I was a waitress – and waiting on my Dad. He would come home after a long day at work, plop down in his easy chair and put up his feet. Then he’d call to me, “Teedle-bug!” (that was his pet name for me) “how about bringing your ole’ Dad a cup of hot tea?”

My mother would put the kettle on, and after the tea was brewed, she’d fill Dad’s favorite cup (about three quarters full), with steaming hot liquid and tell me, “Be careful not to spill, Tonya, or you’ll burn yourself.”

Well, when you’re only 6 years old, that’s not so easy to do. Taking tiny little steps – ever so slowly – I made my way into the family room with Daddy’s tea. I kept my eyes glued to that teacup – and every time I saw the hot liquid begin to splash up the sides, I’d stand still – until it quit sloshing. Two steps forward, stop and wait. . . two steps forward, stop and wait. . . two steps forward, stop and wait – all the way from the kitchen to the family room. Sometimes, it took me so long, that Daddy’s tea was cold by the time I got to him!

Well, my mother knew what the problem was. She had been a waitress back when she was in college – so she taught me a “trick of the trade.” “Tonya, when you’re carrying a cup full of hot liquid, don’t watch the cup, watch where you’re going! Look up!” And you know, my Mom was right. I discovered that when I kept my eyes on that teacup, I spilled hot water all over the place; but when I looked up and looked ahead, the tea remained steady in my hands and my feet carried me toward my goal.

Have children repeat, “Look up!” whenever I say it.

The Advent season is a reminder to “look up.” (look up) Don’t become so absorbed in your daily worries, that you can’t enjoy the gift of life. Don’t focus on all those troubles in a teacup – look up! (look up) Keep your eyes focused on Jesus – who has come to bring hope and peace and love and joy to the world. Do not let your struggles overwhelm you; do not allow your challenges and set-backs loom so large that your lose sight of the Kingdom of God, which is drawing near.

The prophet Jeremiah understood what it means to “look up.” (look up)    His people had a hard life in the land of Babylon – they drank from the bitter cup of slavery. But instead of focusing on their present tribulations, Jeremiah looked beyond their suffering, to a hopeful future. In the midst of doom and the gloom, the prophet anticipated the day when God would fulfill His promise to Israel – God would release them from bondage, restore their fortunes and send His people a Messiah – a priestly king – to rule His people. “I will cause a righteous branch to spring up for David; and he shall execute justice and righteousness in the land.” In spite of current hardships, the prophet reminded Israel they still had reason to hope.

Nelson Mandela might be considered a “modern day” prophet – he’s one of the great moral and political leaders of our time: an international hero whose lifelong dedication to the fight against racial oppression and apartheid in South Africa won him the Nobel Peace Prize and the presidency of his country. During his 27 years in an African prison, Mandela refused to give in to despair. He chose not to focus on his present circumstances, but on a hopeful future. Hear these words from his autobiography, Long Walk to Freedom:

I have found that one can bear the unbearable if one can keep spirits strong even when the body is being tested. Strong convictions are the secret of surviving depravation. Your spirit can be full even when your stomach is empty. I always knew that some day I would once again feel the grass under my feet and walk in the sunshine as a free man. I am fundamentally an optimist. Part of being an optimist is keeping one's head pointed toward the sun, one's feet moving forward.

Nelson Mandela knows what it means to look up (look up)!

In this world of sin – of free will and selfish living – bad things happen – even to good people. Injustice happens, terrorism happens, wars and famine happen, earthquakes and floods happen. Bombs blow up, children die, youth get addicted, and cancer kills. And just because you’re a Christian, doesn’t mean you’ll escape trouble – we experience economic hardship, sadness, disappointment and personal trauma – we get into “hot water” just like everyone else.

But when we’re tempted to focus on those trials and troubles in a teacup, Jesus says, “Stand up! Raise your head and look at the Son! Keep your eyes on me – and keep moving forward to that day when death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more.

Friends, the message of Advent is this: Look up! (look up) for the troubles of this world will never have the last word! Even though bad things happen to good people, God is still in charge. God is behind history. God is embedded in history. God is marching in front of history. God has not forgotten or abandoned this world – God is WITH us – God had entered into the world in the person of Jesus the Christ! So look up (look up) look beyond your troubles in a teacup – and you will see him!

Bishop Andrea DeGroot-Nesdahl tells how the community of Spencer, South Dakota, saw Jesus in the midst of tragic circumstances. In 1998, Spencer was hit by the worst tornado in their history. Six people died; the town was totally destroyed – including St. Matthew's Lutheran Church. The day after that tornado, Bishop DeGroot-Nesdahl accompanied the pastor of St. Matthew's as he walked with his people through the rubble which had once been their hometown.

It was an unbelievable sight. A grain elevator twisted and fallen, a water tower toppled; vehicles and other heavy items were strewn around like toys in a nursery. Entire buildings had been blown off of their foundations. Even those who knew the lay of the town well had trouble finding their way around, now that all the trees and buildings and landmarks were gone. The Bishop and pastor walked through town, trying to greet and comfort people in their distress.

As they neared the place where the church had been, they heard someone call out "there's the statue, there's Jesus!" And sure enough, there it was – a white statue of Jesus that for many years had stood at the altar of St. Matthew’s Lutheran church. His arms outstretched, He stood alone, where the 100 year old church building had once been. The white paint had been blown off, his arms were broken – but Jesus was still there.

The Bishop writes, “It was just so remarkable, so moving and so fitting to look up from the chaos around us and see Jesus, the remains of His arms outstretched, welcoming, and loving his people. Initially we imagined the statue had somehow stood through it all, the wind, the hail, the rain, and the total destruction of the building all around Him. But we later learned that two young girls, helping clean up for a family member in a nearby home, had taken time to come over to where the church had been and set aside a few items of church property that they found scattered in the area. They saw the statue lying in the rubble, and figured everyone in Spencer needed to see that Jesus was still there, so they stood him up for all to see.”

Friends, this Advent season, we hear the ancient call to “look up” and focus on Jesus! He is still here – he is ALWAYS with us! So you and I can carry on with life – even when we’re in “hot water” – for we know that he stands with us, his arms outstretched to offer welcome, comfort and assurance in the midst of trouble.

But just as important, let the church lift up Jesus for the whole world to see! Everyone in this city needs to know that Jesus is still here – so let us lift him up! Let us tell others about Jesus – and the difference he’s made in our lives. Let us witness to the Advent hope that is ours: in Christ Jesus, God is with us – no matter what trouble comes our way.

True hope cannot be bought and wrapped and put under a Christmas tree. Real hope is not found in being popular or well-dressed, in having a large stock portfolio or a fine car. There is no hope to be found in bombs or bullets or 21st-century artillery. No! The world’s only true, and lasting and life-changing, world-transforming hope is Jesus the Christ.

Now, brothers and sisters, do YOU want to see Jesus this Advent season? Then don’t be weighed down by the worries of this world. . . stand up and raise your heads. Instead of focusing on your troubles in a teacup, look to Jesus, who will lead you forward in hope.

“Look up (look up!) for your redemption is drawing near!”

Rev. Tonya Arnesen

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