Zechariah 7-8, Psalm 138, Mark 16
The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me;
thy steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever.
Do not forsake the work of thy hands.
(Psalm 138:8)
Have you ever faced a situation so bad that you instinctively knew that the only consequences for your action would be the anger of the one you offended? Perhaps it is something we did as a child against our parent’s better advice, or as a youth disrespectful of authority, or as an adult in defiance of a spouse or boss. So it was with the chosen people of God. Israel’s misery is addressed by the prophet Zechariah after her destruction and captivity. He delivers the message of God’s wrath which stated, “ ‘As I called, they would not hear, so they called, and I would not hear,’ says the Lord God of hosts, and I scattered them with a whirlwind among all the nations which they had not known…” (Zechariah 7:13-14). But the Good News is that the message does not end there with such doom and gloom.
To our surprise there is a great reversal, and to the remnant there is a promise of hope and restoration. “O house of Judah and house of Israel, so will I save you and you shall be a blessing” (Zechariah 8:13b). Forgiveness and restoration come as a gift of grace, even at the price of reminding us how dire our situation was. The reversal comes because it was so desperately needed. The restoration recalls God’s intended purpose of a responsibility and need to be a people of integrity, honesty, kindness and compassion. To the faithful, to the remnant, there is new life and hope.
The greatest reversal of all time was the resurrection of our Lord. The resurrection overcame the despair of three women stricken by their grief at the tomb, who eventually with the other disciples have their deepest adversity transformed by God’s promise and victory. As we note first, the women were filled with fear and left the tomb in fear. This was not an original happy or joyous ending. Rather an extraordinary beginning started to unfold as God began to lift their sorrow, address their needs, and heal their brokenness. It is the promise that God brings to each and every one of us – in our wounded state and brokenness, that hope never dies and restoration will bring forth new life. This is an important message even now as we have witnessed again through Advent as it prepared us for the celebration of the Holy Incarnation and the breaking in of God’s Light with Christmas. Into the world this Light breaks in to push back the darkness of evil, sin, and disobedience, and rekindles hope, joy, and everlasting life.
__________________________________
The Very Rev. Dr. William L. Stomski,
Chaplain and Sacred Studies Educator, Saint Joseph’s Episcopal School, Boynton Beach
Dean of the Diocesan School for Christian Studies
The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me;
thy steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever.
Do not forsake the work of thy hands.
(Psalm 138:8)
Have you ever faced a situation so bad that you instinctively knew that the only consequences for your action would be the anger of the one you offended? Perhaps it is something we did as a child against our parent’s better advice, or as a youth disrespectful of authority, or as an adult in defiance of a spouse or boss. So it was with the chosen people of God. Israel’s misery is addressed by the prophet Zechariah after her destruction and captivity. He delivers the message of God’s wrath which stated, “ ‘As I called, they would not hear, so they called, and I would not hear,’ says the Lord God of hosts, and I scattered them with a whirlwind among all the nations which they had not known…” (Zechariah 7:13-14). But the Good News is that the message does not end there with such doom and gloom.
To our surprise there is a great reversal, and to the remnant there is a promise of hope and restoration. “O house of Judah and house of Israel, so will I save you and you shall be a blessing” (Zechariah 8:13b). Forgiveness and restoration come as a gift of grace, even at the price of reminding us how dire our situation was. The reversal comes because it was so desperately needed. The restoration recalls God’s intended purpose of a responsibility and need to be a people of integrity, honesty, kindness and compassion. To the faithful, to the remnant, there is new life and hope.
The greatest reversal of all time was the resurrection of our Lord. The resurrection overcame the despair of three women stricken by their grief at the tomb, who eventually with the other disciples have their deepest adversity transformed by God’s promise and victory. As we note first, the women were filled with fear and left the tomb in fear. This was not an original happy or joyous ending. Rather an extraordinary beginning started to unfold as God began to lift their sorrow, address their needs, and heal their brokenness. It is the promise that God brings to each and every one of us – in our wounded state and brokenness, that hope never dies and restoration will bring forth new life. This is an important message even now as we have witnessed again through Advent as it prepared us for the celebration of the Holy Incarnation and the breaking in of God’s Light with Christmas. Into the world this Light breaks in to push back the darkness of evil, sin, and disobedience, and rekindles hope, joy, and everlasting life.
__________________________________
The Very Rev. Dr. William L. Stomski,
Chaplain and Sacred Studies Educator, Saint Joseph’s Episcopal School, Boynton Beach
Dean of the Diocesan School for Christian Studies
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