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I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth; do you not perceive it? (Isaiah 43:19).
What does it mean to wait with hope? The upcoming months will be filled with great hope. We have the hope of Advent, the promise of Christmas and the excitement of a new year and all the possibilities it offers. We also have the Lenten journey that guides us toward continued hope in the risen Christ at Easter. But we shouldn’t focus on a specific date, as if we’re expecting something to happen at a certain time. Instead we wait for something more meaningful, more profound. We hope for a deeper awareness of God’s presence among us.
I want to return to that first place of hope: the birth of Jesus in Judea, a place I had the privilege of visiting two years ago as part of a pilgrimage to the Holy Land with the Metropolitan Chicago and Florida-Bahamas synods.
This trip navigated through much of the Gospels, from Bethlehem to Nazareth, from Capernaum to Jerusalem, among others. Throughout the journey, I wondered what Peter had felt when Jesus said, “Come, follow me.” I tried to imagine Paul’s emotions along the road to Damascus as he heard Jesus’ call to a new life, not as a prosecutor but as an apostle. Now, as I look back at that time, I hope and pray for a lasting peace for the people of the Holy Land, Palestinian and Israeli alike, as they embark on their own journey through an uncertain future.
That’s where we find ourselves today and always. God continually reminds us that tomorrow is not for us to know about until it unfolds before us. The journey I am talking about is not from Advent to Christmas or from Epiphany to Lent. Instead it’s the journey we have been called upon to take together. If you had asked me six months ago whether I would be writing to you today as your presiding bishop, I would have said it is not for me to decide but God’s will.
In Isaiah, we read, “I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth; do you not perceive it?” (43:19). This new thing isn’t a new beginning—not for a church that has been around for nearly 40 years, for a faith tradition more than 500 years old, defined by the life and teachings of Jesus Christ, who was born in a manger more than two thousand years ago. Instead it’s a chance to remind ourselves that we are one church, connected in the call to share the “good news of great joy” with all the people.
We are a church dedicated to the work of justice and peace, hope and renewal, love and grace. And right there, that word comes forth, tied to everything else: hope. We hope for greater justice in this world and peace for all humanity. We hope for renewal in God’s salvation; we hope to love and be loved. In other words, hope is not a novel idea born out of wishes but a constant relearning of the grace and mercy God has given us, time after time after time.
In the coming months, I look forward to affirming this hope, both in myself and in you. I pray we can continue to be a church that listens deeply, loves generously and serves our neighbor with justice. I am excited to connect with you through Living Lutheran, in new videos we share online, in resources shared with your congregations and synods, and in person.
May this time of waiting be one of awakening. May we perceive the new thing God is doing, all over again. And may we walk together, rooted in hope, reaching toward what God is unfolding.
A message from the ELCA presiding bishop. His email address is bishop@elca.org.
