In-Between Times

One of my favorite, and in many ways formative, movies of all time is the classic, Fiddler on the Roof.  There's a poignant scene near the very end of the movie when all of the Jews in their long-time home village in Russia in the early 1900's have been ordered to leave.  Jews were being purged from the area, and the authorities had just told the Jews that they had to leave within three days.  A group of men were discussing what they should do next...

"After a lifetime, a piece of paper, and get thee out," says one man.

"We should unite with the people of Zolodin. Maybe they have a plan," said another.

"We should defend ourselves.  An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth."

"Very good.  That way the whole world will be blind and toothless."

A young student then looks at the beloved rabbi of their community.  "Rabbi, we've been waiting for the Messiah all our lives.  Wouldn't this be a good time for him to come?"

The rabbi thoughtfully pauses for a moment, looks at the gathering around him, and says, "We'll have to wait for him someplace else.  Meanwhile, let's start packing."

I find the young man's question to be a pressing one in our own day, don't you?  The Islamic State methodically and brutally murders innocent people.  Wouldn't this be a good time for Messiah to come?  Young African-American men have to be taught how to respond when confronted by police, because otherwise they might be arrested, beaten, or shot... and too many get shot anyhow.  Wouldn't this be a good time for Messiah to come?  Two police officers are sitting in their squad car and are heartlessly executed.  Wouldn't this be a good time for Messiah to come?  People are told their jobs are in jeopardy because of financial hardships faced by their company.  Wouldn't this be a good time for Messiah to come?  We look around our homes and our tables at this time of the year, and the pain of not seeing loved ones here with us is heavy.  Wouldn't this be a good time for Messiah to come?

We live in this "in-between" time.  We know that the Messiah has come in Jesus of Nazareth, and thus the reign of God has broken in to our broken world, and yet Jesus taught us to pray "thy kingdom come" because he knew that the fullness and completeness of God's reign is not here yet.  And so as we live in our world...

·      we cry with those who weep while wiping our own tears

·      we comfort those who are afflicted while we bear our own burdens

·      we work for peace and we stand for justice even as we are aware of the violence and injustice we see around us.

We've been waiting all through this Advent season, longing to hear again angelic messengers speaking the promise of peace and goodwill to all.  And while we continue to wait for us and our world to be able to experience that peace in all its splendor and completeness, we hold on to the hope that the reign of God has begun, and we can catch glimpses of light and love and hope in the little things that happen all around us.  And that allows us to keep on waiting... to keep on hoping... to keep on praying... to keep on living in faith and hope, in love and peace.