11/29/20 “Again and Again: Restoring Hope” by Nancy Petty
“Again and Again: Restoring Hope”
Psalm 80:1-7, 1-19
When I was sixteen, I set out to restore a vintage BMW motorcycle that I discovered in a neighbor’s shed and convinced my dad to help me buy. That would be my first, but not my last, lesson in restoration as, over the years, I have set out to restore old watches, old houses and old cars.
The Cambridge Dictionary defines restore this way: to return something or someone to an earlier good condition or position. Webster’s definition reads: to bring back to its former state; to bring back from a state of ruin, decay , disease, or the like; to repair, to renew, to recover. But if we break the word “restore” down, the first part, “re” means “again” or “again and again.” And store, in its verb tense, means “to supply or stock.”
This word study confirms what I learned about restoring things: to restore something or someone to an earlier good condition or positon means a process of doing so again and again and again. Re-storing is an ongoing process that happens over time, again and again with the thing being restored taking on new shapes and forms as restoration occurs. Take for example my 1997 Jeep. It seems that every month there is something that needs restoring on it. Or, on a more personal level, it seems that there is always something needing restoring in my heart…forgiveness, hope, love, joy. A question I have been pondering as I have reflected on Psalm 180 is do we ever restore something to its “former” or “original” state. And is that even the purpose of restoring—to return something to its former state? It is the philosophical question of when something is in its former, original state, and when has it become something different.
Let me illustrate. If you were to take an old house and replace one of the boards on the side of the house is it still the original house? What if you have to replace 10% of the boards, or 50% or 70%? What if you have to replace 100% of the boards used to build the house? Is that considered restoring the house to its former state or have you now built a new house? Now consider this: you have kept all the original boards taken off the house. You rebuild the entire house. Which is the original house?
Psalm 180 highlights the work of restoring as one of the major theological themes throughout the bible and our life of faith. The psalmists cries out, “Restore us, O God; let your face shine upon us all that we may be love.” In Psalm 23, it is there that the palmist proclaims, “He restores my soul.” The prophet Amos declares on God’s behalf: “I will restore the fortunes of my people, and they shall rebuild the ruined cities and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and drink their wine, and they shall make gardens and eat their fruit.” In Paul’s letter to the Corinthians he writes: “For we are glad when we are weak and you are strong. Your restoration is what we pray for.”
Paul seems to be addressing a struggle that folks were having with loving and being nice to one another. In his letter he is calling the Corinthians to make things right, to restore relationships with each other, to examine themselves. He concludes in that letter: “Finally, my friends, rejoice. Aim for restoration, comfort one another, agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you.”
Why is this word about restoring so important on this first Sunday of Advent where the focus is on hope? Because there is so much in our world and in our lives that needs restoring and our hope for a more just and caring future is dependent on restoring, again and again, our relationships individually and communally; and restoring society’s systems that have become broken with rotted wood. Our nation needs to be restored from a state of ruin, decay, and disease. Our inner lives need restoration from a state of fear, worry and despair.
So let’s get one thing clear from the beginning. Restore, in this sense, does not mean to blindly go back to what was. This is not a call to re-create the historical truth of America. The historical truth of America is stolen land and enslaved labor. No, in this case, we aim to restore the idea of America, for despite the insidious shadows of her founding, there was a spark of new consciousness on the planet. Values of democracy, liberty, and freedom of conscience ring of timeless truth, and they are as compelling today as they were in 1776. Restoring America to her ideal requires, however, that we prioritize above all else right relationship with and among her people.
Imagine a restored America that cares first for the common good. To restore our nation and world to a place where God’s face shines upon us all that we may be love will require a greater caring for the poor of our world. Restoration hope will not come in our prayers or our good wishes or good intentions. Restoring this house called America will require re-pouring a foundation that does not rest on the backs and necks of other peoples, but rather one that makes as its cornerstone the very rocks the builder rejected – human dignity, reciprocity and mutual benefit. Restoring America will require rooting out the rotted wood of greed and white privilege, stripping the damaged boards of exceptionalism and the idols of individualism and a paternalistic Christian faith that does not honor or respect other faith traditions. We may have to take her all the way down to the studs! And then, then, we will need to rebuild with wood that has deep visible grains of compassion, respect, courage and integrity. We will need a floor plan that has room for all, not one that maximizes luxurious private suites, but one that celebrates common space and that offers plenty of light to shine for the tired, the poor, the huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the homeless, and the tempest-tossed – that deferred hope that we have been trying to build for 137 years when Emma Lazarus first penned those words.
The restoration America needs will restore sacred land to indigenous peoples. The restoration America needs will supply reparations to the ancestors of slaves on whose backs this country was built. The restoration America needs will restore dignity to poor black, brown and white people who labor for less than a living wage day after day. That is the hope America needs. Not some feel good hope that simply wishes for better days. The restoration that American needs is to offer its blessings and welcome to refugees and immigrates who seek a better life alongside those born in this country. The restoration American needs is celebrating the rich diversity of multi-faiths and the wisdom of those faiths. O God, restore us. Restore, again and again the soul of America. Restore us to that vision you had a the very beginning of creation: that we are all created in your image, that we are all one, that you love each of us equally, and that every person and creature and plant is a part of your beloved commonwealth. Restore us with the hope that cries out: O God, restore us so that your face shines upon us all that we may be love.
The good news is the news that God is a restorer of hope. God wants nothing more than for us to be restored to hope. God longs to shine God’s face on us all that we may be love and hope in the world. God invites us, nudges us, woos us, calls us to the restoration of spirit and soul. Honestly, I’m not sure we can even begin to understand just how deeply God longs to restore God’s people to a life of hope and wellness and beauty. We have relied so long on a hope grounded in America’s exceptionalism that we have forgotten how to look for God’s hope.
My practice this Advent is to try and imagine every day the radiance of God’s shining face when God’s people work to restore the original vision of a common good, of all God’s children living their best lives in wholeness and wonder. I’m going to try each day to imagine America’s house restored and rebuilt housing all of God’s children in warmth, welcome and safety; in rooms big enough for everyone. This is my prayer this Advent season: that I, and we, will be co-restorers with God—restorers of a just hope throughout the world.
