Advent Week 1: Embracing an Active Hope
The Bible passages referencing a second coming of Jesus have always made me uncomfortable. The Pentecostal church I attended as a teenager did not celebrate Advent as a liturgical season, however, we often operated in a perpetual state of expectation that Jesus could arrive at any moment and rapture the “good” Christians. There was lots of anxiety surrounding whether or not I would be amongst those raptured or if I would be amongst the unlucky who are left behind to struggle with a world even more marred by violence and destruction than it currently was.
However, these passages make me even more uncomfortable in light of the genocide occurring in Gaza. Even though I no longer ascribe to a belief of a rapture, or a literal second coming of Jesus that looks like the scenes of an apocalyptic movie, the reality is that too many Christian Zionists have used verses that depict Jesus returning, as an excuse to justify their uncritical support of Israeli government violence. And let’s be clear, this support is rooted in antisemitism.
The reason Christian Zionists support the government of Israel is because they believe that for Jesus to return, the Jewish people “need to be restored to their homeland.” But make no mistake, once Jesus returns, Israel (as well as most of the nations in the world) will eventually be destroyed with the majority of citizens being condemned to an eternity of pain and suffering, unless they repent and accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. Christian Zionists do not care about ending antisemitism, their whole theology is based on the eventual destruction of the Jewish people. However, until that time, they will uncritically support the Israeli government.
To be sure, there are other ways of interpreting the Second Coming of Jesus and passages like Mark 13:24-37, in ways that do not justify genocide and ethnic cleansing, both of the current Palestinian population and of the imagined future Jewish-only population that Christian Zionists believe will meet a horrendously violent fate. However, these interpretations can be problematic in different ways.
I understand that a core part of advent is hope, which often entails a long period of waiting and expectation. But here’s the reality: how we wait absolutely matters. Christian Zionists are not passively waiting for world events to align to their understanding of the end times: but they are actively creating the political circumstances that they believe will aid in Jesus’ second coming. This is why, so many Christian Zionists remain unmoved by the death of thousands of Palestinian children and even advocate for more monetary and military support to aid the Israeli government in their violence. They view their actions as theologically and morally necessary.
Too many Mainline US Christians, preach a hope that is quiet and still. And don’t get me wrong, there are times and situations where that type of hope is necessary. This isn’t one of those times. Right now we need hope that is loud, in your face, and active. We need a hope that sees genocide happening in real-time and says, “Absolutely not. We are not allowing this to happen on our watch.” We need a hope that sees the horrific violence going on, acknowledges its reality, but refuses to allow despair to lead to inaction.
Mainline Christians, now is the time to raise your voices about what is happening in Palestine and say enough is enough. We need an end to the destruction. We need an end to the deaths. Obviously, US Christians have a long history of antisemitism that needs to be explored and condemned. Antisemitism is never justifiable. And US Mainline Christians can condemn antisemitism, while also advocating for the thousands of Palestinians who are being injured and killed daily.
There are some very real and concrete actions Mainline Christians can take during this time of Advent to advocate for the Palestinian people. First, educate your people. Many Mainline Christian Churches think that just because they do not mention Christian Zionism, their congregation is not impacted by it. But that’s not necessarily true. Not talking about an issue, doesn’t mean that your congregation hasn’t been exposed to it, it simply means that they have been seeking their information, for good or bad, elsewhere. Let them know the dangers and the antisemitism inherent in Christian Zionism. Expose them to Palestinian theologians. Disrupt the racist narrative that says that Palestinian means Hamas sympathizer.
Contact your Representatives and continue to pressure them to advocate for a ceasefire. To see whether or not your representatives have supported a cease-fire see Win Without War’s list of representatives.
Participate in Marches and protests advocating for a ceasefire. Make sure, if you decide to join one that you know who is organizing the march/protest. If possible, contact the leadership and see what set rules and guidelines they have.
Not everyone has a protest near them or can join one for whatever reason. Other ways to help include writing to the editors of local and national newspapers. While anyone can and should write to their editors, just a reminder, that pastors your words do carry weight for better or worse. What you say or fail to say does matter. So if you choose to write to your editors, weigh your words carefully.
Donate to organizations providing direct care and/or those seeking to dismantle the structures that keep apartheid in place. Some organizations to consider include Doctors Without Borders, Anera, and Community Peacemaker Teams. Moreover, some denominations have their own resources and organizations that are accepting donations, so check with your denominational body.
During this time of Advent, Christians must embrace active hope. We should not passively wait for Jesus to return and save us, but instead, trust that God is working with us and through us to create a more just and equitable world. Now, more than ever, we need to act.
Image: Blue night sky with stars and a golden dove. Text: We need hope that is loud, in your face, and active.