Pastor Hector Garfias-Toledo + December 22, 2024
Fourth Sunday of Advent
Words for the Beginning: Hope is Worth the Risk
Hope is not a passive wish but an active force that propels us into God's presence, even when the path feels uncertain. Pastor Hector explores the risks Joseph faced in embracing his call and how his radical act of faithfulness mirrors our call to embody hope in a fractured world. He reminds us that true hope challenges resignation and cynicism, compelling us to take bold steps of love and justice. As Mary and Joseph became bearers of hope, so too are we called to risk everything for the transformative power of God’s love.
Sermon Transcript
From automatically generated captions, and lightly edited for readability by AI chatbots
Grace to you and peace from Abba, Father, Mother, Creator, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who is our Savior, our sibling, and our friend. And the people of God said: Amen.
Well, the story I shared with our young worshippers basically encapsulates the whole story of this last Sunday in Advent. For the past few Sundays, we have been talking about how we are called to be blessings to others as we have been blessed by God in Jesus. We have been reminded that, as a community of faith, we cannot go alone. We need to walk together, and if we want to go far, we need to go as a community—as the body of Christ—supporting, encouraging, and holding each other accountable to the call God has given us in Jesus.
Last Sunday, we talked about the call we have to do the good that is in each one of us to do. Today, we come to the conclusion of this series of "Words for the Beginning," where we have been talking about this journey of Advent—the manifestation, the way God decides to come and be one of us.
Now let me ask you this: Have you ever been... how have you embodied hope in uncertain times? As we were talking with our young worshippers, how have you embodied hope in uncertain times? Take a moment. Think, and take a moment to turn to someone you do not know and share a little bit about how you embody hope in uncertain times in your life. Just for a moment—be bold, take risks, and be hopeful. Don’t be like those birds that were just hanging there.
All right, my dear siblings—risk-takers and hope-bearers—anyone who would like to share a word about what you heard in your little conversation? You can continue after the service when you go to drink coffee. Say it again. Say it loud so I can hear. Anything that you heard—how do you embody hope?
[Congregation responses]
Yes, there are many ways that, in our journey, we embody hope. As I said earlier, sometimes it’s not easy because, in order for us to embody hope, it also demands and requires us to take risks. Hope, as I have said before, is a force—it’s not just a feeling or wishful thinking about things getting better. It is not simply idealized optimism. It feels risky.
Hope, as a force, propels us toward God’s presence and how we experience that presence in our lives. Embracing hope, I believe, is a high call for us as disciples. I know that, in many cases—going back to what Sandy and Bishop were saying—it is easy for us to find refuge in resignation and cynicism. When we think and see that everything around us is going poorly, we prefer not to do anything. We remain immovable. But hope can feel scary and extremely risky.
How do we face the difficult dance between hope and risk? How do we open ourselves to all opportunities and possibilities in our daily lives, as individuals and as a community of faith? How do we ensure safety and the faithful stewardship of the resources and relationships entrusted to us while still living out faithfulness?
People like me—and maybe many of you—calculate risk, especially those of you with more technical minds. We are always thinking, “If I do this, there is a reaction to this,” so we better prepare for what is going to happen. This can prevent us from making quick decisions or taking risks because we are always managing and analyzing all possible scenarios.
I have shared with you in the past that when Jade and I were students in Texas, there was a point where I had to make a decision. I was calculating all the possible scenarios, risks, and outcomes. We had only one year left to decide whether we would stay together or part ways—she would go back to Taiwan or somewhere else, and I would go back to Mexico. She came to me and said, “Are we going to marry or not?”
Perhaps Joseph was more like me—calculating all the possible scenarios. He had to make a very difficult decision because there were many implications for him and Mary. The question, as our young worshipper said, is: What is worth the risk? To really go with the person who is betrothed to me, even when she has shared with me that she’s going to have a baby from the Holy Spirit?
You and I are living in this current environment where anger, divisions, and wars are raging. It seems like every Sunday when I come here to share the Word with you, we need to be ready for another war. I think there is no room for cynicism anymore. At this point, you and I are called to be hope-bearers. Today’s passage, I believe, witnesses to the power of the gift of hope and the call to be bearers of hope that points to the incarnate love of God—life made new, reflecting God’s intent for renewal, restoration, and wholeness in this community, congregation, nation, and world.
The Holden Evening Prayer service we have been singing during midweek Advent services has been a tremendous inspiration for me. The words of the Magnificat and the way the lyrics unfold speak to how hope can be embodied in our lives. The lyrics say something like this:
“Out of distress, God’s people cried out for help, love, and justice. They wanted the power of an army, thinking it could ease their pain, but God, wiser than all, heard their cry and sent a child. An angel told young Mary, ‘A child is to come for hope, love, and justice—a revolution in your womb.’”
God chooses to enter through human frailty and failure. A child named Jesus becomes a challenge for the entire world, and Mary and Joseph become bearers of hope. This revolution in her womb transformed their hearts and minds—and transforms ours as well.
The story begins with the wonder of risk and impossibility, revealing God’s divine compassion. Joseph’s embrace of his call, against societal expectations, is a radical act propelled by the gift of hope. Yes, people would talk, and their lives would be made difficult, but societal expectations were not as powerful as the love of God.
Today, as we sing the hymn of the day, consider how hope can be embodied through action. Joseph acts with hope, Mary proclaims it, and their choices reverberate through history. As we approach the end of Advent, we once again tell the story, climb the mountain, and proclaim that Jesus is born.
Rejoice with the host of heaven, with Mary and Joseph. Be risk-takers. Go and become bearers of hope in this world.
Thanks be to God for that gift. Amen.
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