Hope for the world

The Advent candle for this week represents Hope - specifically the Hope of Jesus’ birth and God among us and the hope we have that he will come again and heal the whole of creation. 

Yet, as we have talked about before, Hope can be a slippery thing to hold onto. While it’s often connected to faith and beauty, sometimes it’s helpful to look at more concrete things. 

At a recent meeting of a climate justice group I am part of, we started brainstorming ways that we have seen the world change for the better in our lifetimes. Here are some of the things we came up within an Australian context:

• Reduction of childhood deaths from common diseases

• Increased awareness of the harms of institutionalising children and greater support for families in need.

• Full participation of married women in the workforce.

• Higher rates of education.

• The creation and uptake of renewable energy.

• Banning chlorofluorocarbons.

• Increased protection for children from abuse.

• An awareness and support for those facing gender-based violence.

• Greater integration of people with disabilities into our communities.

• Recognition of rights for LGBTQI+ people.

• Decreased homicide rates.

• Recognition of harm to and apologies from political leaders about the stolen generation and more steps towards reconciliation. 

• An increased awareness of racism.

Globally, when we look at the world from a development perspective, the statistics are just as hopeful: 

There is still so much to be done in many of the areas I just celebrated, however when looking at the changes that have been made in relatively short times (from a historical perspective), we can be reminded that as Martin Luther King said - the moral arc of the universe bends towards justice. 

As we continue to work, to advocate, to love those around us the best that we can, to put our faith into practice, we can hold onto hope that we are not asking for change against impossible, unbendable systems. We act in the name of a God who is working towards the good of all of creation, who came as a baby to present with us and to bring the Kingdom of God in a tangible way on earth. And we can also put some hope in the words of Margaret Mead: 

“Never Doubt That A Small Group Of Thoughtful Committed Citizens Can Change The World: Indeed It's The Only Thing That Ever Has.”