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OCT 24 2005 "Full of Hope" |
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Thursday, 17 November 2005 |
What does it mean to hope? Or, to live in
hope? Well, the dictionary defines hope along several lines. Here are a
few: 1) a feeling that what one desires will happen; 2) ground for
expecting something desired; 3) wish and expect; and, 4) trust. It
seems to me that we live more heavily in definitions one and three. We
speak of hope as some wistful thought that is directly connected to
what will make us feel good. Think about how we use the word most
often. “ I hope we win the ball game Friday night. ” I hope the traffic
on the interstate isn’t bad on the way to work this morning. ” I hope
the kids behave while they visit their grandparents. ” There isn’t
anything wrong with any of those hopes. But, neither does there seem to
be any basis for what we are hoping. All those hopes are pinned on
happenstance, coincidence and that seems to hardly be any hope at all.
That’s just wishful thinking.
For the Christ follower, definitions two and
four are more appropriate because Christian hope is much more concrete
than wishful thinking. Hope is not something that we merely wish would
break into our lives at opportune moments, hope is a state of being
that envelops us. We’re never outside of hope. Here’s what the Apostle
Paul said to describe this state of being: “ Therefore, since we are
justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus
Christ, through whom we have obtained access to this grace in which we
stand; and we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God ... and
hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into
our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us ” ( Romans
5: 1 - 2, 5 ). Hope has already happened to us. And hope is the Lord’s
doing. Like faith, hope is a gift that, according to Paul, is already
invested in us by the Holy Spirit at our baptism. We don’t have to wish
for hope. Hope is. Hope lives. And hope envelops us.
There can be no overstating how important this
understanding of hope is to us as we live out our lives. We are set
free from worrying about the outcome of our salvation. We are set free
from the self inflicted wounds of guilt and sin. God has delivered us
in Jesus Christ and the gift of the Spirit upon us has sealed us
forever to live in the sure, true hope of God’s grace and mercy.
Perhaps the most important piece of this hopeful picture is that as we
are set free from the weight of sin and guilt which could so easily
drag us down, we are set free to serve God and respond to God’s
salvation by living lives that reflect the hope - filled image of God.
Unconcerned about our own future we live life with ecstatic joy. We
know that our future is with God and that the future is now. So, we can
give ourselves completely to the work of the kingdom. Without fear.
Without hesitation. Because hope is. And hope lives.
Paul’s words are worth repeating. “ And hope
does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our
hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us ” ( Romans 5:5
). Drink deep from that fountain. And live. Full of hope.
Grace and peace
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