The Swiss theologian Emil Brunner is credited with having said, “What oxygen is to the lungs, such is hope to the meaning of life.” Hope is the message of the Church to a doubting and worried world.
Romans 5:3-5 reads this way: “We know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.” Our hope is founded on God’s faithfulness. True hope is always sure that God is ahead leading us purposefully into the future. Still, with so much hard news and hard times these days, it’s easy to lose sight of God’s hope.
I watched a video clip recently of a speaker saying this is one of the most amazing times in all of history. The comforts, the blessings, the lives we have and the opportunities we share are unparalleled for any generation, and yet, he said, “nobody is happy.”
From that I learned I easily forget I am a child of a living God who is able to do all things through those who believe. I overlook that Christian joy should be evident on my face, my actions, and in my words. Why is it so easy to cash in our hope in God for the easy way of cynical fault-finding?
Great teachers and leaders model hope. Disciples know when darkness is almost complete there is still reason to hope! Let’s remember that as the world looks for something to hang onto in this time of hesitation and distress, we are to reflect the light of a God of hope. Hallelujah!