Advent: Hope

“We often use the word hope as if hope were a fragile thing… Hope in such context is little more than a wish. It is a vague, anemic desire with no teeth in it and little chance of becoming a reality… The people in the Bible reveal a hope worth risking for, hope that pulls people from the present into the future. This hope spills out from one person’s life into the lives of others and changes everything.” (While We Wait, 14)

When I read this, I loved it immediately.  Hope from one person can change everything, and that is so powerful. I just had to read more because our world needs hope.  We seem to be in this cycle of wanting to suck the goodness out and spread yuck and hate everywhere.  (I wish I knew why)

What I found were stories of action.  The book uses women in Jesus’ lineage (Matthew 1:1-17) and their stories to teach about how biblical hope is action. (Tamar and Rahab)
Biblical Hope is Action!
What do I mean? Well, we say, “take a leap of faith.” How many of us really do that though?  What happens when you do? There is a massive amount of Hope because you are risking something. You are leaning on God, trusting God, but you are also doing something (taking action).  You are part of the movement.
God moves when we are moving.  When we just sit, we are just wishing and there is no room for God to move. When we are acting and risking, we are really trusting God.

When you trust you take risk (a leap of faith), and you place deep hope in God. You start to see and experience amazing things. (Risks are risks, so sometimes you fail but you learn and risk again)

We see this in the bible, but what about in our lives? Personally, I am doing it living into my call, but I want to share about a church that jumped off a cliff.

The church worked with a team that helped them plan what legacy they wanted to leave because the church understood they were dying.  They planned it out and even set a closing date, but in setting a legacy they took leaps of faith in where God saw their space and lived into it and we are about 5 years from the start of their work and the church is still open, has new members, and is actively ministering in their community. They took action which may have seemed hopeless but really was full of hope and trust in God and God is moving in incredible ways today.

Biblical Hope is Action!