Dear Beloveds of God,

Walter Brueggeman once said, “We are ordained by God to be a people of hope.”

Some days it can feel challenging to be people of hope – expressing and living it out - as we experience the world as it is not meant to be. In the ordinary moments of life, we observe and taken in the despair, the suffering, and the woundedness of this world – witnessing the reign of hatred and violence, starvation and homelessness, the inhumane treatment of people. All of it can lead us to feel overwhelmed - leave us feeling lost and wondering if we have the courage and strength to go on – leave us crying out to the Lord, how long, O Lord, how long.

When we are feeling despair, hopelessness, and longing for a hope that we just can’t seem to muster up, we can turn to the beautiful scriptures and prayer to help us in those moments. As we do so, we invite the Holy Spirit into our hearts and minds to accompany and transform us on our journey of moving through the darkened moments of life to breathing new life and hope into us. 

We worship a God of hope who radiates hope through the Living Word and the power of the Holy Spirit into our lives and this world. As we receive and experience this beautiful gift, may we then be bearers of hope in this world.

When we are in need of a sense of hope and the Spirit to uplift us, may these words from God’s holy and life giving Word and Richard Foster, uplift and guide us along the way...

“How O Lord, can I have hope when the world is such an insecure place? Natural calamities destroy. Economic uncertainties abound. Human beings kill.

I AM the Light of the World.

What, O God, is reliable? What is secure? Not people. Not institutions. Not governments.

I AM the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

I fear, Lord, that evil will win out in the end. I worry that my efforts will be for nothing. I feel overwhelmed by powers beyond my control.

I AM the resurrection and the life.

You alone, O Lord, are my hope. You alone are my safety. You alone are my strength. May I – even with my fears and anxieties, my insecurities and uncertainties—swing like a needle to the pole star of the Spirit. Amen.

In these days, may we cling to the assurance that God is our true and certain hope and go forth to be bearers of hope in this world.

In Christ,

Pastor Jenn