The Week of Hope
You are our living hope, Lord, as we celebrate your promises for our present and our future on your birthday. We are your grateful people. Amen
Weekly Advent Prayers by Betty Claire Jackson
By Ken Williams
Romans 8:18-25
My New Testament of the Jerusalem Bible entitles chapter 8 as “The life of the spirit”, verses 14-17 as “Children of God” and verses 18-27 as “Glory as our destiny”. So, in a nutshell, the scripture assigned to me is about what those of us with the indwelling spirit of Christ can hope for.
Verse 18 starts with our sufferings on earth. Today is the 77th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor which, according to Wikipedia, killed 2,467 Americans. That attack led the US into WW II, the deadliest military conflict in history, resulting in over 70 million deaths worldwide. That’s a lot of suffering. But that level of suffering doesn’t compare with the glory God has waiting for us. That’s a lot of hope.
The other verses expand our hopes for:
- Freedom we can get from slavery to decadence by relying on the spirit of Christ without which we can never completely overcome the temptations of the unspiritual world and…
- Salvation based on our faith in God’s promises, i.e. our hope for things not seen.
With that terse overview, based on no theological education whatsoever, let’s end in prayer:
Our dear father in heaven, there is no way we can thank you enough for sending your son to earth. For he showed us the way to become one of your children. We also thank you for your spirit which enables us to overcome our struggles on earth and look forward to a glorious eternal life in heaven. Amen