By Lance Mayes
Hope is a big deal to me. With out hope I would be, well, hopeless and that’s a very bad place to be.
Have you known someone who was hopeless? It is beyond sad. People without hope see no light at the end of the tunnel. There is no knot at the end of the rope. There is no way out. What a terrible, scary place.
That’s why I love the first part of our church’s mission statement: “We are a people of hope.” We can bring hope to others.
What can you and I do to bring hope? What can Woodland do?
Here are a couple of ideas:
1) We need to work on our own faith formation and make sure of our own hope. Take a minute to read this slowly. Let it sink in. You are loved.
31 What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us? 35 Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? 37 No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. 38 And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. 39 No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:31,35,37-39
2) We need to help others by giving them hope and maybe even be hope for them. Remember the story from Exodus 17 when Israel defeats the Amalekites? As long as Moses held up the staff in his hand the Israelites were winning. When he got tired and dropped his hand, the Amalekites started winning the battle. So Aaron and Hur helped Moses by getting him a rock to sit on and holding up his hands. Israel won the the battle.
Who do you know that needs hope? I know plenty. Let’s hang on to hope ourselves and take it to others. Maybe even hold someone’s arms up for a while.
So be strong and courageous, all you who put your hope in the Lord! Ps 31:24