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Present Suffering Versus Future Glory
“Hope” looks to the future, however, it is also a present experience. It has real benefits for life now. Viktor Frankl was psychotherapist who survived the horrors of Auschwitz concentration camp during World War II. From his observations of fellow prisoners, he concluded that when facing extreme circumstances, people are forced to choose between despair and hope and that this is literally a life-or-death decision…
New Birth Into A Living Hope
The bible says of God, “In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope” (1 Peter 1:3). The analogy of birth is significant. When a person is born, they move out of one world and into another. They move out of the confined space and darkness of the womb and into the vastness of the world that we see around us, at which point all sorts of possibilities open up. Our Christian hope is similar…
Hope – An Investment In Eternity
I read an article in Forbes magazine with the title, “Dress for the job you want, not for the job you have.” The article went on, “if you dress more like the peer group you aspire to, and less like the one you are in, you are sending a powerful signal that you belong in that group.” To bring that back to our reflections on the nature of hope, what we aspire to be or do in the future, our hope, expresses itself in the way we conduct ourselves in the present. We live now in the light of our future.
Hope That Empowers
I recently wrote about living in the hope of gaining the “one thing” (Psalm 27:4) that matters. I suggested that the hope of living in the presence of Jesus for eternity stands above everything else. Alongside that, everything else pales into insignificance. Today I’d like to suggest that the best kind of hope is a hope that also empowers us to achieve it.
Hope - Our "One Thing"
There was man in the bible named David. He faced many of the same challenges as national leaders today. His country was facing an external military threat. Closer to home, his political opponents were “spouting malicious accusations” (Psalm 27:12) and finding “false witnesses” to tell outright lies. These were spreading, even without the help of social media. Some things never change.
Christmas Surgery
A few months back I was diagnosed with a medical condition that required urgent surgery. A date was set, then cancelled, then reset. It seemed like an eternity until the day finally arrived. The only benefit was that I was able to use to time to make all the arrangements so I could be off work for a few weeks although, in my mind, I was thinking that when I woke up from the surgery, the problem would be fixed, and after a short recovery I would be back to life as normal. It turns out, that’s not how most operations work.
Meeting God in the midst of a Storm
I don’t meet many people who are opposed to the things that Jesus taught - value others above yourselves, aways act with honesty, integrity and compassion, treat others in the same way that you would have them treat you, seek to resolve conflicts without resorting to violence… Most agree that acting like this would make the world a better place.
Realistic Hope
I’ve recently been challenged to think about the nature of hope. Looking at the challenges that are facing our community at this time - increasing violence, especially against women, cost-of-living issues, the despair of many who feel they will never be able to buy a home, lack of access to the resources needs to assist people struggling with mental health and well-being - we are certainly in need of hope, the hope that there are better days ahead.
Banishing the Darkness
On the morning of the first Easter Sunday, Mary Magdalene went to Jesus’ tomb while it was still dark. Just two days earlier, the earth was shaken and the sky turned dark as the Son of God died. Mary knew something about darkness. She had been there with Jesus through the darkness of Good Friday.
The Palm Cross
Yesterday was Palm Sunday. In our Services, we gave everyone a small cross made from a palm leaf. These crosses have no intrinsic worth. They are, after all, just a dried up leaf. But what they symbolise, and the challenge they hold before us, is significant.
The Season of Lent
Last Wednesday, Ash Wednesday, we entered the season of Lent. Lent is a period of 40 days, not including Sundays, leading up to Easter. There's a Christian tradition that people should give up something they like for Lent.
The Meaning of Christmas
There is something special about Christmas lights. There is something about a house all lit up in coloured lights that makes me want to stop and have a look. Light shining in the darkness is compellingly attractive and that idea can help us understand the birth of Jesus.
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