Skip to main content

Where Hope Is Found


Since, then, you have been raised with Christ,
set your hearts on things above, where Christ is,
seated at the right hand of God.
Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.
(from Colossians 3:1-4)

Every once in a while, I’ll ponder the desire to purchase a new laptop which mans I’ll go to Consumer Reports for their evaluations.

Then I discover laptops of all types with all sorts of internal data I know nothing about ranging in price from a few hundred dollars to a few thousands.

At this point my thrifty inner self says, “Do you really need that?” You have a good computer and smartphone.

Life in the “earthly things”, our secular age, is about looking to our concrete, material accomplishments for satisfaction, without expecting God to be part of their lives.

Sooner or later, it seems, we’ll be asking “what’s the point?”

So, I have the latest, newest, or best laptop, is it as meaningful as I’d hoped?

If it’s not, what significance is there in our daily routine, relationships, and even our lives?

Where’s the hope?

What I understand Paul to be saying is when you “Set your minds on things above” you are trusting in God’s promises.

Hope is in God promise that when we are striving but failing to find meaning in our efforts, God is there.

Hope is when God is with us as we blunder through the “things below” and then using them for some greater good.

Hope means it doesn’t matter how deep the pain or suffering; no tear shed, no frustration, hurt, or loss, no tragedy –is ignored or unnoticed by God.

Paul says that this kind of hope does not disappoint.

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Ruler of All Earthly Kings

Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. (from Rev. 1:4-8 ) About 17 years ago I wrote a letter to the people in the United Church of Underhill. The purpose of the letter was to explain I was retiring at the end of the Conference Year. I felt the time had come for me personally to move on and for the church to grow with a new pastor. I secured a moving company while the church formed a search committee as we both prepared for the inevitable. This is the nature of the book of Revelation, as recorded in 1:4: “John, to the seven churches in the province of Asia.” This is Revelation’s context: it was written for the benefit of particular people at a particular time for their particular situation. John’s letter narrates a drama about God’s imminent invasion of the “kingdom of this world” ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Grantchester's Warning

"But know this: if the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, the owner would not have let his house be broken into. You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” (from Luke 12:32-40 ) I regularly watch Grantchester; a murder mystery set in 1950s England. The main characters are a local detective and an Anglican priest who, as a team, solve mysteries set in the town. Two aspects of Grantchester impress me. First, the simplicity of the 1950’s police communications done by a landline phone and not cell phone. Second, the simplicity of daily life with little television and fewer possessions allowing the characters to focus on their vocation of detective and priest. This simplicity is more than a nostalgic return to the “good old days”. Instead, it’s a Shaker type of simplicity where austerity allows freedom from distractions to focus on worship and community. Today’s distraction-filled world has seemingly countless activ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Jesus, Deliverance, and Demons

"Then people came out to see what had happened, and when they came to Jesus, they found the man from whom the demons had gone sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind." (from Luke 8:26-39 ) Astrid is a streaming program I often watch. The plot is a basic cops and robbers action until the criminal is caught. The uniqueness of the program is Astrid, who is on the Autism spectrum, is brilliant at solving puzzles including connecting clues to solve the crime. Watching this program has given me a more profound insight to people living with this condition and their acceptance in society. My first-hand experience with children on the Spectrum was driving a Special Needs school bus for 6 years. With this experience, I can imagine the life the possessed man was experiencing, especially living among the tombs, bound with chains and shackles, having to live in the wilds. It was no wonder he cried for mercy. Jesus, with his power and mercy, cast the demons out and even...
Post a Comment
Read more