Abiding in Hope

As I prepare for the fourth week of seeing worship through its senses, I’m finding the sense of hope elusive. Is that because it conveys the sense of wishful thinking and pipe dreams? I hope I win the lottery. Or is it because it is so essential to life that it defies definition?

Dictionary.com defines hope as a feeling that what is wanted can be had or that events will turn out for the best, which seems rather positive until you glance at the example: to give up hope. Other options go on to define the reason we have this feeling, the thing or person that gives us this feeling, or a particular experience of this feeling. The verb form continues to exude hope: to look forward with desire or reasonable confidence; to believe, to trust. Synonyms are expectancy and longing.

No wonder the Wednesday night seekers spent most of their time asking questions about hope rather than nailing it down.

• What is the difference between faith and hope?
• Which comes first: hope or faith?
• Can we have hope without faith?
• Can we have faith without hope?
• Does hope bring you to God, or must faith come first?
• Is hope faith realized?
• Is faith hope realized?
• Is hope unrealized a threat to faith?
• When faith deepens, does hope change?

I’ll stop before your head starts spinning too much. I think you get the point!

         Here’s the definition that comes to my mind: Hope is a longing deep within us that is not in our power to achieve yet will not let us go, for to be without hope is to be without life.

            The word hope occurs 149 in the Bible – at least that’s what my NRSV search brings up. Surprisingly, the occurrences are just about evenly divided between the Old and New Testaments. It tells me that hope in its greatest manifestation is theology and not psychology. Which brings me around to another inversion of sorts: worship must sustain hope; hope is not possible without worship.

            As we gather for worship this Sunday at Seneca Presbyterian Church, we’ll look at hope for our lives, hope beyond our lives, and hope for the world. It just may take us on a journey through all of scripture. I hope those who gather will leave with hope renewed!