“Enlivening Force”
(Hebrews 10:19-25)
When the church gatherings were suspended, I had wishful thinking that I would enjoy reading more books.
Years ago, I really needed a sabbath away from home and work, so I went to a self-guided silent retreat. For two full days, I did not talk to anyone but ate, read, and walked alone at the retreat center by Lake Michigan. I kind of expected to be relaxed like that – laying around, reading, and taking naps all day long.
The reality turned out that I spent way more time reading articles, blogs, and emails and watching press conferences and the news and sometimes Netflix. When the worship design team was brainstorming our current worship series, however, I immediately grabbed this small magazine that I used to subscribe to for a number of years until it was discontinued.
This wonderful quarterly publication by Upper Room Ministry, called Weavings: A Journey of the Christian Spiritual Life, was my ‘soul food’ and a ‘well’ from which I could dig deeper into the questions of faith. For the last three weeks, I reread this particular edition which covered the subject of hope several times.
Our Lay Servant, Gary Gruebnau, delivered a meaningful message last week, and we heard about the dictionary definition of hope and various passages about the promises of Jesus that give us hope.
There are so many beautiful articles, poems, and prayers in this magazine. And this description of Luther E. Smith Jr, a professor from Candler School of Theology at Emory, really spoke to me this time: “Hope is a force of God that enlivens us to life.”
Dr. Smith says that hope is more than an optimistic attitude or feeling of assurance. Like grace, love, and faith, he asserts that hope is a force – transforming energy that comes to us from God.
(Volume XXVII, No. 2, Feb/Mar/Apr 2012), p. 43)
In today’s scripture passage in Hebrews 10, the preacher who is presumed as a female by some modern scholarships – probably Priscilla, one of the leaders of the Pauline community in the early church – exhorts that Jesus became the High Priest who opened a pathway to access to God for us like the curtain torn apart in the temple. He gave himself, his own body, as a sacrifice of love for the redemption of God’s covenant people.
When we have this wonderful High Priest – our reconciler and mediator to God, how should we live faithful? In Verse 23, she encourages Jewish Christians in Jerusalem, those who were undergoing persecution, to “hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who has promised is faithful.” When I read the text in Eugene Peterson’s words, I could better understand what Dr. Smith had portrayed as hope. Peterson interpreted verse 23 like this: “Let’s keep a firm grip on the promises that keep us going. He always keeps his word.”
One thing we can say about hope is that it is the power of God that keeps us moving and living in spite of all the ordeals and despair of life. And as Marylyn Chandler Mcentyre says, “It is in the person of Christ that hope is anchored; the promises emerge from the relationship we are invited to claim”; [In Jesus Christ, who has died, is risen, and will come again] “ we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28).
My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness
I dare not trust the sweetest frame
But wholly lean on Jesus’ name
When darkness hides His lovely face
I rest on His unchanging grace
In every high and stormy gale
My anchor holds within the veil
On Christ the solid Rock I stand
All other ground is sinking sand
All other ground is sinking sand (The United Methodist Hymnal, #368)
I participated in a webinar with Adam Hamilton, the lead pastor of the Church of Resurrection with other 230 clergies in our conference last week. As many of you know, he has written several books and is a leader of our denomination. Currently, two small groups in our congregation are studying his book, Unafraid, too.
I found out that Hamilton’s church is doing a worship series under the same theme of hope now. Kudos to our worship design team! Since we are on the same topic, I checked their last Sunday’s worship and message to see if I can get any inspiration from it. Hamilton points out that Jesus did not talk about hope explicitly or use the word itself in the gospel. Why?
Hamilton thinks not because this subject was unimportant to teach or talk about directly but because of Jesus’ life and ministry as Jesus himself was the presence of hope to all the people he encountered and held a relationship with.
Jesus was the incarnated hope to those who lost meaning, connection, dignity, and wholeness – those who were living in despair and sadness. And so are we, as the body of Christ, to be the presence of hope to the suffering world as Easter People who have received the gift of resurrection: new life. Whenever you share yourself in a loving and caring way, whenever you participate in the pain of others compassionately, whenever you stand up and speak for justice and mercy and stay in solidarity, you become the presence of incarnated hope.
As I conclude the sermon, I’d like to share a video clip which casts Stanley Hauerwas, a great contemporary theologian of our time. May the words of this sage bless our journey as we continue to explore our faith and live each day by the enlivening force of our loving God.