Becoming Hope
We spent Thanksgiving in Missouri. We got to see family and long time friends. Our trip began with sunny warm weather where we were throwing the football around outside in shorts and t-shirts…let’s be honest, my kids only wear shorts…so this doesn’t seem to properly express the beauty and warmth of a Kansas City fall day…and then not many days later, our trip ended with 3 inches of snow in St. Louis. It was a beautiful time with people we love.
Between that first and last day, there were a lot of dark overcast days. It is inevitable this time of year, especially in the midwest.
Days that were cold and short.
Nights that were long and dark.
In the midst of that, we had a family member in the hospital and lots of conversations about how to care for people in difficult seasons.
I was reminded, this time of year is caught in a tension of highs and lows.
Joys and sorrows.
Celebrating and grieving.
And really, everyday life is a tension…just most of us would prefer it to only be sunshine and rainbows.
It seems like in this buffet of life, it’s not all desserts…and as much as you thinking you would want that, you don’t. Now, we all want more good days, more time that is life giving, easy, and carefree…but that isn’t reality this side of life.
I remember years ago when a movie came out about a person being stranded on a deserted island, the actor had to loose some ridiculous amount of weight (while filming) to show how he would’ve starved without proper resources. People were shocked about his transformation. I once read that he supposedly did just 3 things exclusively; He ate bacon, he ate grapefruit, and he started smoking. Now. I have zero interest in smoking, but eating all the bacon and grapefruit I want sounds fun. It sounds like brunch for every meal!
I’m not a dietician, but I believe this horrific diet gave him fat and protein from the bacon so he had the calories he needed. I’m just assuming that the super food and vitamin c that comes from grapefruit prevented him from getting scurvy…because, you know…you’d hate to die of the same thing pirates died from. Oh, and the smoking made him not hungry.
So, as much “fun” as that sounds, eating ridiculous amounts of wildly unhealthy things, he essentially made his body turn on itself. What seemed fun, actually was miserable. This same actor recently has talked about how he has gotten all sorts of long term health effects from mistreating his body like this.
So…we don’t really want to do just what is fun. It will take a toll on us in the end. But we don’t need to seek out challenges, obstacles and oppositions in life, as sure as Coca-cola Christmas ads, will come.
What we need in this complex life of ups and downs is something that keeps us steady; keeps us focused.
When I was younger I used to dance. Whenever you are doing turns (the fancy dance term is pirouette…you’re welcome) you fix your eyes on one spot. No matter how many times you spin, when you are dialed into that one thing, you have your center, you have your grounding, you don’t get dizzy.
As followers of Jesus, in a world that can feel like it is spinning or off kilter, we need to fix our eyes on him and his ways. We need to remember his beautiful arrival, the son of God, the Word made flesh, who dwelled among us, who came to show us how to live and how to love. And, we need to live with a great expectation of his second coming while living out his ways for the glory of God and good of others.
When we do this, we actually become more like Jesus.
The scriptures are constantly offering hope to the people of God. They are constantly giving them direction, forgiveness, a way to live and operate in the world, and extending that blessing to all people. The scriptures are ultimately a message of hope. So, if the scriptures are the word, and Jesus is the Word made flesh, that means Jesus is a 3-dimensional embodiment of that direction, that forgiveness, that way to live and operate extending blessing to all people. Jesus is Hope.
In a world of fear and despair, we long to be a people of hope…just like Jesus.
I have a lot of things I hope for.
I hope the Chiefs win 3 Super Bowls in a row.
I hope my kids have a minimal amount to talk about concerning me with their therapist someday.
I hope my dog chooses a different bed than mine to sleep in each night.
I hope that I can love everyone I meet despite our differences.
I hope Sarah stays blind to my errors and failures.
I hope I can be more like Jesus.
I hope when people interact with me they catch a glimpse of God and God’s incomprehensible love.
Several of these things I have no control over…but based on the silly rituals and how I yell at a TV, it would appear that I think I have control over at least the football game.
But the ones I do have control over, am I putting my feet up just waiting for it to happen? Or am I running around like panicked elves in December 23rd?
I want to be the kind of person that can recognize that life is not all easy street…and it isn’t all tumultuous waters.
I want to be the kind of person that both in the good and bad, I can be a non-anxious presence, embodying the ways of Jesus.
This happens, when I spend more time with Jesus, let him and his ways change me, and live that out.
That is why we say over and over again here at The Chapel.
The journey of following Jesus is one of formation where we abide in him, are changed by him, and embody his ways for the glory of God and good of others.
Jesus is hope. In the good and in the bad. In the ups and in the downs. In the celebration and in the grieving. Jesus gives hope and is hope.
I want to be hope too.
So I will wait on God with hope.
I will trust in the love of God the father.
I will follow in the ways of Jesus the son.
I will be guided and comforted by the Holy Spirit.
Eugene Peterson once wrote,
“Hoping does not mean doing nothing. It is not fatalistic resignation. It means going about our assigned tasks, confident that God will provide the meaning and the conclusions. It is not compelled to work away at keeping up appearances with a bogus spirituality. It is the opposite of desperate and panicky manipulations, of scurrying and worrying.
And hoping is not dreaming. It is not spinning an illusion or fantasy to protect us from our boredom or our pain. It means a confident, alert expectation that God will do what he said he will do. It is imagination put in the harness of faith. It is a willingness to let God do it his way and in his time. It is the opposite of making plans that we demand that God put into effect, telling him both how and when to do it. That is not hoping in God but bullying God. “I pray to GOD-my life a prayer-and wait for what he’ll say and do. My life’s on the line before God, my Lord, waiting and watching till morning, waiting and watching till morning.”
In this season of Advent. When the days are shorter and the nights are longer and colder. When there are parties and gifts, and also tragic news, pain, and death…let us stay steady by anchoring our souls to the one who created us, delivered us, and sustains us. Let us cling to the hope that he offers, knowing that in Jesus we find our shepherd to guide us through the wilderness and protect us through the storm. May we be conduits of hope to others, reflecting the light of Christ in a world filled with darkness. Prepare our hearts as we await the coming of our Savior, God, and King.
I hope this week you will journey with us to become hope.
If you haven’t picked up an Advent Guide, Becoming Christmas, we still have a few hard copies left and there are digital versions available online, along with all the Christmas details at TheChapelatSeaside.com/Christmas
A few reminders for this week and the coming weeks here at The Chapel.
- We have a noon prayer hour every Tuesday at noon. We will NOT meet on Tuesday, December 24th or Tuesday, December 31st.
- Bible studies have wrapped up for the year. If you missed any, I hope you’ll check out our Chapel Study Notes podcast where you can get caught up on the entire Exodus study. Check them out on Spotify here, Apple Podcast here, or wherever you stream.
- All of our studies will be back in the New Year. We will let you know start date soon.
- This Sunday, December 8th we will have a coffee fellowship time after service provided by our friend and worship leader, Daniel Pratt and Panama City Coffee.
- In case you didn’t know the paid parking has paused for the season in Seaside, so when you come to worship, you don’t have to pay.
- Our Christmas Eve Services will be Tuesday, December 24th at 4pm and 5:30pm. We’ll have seating inside, outside in the grove, and under a tent on the lawn. We look forward to you joining us for one of those services.
- If you are out of town, under the weather, or just need to worship from home, you can watch our live-stream on our website, thechapelatseaside.com, on our Facebook page, Facebook.com/TheChapelAtSeaside and our Vimeo page, Vimeo.com/thechapelatseaside.
Let us know if you have any questions and we look forward to seeing you soon. I hope you will follow along in the Advent Guide, Becoming Christmas each day. Pro tip. I picked up 4 short white candles and one tall candle and put them at our kitchen table. We read the Advent Guide and my kids light one candle each week. It’s a simple advent setup that brings beauty, purpose and conversation at our dinner table. Make the most of each moment.
Happy Advent and I look forward to seeing you on Sunday or at Prayer on Tuesday!
Blessings,
Andrew