Hope

By Ben Cluff, Lay Preacher

​May the words of my mouth and meditation of all our hearts be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, our strength and our redeemer. Amen
Good morning, 
I see that a number of you are here from last week. Rich Simpson did a wonderful job of setting me up for the lectionary readings for today, BUT, this week we are not to follow the lectionary. However, I will referenceRich’s homily in a few ways today. Rich shared the work and thoughts of Walter Brueggeman and I will, as well. 
Rich also spoke of having the long view of our life’s journey and how we may view our life experiences, both good & bad, differently over time. He suggested the way we see these events fitting into our respective spiritual journeys may change over the long run. 
I would like us to keep this in mind today, as we come together to consider hope, to share hope. 
Let us begin this consideration by defining the word. Hope can be defined as a noun, and as a verb. 
As a thing, a noun; 
Hope is a feeling that what is wanted will happen; desire accompanied by anticipation or expectation. 
Hope is the object of this desire accompanied by anticipation or expectation. 
Hope can be a person or thing from which something may be hoped. 
As an action, a verb: 
Hope is to want or expect - to want or expect very much. 
So these are the dictionary definitions from our time; but in reflecting onthe nature of hope, I realize that hope can be invisible. It is not as if I can grab it and hold it up in front of you and “See, here it is.”
How does hope manifest itself in our lives, so that it becomes visible?The evidence of our hope, often lies in the observable actions we take, the rituals we engage in, and the words we speak. 
The root of hope comes from the Greek elpis - anticipation or expectations, but expectation without a doubt, a certain hope, a confident expectation. 
I don’t know about you, but, I know there have been times whereinI haveused the word hope, but with a strong component of doubt. For example, “ I hope I win the million dollar lottery.” this is not a hope of certainty, it is not expectation without a doubt. 
Let’s take a look at our considerations of hope already encountered in today's readings. 
We open our first reading from Lamentations - “ My soul is bereft of peace, gone is my glory and all that I had hoped for but this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning - The Lordis my portion, says my soul, therefore I will hope in him.” 
My soul is bereft of peace and gone is all that I had hoped for, but, the steadfast love of the Lord never ceases - his mercies are new every morning - the Lord is my portion, says my soul - therefore I will hope in him. 
Hope is the vehicle by which Jeremiah, the author of Lamentations, is moved from being bereft of spirit and having forgotten what happiness isto knowing the steadfast love of God. 
I want to speak here, briefly about a time in my life wherein I felt as if my soul was bereft of peace - I was lost, I was way off course. I was making bad decision after bad decision and did not know how to right myself. I was in despair and despondent. It was at this time that I uttered a prayer for the first time in years. 
God, I do not know if you are there. I certainly do not know if you are there for me. I need help, help me, I am lost.
This prayer was offered through a feeling of extreme desperation. This was the darkest period of my life. I actually was on hilltop when I offered this prayer. If you had met me at the bottom of that hill and said, “Well, well look at this hopeful lad”, I would have thought you were nuts BUT, as time has gone on, as my journey has continued, I now see that moment as being filled with hope. Hope, invisible to me at the time, hope camouflaged as despair. I had experienced hope, without even realizing it, at the time. Prayer is hope. 
In our third reading, Rachel Held Evans, so eloquently, speaks of those days when that close relationship between faith and hope waxes and wains. She reminds us of how our shared faith and hope has the ability to bolster us on those days when our faith and hope may be in short supply. 
“For better or for worse there are seasons when we hold our faith and then there are seasons when our faith holds us.” At those times she says she is so very thankful for all the saints, past and present. 
“They believe for me when I am not sure I believe. They hold on to hope for me when I’ve run out of hope.” And she identifies some of those saints of the present; “the old lady next to me in the pew”, a young one reciting the Apostle’s Creed. 
We share that expression of hope and faith for each other, each week when we come together to share the Eucharist. This prompts me to think of the Prayer Circle, here at Sts. James &Andrew. There are folks who pray daily for individuals and families that have indicated a desire for that extra comfort of intentional daily prayer. I see this as a communal expression of hope, the thought of it can carry us on those days when we may not be entirely ‘on the beam’ , so to speak. 
And Paul Hawken, in our fourth reading, gives us that wonderful sentiment, “Hope makes sense only when it doesn’t make sense to be hopeful." 
This is so inline with consideration of that root of hope, elpis. Angelos Chaniotios, a Greek historian and classics scholar, has written that ellipse can be defined as “justified expectation”. In his study of hope in ancient times, he has portrayed hope as “unconditional faith that may even defy reason.” 
Are we able to maintain hope or rely on the hope of those around us, particularly, on those days when the world can seem so overwhelming?
Saint Paul, in his letter to the Romans (Romans 5:2-5), writes that were rejoice in the hope of sharing the glory of God, we glory in tribulation or suffering, knowing that tribulation or suffering produce patience and endurance and endurance produces experience or character, and character produces hope and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, which has been given to us. 
I must admit, there are days when patience and endurance do not come easily as they do on others, but I am bolstered by the line in Paul’s letter, “and hope does not disappoint us”. 
This line reflects a justified expectation, a certain hope, a confident expectation. 
Hope is active, not passive. How often does our expression of hope come in the form of sending good vibes or positive energy to a friend or loved one before a medical test or doctor’s visit, or before an important interview or exam? 
Theologian Walter Brueggeman writes, “Hope on one hand is absurdity, too embarrassing to speak about, for it flies in the face of all those claims we have been told are facts. 
Hope is the refusal to accept the reading of reality, which is the majority opinion; and one does that only at great political and existential risk. 
On the other hand, hope is subversive, for it limits the grandiose pretension of the present, daring to announce that the present to which we have all made commitments is now called into question” 
Particularly in challenging times, when the evidence is bleak, we seek to influence that reality, positively with hope. 
Hope beyond all hope 
Unconditional faith that may even defy reason Hope makes sense only when it doesn’t make sense to be hopeful 
Moving from feeling bereft of peace and having forgotten what happiness is to knowing the steadfast love of God
As we approach the coming week, let us be subversive, let us be filled with confident expectation, with certain hope, for ourselves, for each other and for the world at large. 
Amen 
Lamentations 3: 17-25 
Wholehearted Faith Rachel Held Evans 
2009 University of Portland Commencement Address Paul Hawken 
Elpis in the Greek Epigraphic Evidence from Rational Expectation to Dependence fromAuthority Angelos Chaniotios 
Romans 5:2-5 
The Prophetic Imagination Walter Brueggeman

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