Dear Church,

Much of the time we’re living in-between hopes and fears! Just about every part of our lives is a teeter-totter between hopes and fears. Kids/Grandkids. Health. Relationships. Work/Retirement. The Present/the Future. Politics/Elections.

And there are always those who like to stoke (or profit from stoking) our fears! I cringe at all those political ads that basically say “Be afraid! Be very afraid…if __________gets elected!” Fear is used as a marketing tool, for all sorts of products and services. And then there’s the fear that comes with the latest scam or threat, or the fear of being left out; or the fear of being left alone in a lonely world. Fear fuels many-if not most-of the wars our nation and the world get caught up in.

But we, who take our cues from Jesus, are not to be people of fear. We are to be people of hope! “For God did not give us a spirit of cowardice, but rather a spirit of power, and love, and self-discipline!” (2 Timothy 1:7) The writer of 1st Peter thanks God for “a living hope” that we have “through the resurrection of Christ Jesus,” and challenges us to live each day with that hope at the center of our being.

We’ve also noted before that in scripture, both God and Jesus and angels often had to remind people “Do not be afraid!” Remember, that that basic phrase appears 365 times (one for every day of the year?) in Scripture!

In a world where there is so much fear, and so many people stoking fears, we get the chance to witness to real hope, not ‘cheap’ hope. We don’t say tritely to someone who is hurting “Oh, things will get better!” when there’s no indication that they might. And we don’t encourage people to place their hopes in a certain political figure or party or some ‘miracle’ cure. We encourage one another to find our hope and place our hope in Christ, and in the community of faith, and in the beauty and challenge of living out our daily calling to love God and love our neighbor. We trust that God is good and keeps God’s promises. We trust that, with God’s help, good will triumph over evil; the hungry can be fed; and that solutions can be found for the troubles we all face in this world! That is the hope to which we are called!

Pastor Paul