When it comes to hope, so often we either have too little or we place it in the wrong things. Some of us have trained ourselves not to hope, having been disappointed too many times along the way, and some of us have known feelings of despair for too long even to consider the possibility of real hope. The weeks of Easter serve as an annual reminder for us that hope is founded upon the loving action of a faithful God who is determined to demonstrate that life—not death—gets the last word.
Hope Springs Eternal
Easter Sunday, April 4, 2021
Audio Video Isaiah 25 & Mark 16
Mark’s telling of the Easter story is a strange mixture of fear and hope, which is a fitting depiction of life in the world: hope and fear intermingled, inextricably tied together. But this is no ordinary hope; the hope we discover at the empty tomb is eternal, unending, undying hope.
My Hope Is Built on Nothing Less
Sunday, April 11, 2021
The character of hope is determined by its foundation. Hope that is founded upon ephemeral things—ambition, success, approval, comfort—will itself be fleeting. But when our hope is rooted in God’s unchanging purpose for the world, our hope will never be shaken.
Hope of the World
Sunday, April 18, 2021
Audio Video Isaiah 65:17-25 & Rev 21:1-5a
It is not uncommon for Christians to assume that ultimately, in the end, God plans to toss this broken world on the trash heap (minus the faithful, of course). But this assumption ignores the consistent through-line in scripture of God’s unwavering hope for the world and all that is in it.
Live into Hope
Sunday, April 25, 2021
Hope is not just something we cast out into an uncertain future; hope is something that has—or at least ought to have—a profound impact on who we are and how we live today. And when we live hope-shaped lives, we help bring hope to others.
Hope Against Hope
Sunday, May 2, 2021
Is there a limit to hope? Does hope dwindle to nothing in the face of the truly hopeless? Or can hope be maintained even when there’s no good reason left for hope? Hoping for the impossible—hoping against hope—proves to be the ultimate test case for the power of hope.
