Saturday, April 7, 2007

Hope Against Hope

Jim:
What an interesting group of passages these are. But I see hope as the unifying theme today, beginning with Psalm 43.

Psalm 4
Verse 5 says, “Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my help and my God.” This is our challenge as witnesses to the events of Friday, to hope against hope that God is able and willing to surprise us with joy; that the old things have passed away and, behold, everything is made new again; that death has been swallowed up in victory; that God is bringing light out of the darkness; that the great stones of our lives will be rolled away revealing the possibility and potential in each of us. Do not be cast down or disquieted! Hope in God, for you will again praise the Creator of all!

Job 19:21-27a
Here verse 25 is one that has always meant something to me, “For I know that my Redeemer lives, and that at the last he will stand upon the earth.” Job was looking ahead, to a time when he would be vindicated (a better translation for the word Redeemer perhaps is Vindicator, according to the Oxford Study Bible) on high and justice would be recognized. Job was hoping against hope, in other words, and looking ahead to a day of restoration.

Hebrews 4:1-16
Verses 14-16 say, “Since, then, we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast to our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who in every respect has been tested as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” Because of all that Jesus went through, living as we live, facing the temptations that we face, dying the death that we all must die, and yet being raised in glory, he is in a position as no other high priest ever was to respond to us and to our prayers. The writer of Hebrews calls us to hope in God through Jesus (“hold fast to our confession”) and to turn to him in our times of need.

Romans 8:1-11
This passage is intended for this evening. Notice also that there is not a gospel reading for today. Here, though I focused on verse 11 which also invites us to hope: “If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through his Spirit that dwells in you.” The God who raised Jesus from death to eternal life is at work in our lives as well, and holds out a promise in which we may hope.

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