Dear Faith Family,
But as for me,
I watch in hope for the LORD;
I wait for God my Savior;
my God will hear me.
(Micah 7:7)
Making life within the love of God, inevitably means much of life is made in waiting. That's the lesson Peter learned from the Law and Prophets, and most profoundly in the life and words of Jesus, of which he reminds the loved:
But do not overlook this one fact, beloved,
that with the Lord one day is a thousand years,
and a thousand years as one day.
The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise
as some count slowness,
but is patient toward you, on your account,
not wishing that any should perish,
but that all should reach repentance...
Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting...
be diligent to be found by him
without spot or blemish, and at peace.
(2 Peter 3:8-9, 14)
We find ourselves today, and every day, in the loving patience of God, waiting, as Peter said, for the fullness of the promise of free and complete union with God (i.e., Rev. 19:6-8!). And yet, waiting is not an idle task, a passive posture. As Peter implies, waiting compels us to be diligent to "live at your best, in purity and peace," as one translation paraphrases. And we call that compelling force amid our waiting "hope."
As Dylan explained to us on Sunday,
"Hope is powerful.
Hope is not merely a wish, not a daydream, not simply a desire,
but a powerful force...at least important enough
for Paul to mention it alongside faith and love (1 Cor. 13:13).
Which is why Jurgen Moltmann...says
“from first to last…Christianity is …hope,
forward-looking and forward-moving,
and therefore also
revolutionizing and transforming the present."
If hope is a magnetic force drawing us towards our future in the fullness of life with God by making life, good today, then similar to faith, hope begins and matures in our Sabbathing:
"...resting in God’s completed work, living in God’s good rhythm is the sure path for us to find the fullness of hope. The path for us to see the past clearer, the present transformed, and Eden restored as our future.
If we want the full power of hope, a hope grounded by God’s redemptive history, transforming the present through deeper union with Christ, moving us toward the future fulfillment of all creation, I can’t imagine a better place for us to flourish than in Sabbathing through hope."
(Dylan Fitzgerald)
I invite you to join me in following Dylan's recommendation and experience hope in your Sabbath this week. Here is a guide to help you!
May the God of hope
fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that
by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.
(Romans 15:13)
Love you, faith family! God bless.