Hope

“Hope” is the thing with feathers -
That perches in the soul -
And sings the tune without the words -
And never stops - at all -
And sweetest - in the Gale - is heard -
And sore must be the storm -
That could abash the little Bird
That kept so many warm -
I’ve heard it in the chillest land -
And on the strangest Sea -
Yet - never - in Extremity,
It asked a crumb - of me.

I keep thinking about this poem by Emily Dickinson and that image of hope living in us like a bird, singing continually in the soul. 

I've come to realise that the beautiful thing about hope is that doesn’t require us to do anything; rather it is a state of being. The hope that Jesus gifts us is born out of love, trust and connection. 

We hope for our children and grandchildren’s futures; we hope for a restored, healthy environment that flourishes; we hope for inequalities and injustices to be righted, we hope for unity and peace in a divided people, we hope for lives with purpose and meaning. 

Living with hope is living with knowledge that we have a loving creator, an advocate - God - who is working all things together for good - that what we see right now isn’t all there is, that the best is yet to come, and that we all have a part to play in our shared future.

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit" (Romans 15:13)

Let's pray as we light the first candle on the Advent wreath, the candle of Hope:

Dear Jesus, 
thank you for the hope we have in you: 
the hope that does not disappoint. 
Hope that is born out of love, 
trust and intimate relationship. 
Hope not only in what we see 
but what we don’t see as well. 
Help us to provide HOPE for our family, 
neighbours and strangers this 
Advent season through words 
and acts of kindness, generosity 
and love. Amen.