VALLEY VINE Valley Presbyterian Church
May 2016
Volume 61, Number 4
I pray that God will give you a spirit of understanding to know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints, and the immeasurable greatness of his power for those who believe. Ephesians 1:18
Dear friends, Christ followers are people who have learned how to hope. What is the character of your hope? I think of hope in three ways, under three headings. The weakest form of hope is reflective. It consists of the ideal thoughts we have about an imaginary future. It is related to daydreaming and wishful thinking. I hope taxes will go down, I hope I become a better person, I hope peace becomes prevalent. Reflective hope is a mental exercise; it is wishing things would change. Robust hope is the regular kind of way we bring reason to bear in our planning and in our lives. I hope to be a varsity athlete and so I set a goal and begin to practice. I hope to be a lawyer and so get immersed in cases and legal tomes. All planning and all preparation to achieve an end, all work toward a goal is based on a reasonable and robust hope. Rather than simply wishing taxes were lower, you join an anti-tax campaign and elect officials to enact new legislation. Robust hope believes that the world can be different and begins to act in the light of that reasonable expectation.
The revolutionary hope of the New Testament is more radical. It is an outrageous confidence that the transformation of all things is already in progress, and that much that is beyond our sight and control will dramatically change. The N.T. insists you and I will shine with grace and glory like Jesus. There will someday be no taxes at all, since there will be no need for police, hospitals, or jails. The gospel of Jesus is not a formula for how we can escape this world in favor of another. Rather, it is an announcement of God’s plan to bring the Kingdom here, to invade the darkness with light, and to make all things new. This Kingdom is present wherever he rules. Radical hope has reasons for believing, with absolute certainty, that the seemingly impossible will happen – and then basing life and decisions on that future. Our work today rests on our confidence in that tomorrow. “I pray that God will give you a spirit of understanding to know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints, and the immeasurable greatness of his power for those who believe.” This quote from Ephesians 1:18 is matched by similar passages in 2 Corinthians 5, Romans 8, and Revelation 21. Read these passages and ask yourself, “what is the character of my hope?” I pray that radical hope will animate our church, pervade our hearts, and reshape the way we live.
Blessings,
Valley Presbyterian Church 6947 E. McDonald Drive, Paradise Valley, AZ 85253-5342 Phone: 480-991-6424 Fax: 480-991-6427 Email: church@vpc.church Website: vpc.church