A Hope to Carry Us Through

“Hope is the thing with feathers…”

When we use this famous Emily Dickinson poem, this is usually as far as we get. Left to our own devices, we think of hope as fragile and fleeting. But the poet goes on to tell us that hope “perches in our soul,” and shows up in the storms to keep us warm. This same hope meets us at our worst moment and never asks anything of us. This is not a tiny thing blown off course or easily killed. This is the kind of hope Jesus is trying to instill in his followers and John the Baptist’s followers, and even John himself.

Jesus’ people have been through a lot. It hasn’t been easy to leave all they had and follow him. Jesus has warned them about the wolves that are coming to devour them, the persecutions they are about to go through, and the long and difficult path they will have. That’s when John sends a message from prison, “Are you the one?” Jesus responds by telling the messengers to tell John what they have seen. Folks are being healed of all kinds of difficulties, and even the dead are being raised. There is nothing better when hope feels fragile as an injection of real improvement in people’s lives.

Here it is. Our community gathers, and folks are fed and find healing. We gather to raise our voices to protect our neighbors. We show up when things are difficult and murky and painful. We do this because we cling to a robust hope that can withstand the storms of our lives. We know this tiny baby will be born again in our midst because our lives matter deeply to our God. This is a hope that will carry us through.

Shalom,
Pastor Melissa