Sermon at First Presbyterian Church Lockhart
"Where Is Our Hope?"
by James Greene
Have you ever realized how dark the night can be? Have you ever been in the thick woods on a cloudy night? I learned that single, lit match in the night, can be seen from 2 miles
away. If you were on a battlefield, it would give away
your position. That small amount of a light can violate security, or it can
truly be a guide to those wandering in the
darkness.
Think about going
through your house with all of the lights off, and how
many times you run into things even though
you live there, ---even after
living there,
a long time. (somebody moved something before you went to bed, and in the dark
you will definitely find it)
I Light - Today is
the Season of Hope.
We see
this in our reading from Jeremiah. The prophesy of God’s Promise is seen bracketed by the phrases “In those
days”. This is where someone
from King David’s line will rule over God’s people. The phrase “The Lord Our Righteousness” refers not only to the title of the Messiah of the future but also it
is the symbolic name of
The Hebrew
day began at sundown. It is different
from our modern concept of the start
of the day. When you think about
it; they go from darkness into light. Theologically we go from God’s Promise into the Hope of that Promise. The Hope for
We see many of the references to light in the Bible. Christ says "I am the light of the world".
John the Baptist came to bear
witness to the light. The Jews were
to be
a light to the gentiles.
Light draws us from a long way off
like the match on a dark night. The lights on the runway gives a pilot understanding of the darkness, and the direction to fly the airplane.
Light helps us see where
the holes are, in the path and where it leads us. Light is
what Hope is all about! (2X)
II Hope Vs False Hope?
In
the Navy ships communicate
using signal lights that flash out a message.
Once, there was a ship moving in
a light fog that sent a message, to an on-coming light -
"move right to avoid collision" The on-coming
light responded back -
"no, you need to move right".
The ship's reply was -
"I am a Captain of a
"I am a light house - move right" and so, the
Captain complied.
1
We
must realized that there are different
kinds of light and there are different
kinds of Hope.
We may think we are headed in the right
direction, until we read
scripture and realize, we are on a collision
coarse with the rocks.
Sometimes, we use phrases about Hope: I hope
the Aggies would win a game now
and then. I sure hope it rains tomorrow or I hope
I can get home before the car
breaks down. But these should not be real expressions of where we place our Hope.
In the midst of turmoil and chaos that
sometimes flows over and through our lives, we need to be sure that our Hope is real. Our security (like Psalm 25) should rest in God’s Promises, and not
in the diversified funds, the
401K, or the company where we work. The reason we put on our money “In God We Trust” is to remind us that our Hope is not to be placed
in material things.
We
have to see things as God sees them, and remember his Promise. We must
see it with our heart, and not
our eyes, just like Bartmaeus. We see the Way of the Christ, who not only
heals us, but also saves us. We must know that our Hope is real and is grounded in the Promise of God revealed in His Word.
Hope
is one of the fundamental elements of life. It is not wishful
thinking. It is knowing with certainty, that we are loved, and that things can and will get better.
III Our Hope
In our reading from Luke this morning we see Jesus describing the destruction of
The parable and the message are all about being careful of our hearts
and where we place our hope. We are to always be on guard, to
watch and to pray,
so that we may be able to stand, in confidence, before The
Son of Man when he comes.
IV So, We asks
ourselves today: “Where is our
Hope?”
Jesus
as the Messiah comes into
history, and into our lives to demonstrate
the radical Hope of God for all people. For
we know that much of mankind lives
more or less in a sense of radical
hopelessness. This is what life
is like for those not in the
fellowship of the people of God. It is a quiet anxious despair to which
they are committed. We are called
to share our Hope with everyone. We are to be a light
to those around us, so that, they too may have hope. We must be ready at all
times to give a reason for the Hope that is with in us, not only this season, but also in every
season. Hope to us is a lot of things:
Hope is the light
at the end of the tunnel, and
it is not an on coming train!
Hope is when
someone laughs at your joke.
Joy is when we share love, and laughter, and Hope in the fellowship.
2
Hope is seeing the congregation come
alive in this season: working
together to decorate the sanctuary and the church.
Hope is the dedication
of God’s people to carry on through the years. Hope is caring for each
other, and hanging Owls and spines in caring for
the Church.
Hope is an illustration of how God's light shines through us, to be Christ to those
around us, and impact upon all those around us. It is
in hearing and being
apart of
The Good News. It is our nature to inspire, and bring that Hope, and that light to the world, if we are to be the example of Jesus, the One we
follow. We are to be witnesses to the Hope of
God in Christ. We are to live, aware of salvation,
and God’s Promise, after this life. We are to participate in God's Creation and sharing of Hope, that those around us might have hope and believe, and we
like Bartimaeus, must bear witness in Hope. Because, Jesus
is The One that gives us direction,
and Hope within that is the
reason for our confidence in this life and the next.
Hope,
Focuses our sight,
Pulls us forward
Through the night
Past the pain of present darkness
Draws us closer towards Thy light
Into the presence of Thy Promise.
“Where is our greatest Hope?”
We know that having Hope, is winning
at life.
It
is in Hope
in The One who loves us, saves us, and redeems
us. It is, in knowing, that the
sun will come up in the morning. It is knowing that Jesus, The
Son, will shine in and through our lives. He is the one who comes to us, in this Season….
That we might have Hope…
In the Name of The
Father, and The Son, and The Holy Spirit.
A-men
3
When we are caught off guard
and in the dark, in the
midst of the chaos that is going on around
us, we live in confident Hope.
“Light The
Candles” by Joanna Adams
(11/28/06)
“During the colonial period in
American history, an eclipse of the sun caught members of a
‘Mr. Speaker, if it is the end of the world and we
adjourn, we shall appear as fools.
If it is the end of the world, I choose to be found
doing my duty.
I move you, Sir, let candles be brought.”
Let us light the Advent Candles, and let’s live
in the Light, and act in Hope
until our Lord comes again.
Note
is from: Wayne Walther Pastor Grace Lutheran Lockhart,