The American poet Emily Dickinson wrote these lines about the theme of hope:
‘“Hope” is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul
And sings the tune without the words, and never stops at all.’
The poem speaks of the human capacity to keep on believing, to keep on hoping, despite life’s worst circumstances. It is indeed a remarkable and uniquely human trait – the ability to hope against all odds, even when the world is crumbling around us.
However, there is also something tragic about hope when it is not rooted in anything, like ‘a tune without any words’, as Emily Dickinson describes. As Christians, our hope is inextricably linked to our faith – our home is in God, our hope is based on his promises. The Bible puts it like this: “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for” (Hebrews 11:1).
It was very moving at St Mary’s last Sunday to hear our preacher from Christian Aid talk about the tangible hope of a brighter future being offered to Christian communities around the world through their development work. It is a hope based on the generosity of Christian giving as a response of God’s faithfulness.
This week’s lectionary readings continue the theme of hope, particularly thinking about God’s promise of hope beyond the grave – the story of the healing of Tabitha in Acts, and the vision in Revelation of an eternity where there is no more hunger or thirst and where every tear has been wiped away.
We are very much still in the season of Easter as we remember Jesus’s resurrection and the hope of eternal life that Christ has won for all those who are found in him – do join us as we renew our hope and celebrate this amazing and mind-boggling promise together!
With love and blessings
Revd Jemima