Study #2: Hope

Acts 28:20
"For this reason therefore I have asked to see you and speak with you, since it is for the sake of the hope of Israel that I am bound with this chain.” 

Psalm 71:5
For you, O Lord, are my hope, my trust, O Lord, from my youth.

Psalm 146:5
Happy are those whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord their God. 

Romans 4:18
Hoping against hope, he believed that he would become “the father of many nations,” according to what was said, “So numerous shall your descendants be.” 

Job 4:6 (NIV)
Should not your piety be your confidence and your blameless ways your hope?

“I believe in the sun, even when it’s not shining…” (From “I Believe in Love” by BarlowGirl)

These December days in northern Russia are very short; when you wake up it’s dark and when you go to bed it’s dark as well. On days like these you especially crave warmth and light. And we all hope—I’d even say we are more than certain—that before the year is out light will conquer darkness and the days will gradually grow longer.

These are the days when we all await Christ’s birth. Our God has many names; one of them is “the hope of Israel.” (Acts 28:20) He is our hope too. The psalm singer says, “For you have been my hope, Sovereign Lord, my confidence since my youth.” (Psalm 71:5, NIV)  We anxiously await Jesus’ birth and thus hope that through his birth, death, and resurrection He will again defeat the forces of evil, darkness, injustice, and oppression. We are confident that He will be our ally in conquering our sinful nature. He will be by our side when we face temptations and will never forsake us.

My personal experience proves this truth. I was a beer addict some two years ago. You could barely count two days a week when I didn’t hit the bottle. I liked it. Therein lies the devil’s trap: you simply like to sin. Beer tastes good, it helps you relax after a hard day, takes you to a world where there are no problems or matters of urgency. Then one summer I realized I was in trouble: more and more often I would be thinking about a drink, would try to finish some task as quickly as possible to “reward” myself with a beer. I understood the situation was troublesome. At the same time I didn’t feel the strength within me to kick the addiction. Moreover, I liked it! There is a good verse in the Bible: “Blessed is he...whose hope is in the Lord his God.” (Psalm 146:5, NIV) I realized I couldn’t deal with this sin with my own strength or righteousness; then I prayed to God to give me the desire and fortitude to overcome this addiction. It worked! Two or three weeks later I was free of alcohol addiction. I remain free to this day.

In the modern Russian language the word “hope” sounds like something vague, uncertain, and weak. While studying the Scripture, I found that in the biblical sense, “hope” has nothing to do with weakness or uncertainty. On the contrary, it is that to which you must apply your will and efforts. Take Abraham, for example. By all the laws of nature, this man of God stood no chance of becoming “the father of many nations.” But as Paul writes, “Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed…” (Romans 4:18, NIV) Amazing, isn’t it? I wish I had faith like that! I wish we all had hope in the biblical sense—hope bound by absolute confidence and conviction that God is mighty and wants to save each and every one.

Questions for Reflection and Discussion

• How would you interpret the following verse: “Should not your piety be your confidence and your blameless ways your hope?” (Job 4:6, NIV)
• Have you ever lost all hope because of something? What did you feel at that moment and what actions did you take?
• What shade of meaning has the word “hope” in the language you speak? Does it coincide with the biblical
meaning?
• Can we overcome addiction on our own? If yes, why? If no, why?

Vladimir Ditmar, Russia

Study #1: God Is Everywhere and Now Is the Accepted Time

2 Corinthians 6:2
For he says, “At an acceptable time I have listened to you, and on a day of salvation I have helped you.” See, now is the acceptable time; see, now is the day of salvation! 

Psalm 139:7-11 (KJV)
Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence?
If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.
If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea;
Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.
If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me. ^{8 9 10 11}

Addiction, like any other disease or difficult predicament, can lead to hopelessness, especially when the afflicted person fails again and again and finds herself in the same situation she was in when she started the
journey to recovery.

In the real world, recovery—whether from drugs, alcohol, or other dependency—is a daily, hourly, moment-to-moment process. God is with us all the time (though we may be unaware), so that if we fail in one hour, we have the opportunity to begin anew in the next.

We receive forgiveness seven times seventy times seven hundred times, and each new attempt to get it right carries no weight of past failure. The present is the best position for recovery, and luckily it’s where we happen to be all the time and all that there really is. The clean, always fresh, now.

Now is where we meet God, where we have an ever-renewed chance at salvation. And for transformation, we absolutely need the help of a higher power. We cannot do it alone.

People with dependencies can sometimes feel they have failed so many times that they have gone to a place where recovery and God are beyond reach. But there is no place or condition where God is not present.

Sometimes God can come in the form of another person or a deep part of yourself previously unknown to you. Recently, while rereading parts of Moby Dick by Herman Melville, I came across a chapter devoted to a sermon on Jonah and the whale. It is essentially about hope: the preacher says it’s impossible to escape God,
even if you’re on a ship going in a direction opposite from where you should be headed:

He thinks that a ship made by men will carry 

him into countries where God does not reign....

Or you may be at the lowest point in your life, being digested in the stomach of a whale at the bottom of the ocean:

But God is everywhere....God came upon him in the whale, 

and swallowed him down to living gulfs of doom....

Yet even then beyond the reach of any plummet—’out of the belly of hell’— 

when the whale grounded upon the ocean’s utmost bones, even then,

 God heard the engulphed, repenting prophet when he cried.

Questions for Reflection and Discussion

• When have you ever felt hopeless?
• Where is God present?
• When can healing begin?
• What can you do to inspire hope—in yourself and others?

Dan Licardo, USA

Introduction to Hope: Hope for the World of Addiction

Romans 5:1-5
Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand; and we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God. And not only that, but we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us. 

 ³⁴⁵

Beloved of God, “Hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured in our hearts.” Hope sustains us when all seems to fade away, it is our hope that is there, within us, to push us on, encourage us, uplift us, convict us, and convert us. It is our hope given to us by the resurrected Christ that keeps our faith
grounded, and causes us to be able to take risks.

We are challenged, as The United Methodist Church, as a people of hope, to place ourselves in situations where there is hopelessness and fill these spaces with the hope we know that is in Christ Jesus, our Lord and our Saviour.

How will The United Methodist Church bring about solutions? Can it become a “Saving Station”? For, if our church is to stay alive and vital, it must become a “Saving Station.” We cannot count on a political system or social institutions, as good as they might be; only the church has the ability to appropriate the grace of God that can change the human condition. We are the body of Christ, we are to bring hope, for in us is the Hope of Glory”: “[Our] hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness; [we] dare not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly lean on Jesus’ name....On Christ, the solid Rock, [we] stand; all other ground is sinking sand.” (From “My Hope is Built” by Edward Mote, #367 in The United Methodist Hymnal.) As Christ’s people, we are the bridge of hope for humankind. It might come to us with some painful experiences, for as is freedom, hope is a child of grace. Hope is a gift from God; we cannot earn it; it is freely given to us; for, “suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope.” (From Paul’s letter to the church in Rome.)

When have you brought hope to someone recently? Did you feel the joy it brings to your soul? It is indeed a Hallelujah moment. If we are to bring this hope to a broken world, we must find the means to radically break down the destructive forces, systems, and structures that cause hopelessness and addictive behaviors to exist and thrive in our society. We must think and work seriously to eradicate those forces of sin and evil that so easily keep us from a vision of hope for all humankind and make the possibility of hopefulness elusive for so many of God’s children.

Drugs, alcohol, and violence—three words that are a clarion call for help. When they come to our attention for discussion, they are focused as addictions, i.e., addictive behaviors. In this context, let us reflect on some
words by Dr. Gerald May in his book, Addiction and Grace: “All of us are addicted.” The same processes
that are responsible for addiction to alcohol and drugs are responsible for our addictions to money, work, power, relationships, and all things that tend to enslave us, take all of our time and energy, occupy our existence, and are idols for us, thus separating us from God. These are our addictions.

In 1989, The United Methodist Church was called to address the concern of alcohol, drugs, andviolence in each Episcopal Area around the world. What would have happened if we had sustained our initial interest and action? A thorough compilation of statistical data related to the use and misuse of drugs and alcohol and the violence associated with their illegal usage was placed into the hands of each bishop for his/her Episcopal Area, so that United Methodists would have firsthand knowledge regarding the depth of the scourge against society in cities and towns across their Episcopal Areas. The staff of the General Board of Church and Society and The United Methodist Church Drug Program compiled the material. The material stated clearly
for congregations to hear that:

• Addiction is a disease.

• Addiction is a “spiritual problem.”

• All of us are addicted to something.

• It is through God’s grace that we can be delivered.

• Hope is a child of grace.

• Hope will never be denied us, for God’s love is in each of us, in our hearts, and in our souls. God is in us the hope of glory.

Workshops were held in Washington, DC for all bishops to be resourced by national health leaders
and to dialogue with their congressional leaders regarding the depth of the problems in their
Episcopal Areas. A model plan grew out of these four consultations called a “Saving Station Ministry.”
The United Methodist Church would be known as a Saving Station to welcome people from their addictive
stations in life and to deliver them from their addictions. Curriculum was developed for children, youth, parents, and guardians that led them into an in-depth discussion and gave them guidelines for
deliverance from their addictions. Tent Ministries provided evening worship experiences, where volunteers supported persons who indicated that they were prepared to address their addictions. These persons were accompanied to residences to meet and pray with co-dependent family members. The day after that encounter, volunteers also accompanied “sisters and brothers” to hospitals, clinics, and social-service agencies, waiting with the clients until their immediate needs were addressed. The United Methodist Church lived its motto: “Open Hearts, Open Minds, Open Doors.”

The Church became a Saving Station—a movement, not just a structure—that provided worship for
renewal and conversion, commitment, love, personal support, and “deliverance from evil.” We call
upon The United Methodist Church to a time of renewal and revival and conversion. We call upon
The United Methodist Church to take hold of its spiritual and prophetic power to bring hope to all
persons addicted to whatever it is that blocks them from a vital relationship with God through Jesus
Christ our Lord. Hope is a very small word that is powerful in its meaning.

For those facing the addiction of drugs and alcohol and any other addictions, for those who find the
need to bring violence upon others, know that there is hope: There is healing, health, and holiness; there is an open door to overcoming; there is God’s grace to develop a passionate and empowered spirit. For
hope gives us the willingness to take risks and to do what is right and kind and just. Jesus called us to do
the work of healing the brokenness of the world by providing opportunities for others to grow in Christ.
The question for us is, when the people of the world look at us, do they see hope? Do they see through
our actions the love of Christ? Do they see a way out of their brokenness to a place of hope, forgiveness,
and reconciliation?

Martin Luther King, Jr., in a speech in Memphis, as he reflected on the story of the Good Samaritan,
put it this way: “The question is not what will happen to me if I become involved, but what will happen if I
do not become involved.” As The United Methodist Church, what is our response as we consider how
alcohol, drugs, and violence affect us directly or indirectly? The world awaits our response.

Let us be reawakened to the challenge. Let us be a movement, not a structure. Let us be a people
of hope.

Phyllis Elizabeth May and Bishop Felton Edwin May, retired

Join us for Hope 2012

Thank you for joining us for this Lenten study.  Each Monday, Wednesday, and Friday during Lent will feature a different portion of the study, beginning on Friday, February 24th.  You may access each post directly through the blog or you may sign up to receive email updates using the form on the right-hand side of this page.  You may also subscribe to the blog so that you can read each post in your choice of blog reader or on your smartphone.

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