People like to debate what hope is. There are many definitions that all mean similar things. I have seen hope defined many ways my entire life. Last week I came across a quote by Mariame Kaba. She has an interesting take. “Hope doesn’t preclude feeling sadness or frustration or anger or any other emotion that makes total sense. Hope isn’t an emotion, you know? Hope is not optimism. Hope is a discipline… we have to practice it every single day.”
Hope is a confident expectation and anticipation of good things to come, grounded in faith and trust, regardless of present circumstances. Hope can be useful or wasted. We need to build on things everyday. Everyway we are able. As long as we are able.
What we call things is important. We can call things anything. When people stand up, others want to sit them down. Hope is debated and debased or a discipline. What we do is important because we can have done nothing else
Hope is a discipline in the sense of cultivating and maintaining it despite adversity or uncertainty. Hope is a discipline because it requires ongoing commitment and practice, especially when circumstances are difficult.
James Baldwin reminds us, “Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.” We must be willing to make the choice of hope even in what appears certain defeat.
Audre Lord said, “I have found that battling despair does not mean closing my eyes to the enormity of the tasks of effecting change, nor ignoring the strength and the barbarity of the forces aligned against us. It means teaching, surviving and fighting with the most important resource I have, myself, and taking joy in that battle. It means, for me, recognizing the enemy outside and the enemy within, and knowing that my work is part of a continuum of women’s work, of reclaiming this earth and our power, and knowing that this work did not begin with my birth nor will it end with my death. And it means knowing that within this continuum, my life and my love and my work has particular power and meaning relative to others.”
Women's work. I don't know what else you would call it.
In the context of hope as a discipline, there are parallels between the Good Shepherd's care and protection for his sheep and the role of hope in providing comfort and reassurance in difficult times. As Ella Baker explained, “Oppressed people, whatever their level of formal education, have the ability to understand and interpret the world around them, to see the world for what it is, and move to transform it.”
Just as the sheep trust in the Good Shepherd to guide and protect them, individuals who practice hope as a discipline trust in positive outcomes and maintain faith in the midst of challenges. Jesus' sacrifice as the Good Shepherd is a source of hope for believers, providing assurance of salvation and eternal life. This serves as a foundation for the discipline of hope, encouraging individuals to persevere in their faith and trust in God's promises even when facing adversity.
Audre Lorde again explains, "To face the realities of our lives is not a reason for despair-despair is a tool of your enemies. Facing the realities of our lives gives us motivation for action. For you are not powerless... You know why the hard questions must be asked. It is not altruism, it is self-preservation-survival."
She echoes Alice Walker who would not chance not seeing people at their best, "I have learned to accept the fact that we risk disappointment, disillusionment, even despair, every time we act. Every time we decide to believe the world can be better. Every time we decide to trust others to be as noble as we think they are. And that there might be years during which our grief is equal to, or even greater than, our hope. The alternative, however, not to act, and therefore to miss experiencing other people at their best, reaching toward their fullness, has never appealed to me."
John 10:11-18 is a passage from the Bible where Jesus describes himself as the Good Shepherd who lays down his life for his sheep. This passage directly addresses the concept of hope as a discipline, it offers spiritual insights and principles useful to cultivating and maintaining hope in one's life. Jesus did not lay his life done for nothing.
11 I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd lays down His [own] life for the sheep. 12 But the hired man [who merely serves for wages], who is neither the shepherd nor the owner of the sheep, when he sees the wolf coming, deserts the flock and runs away; and the wolf snatches the sheep and scatters them. 13 The man runs because he is a hired hand [who serves only for wages] and is not concerned about the [safety of the] sheep.
1 John 3:16-24 sees love as active self-sacrifice, calls for communal sharing and prayer as action, links assurance with radical deeds, and stresses community accountability for living out Jesus' teachings. We don't really know which faith community this was written to so it really does seem it was written for each. It begins in response almost to the beginning of our scripture:
1 John 3:16 Amplified Bible
16 By this we know [and have come to understand the depth and essence of His precious] love: that He [willingly] laid down His life for us [because He loved us]. And we ought to lay down our lives for the believers.
It is difficult to think about why Jesus had to die. We first come to the understanding that it was for our own reconciliation. He was never separated. It is the best way for us to understand the love God has for us. It is too much to comprehend that Jesus died for us. The love of God is also too much for us to comprehend.
14 I am the Good Shepherd, and I know [without any doubt those who are] My own and My own know Me [and have a deep, personal relationship with Me]— 15 even as the Father knows Me and I know the Father—and I lay down My [very own] life [sacrificing it] for the benefit of the sheep.
1 John 3:17 continues from the Amplified Bible
17 But whoever has the world’s goods (adequate resources), and sees his brother in need, but has no compassion for him, how does the love of God live in him?
The love that leads Jesus to die for us should lead us to act. It is self-preservation.
John 10 continues:
16 I have other sheep [beside these] that are not of this fold. I must bring those also, and they will listen to My voice and pay attention to My call, and they will become one flock with one Shepherd.
The revelation that God intended to unite the Jews and Gentiles into one body of believers was a difficult concept to accept for many in the early church. I have other sheep [beside these] that are not of this fold. What is it that community can build every day. This is what Jesus is building: His Kingdom.
1 John 3:18-24
18 Little children (believers, dear ones), let us not love [merely in theory] with word or with tongue [giving lip service to compassion], but in action and in truth [in practice and in sincerity, because practical acts of love are more than words]. 19 By this we will know [without any doubt] that we are of the truth, and will assure our heart and quiet our conscience before Him 20 whenever our heart convicts us [in guilt]; for God is greater than our heart and He knows all things [nothing is hidden from Him because we are in His hands]. 21 Beloved, if our heart does not convict us [of guilt], we have confidence [complete assurance and boldness] before God; 22 and we receive from Him whatever we ask because we [carefully and consistently] keep His commandments and do the things that are pleasing in His sight [habitually seeking to follow His plan for us].
Carefully and consistently a discipline if you will.
Alice Walker, in The Color Purple described it this way, “Here's the thing, say Shug. The thing I believe. God is inside you and inside everybody else. You come into the world with God. But only them that search for it inside find it. And sometimes it just manifest itself even if you not looking, or don't know what you looking for. Trouble do it for most folks, I think. Sorrow, lord. Feeling like shit. It? I ask. Yeah, It. God ain't a he or a she, but a It. But what do it look like? I ask. Don't look like nothing, she say. It ain't a picture show. It ain't something you can look at apart from anything else, including yourself. I believe God is everything, say Shug. Everything that is or ever was or ever will be. And when you can feel that, and be happy to feel that, you've found it.”
It allows us to implement a strategy like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. had: “Somehow we must be able to stand up before our most bitter opponents and say, ‘We shall match your capacity to inflict suffering by our capacity to endure suffering. We will meet your physical force with soul force. Do to us what you will, and we will still love you.’”
Adrienne Rich, the famous lesbian poet, stated: “In a world where language and naming are power,
silence is oppression, is violence.” Pronouns are important. What we call things is important. We can call things anything. When people stand up, others want to sit them down. Hope is debated and debased or a discipline. What we do is important because we can have done nothing else
1 John 3:16-24 speaks about love, assurance, and abiding in God. John emphasizes the importance of love and sacrificial actions, echoing the idea of hope as a discipline in the sense that hope often requires deliberate, selfless acts and attitudes. When we actively demonstrate love and care for others, we contribute to a sense of hope within our communities and ourselves.
We do things to love. We don't do things to hate.
Those who practice hope as a discipline often rely on prayer and spiritual connection to maintain their sense of hope and trust in positive outcomes. Abiding in God and keeping His commandments is linked to the discipline of hope. By remaining steadfast in faith and aligning oneself with God's will, individuals can cultivate a sense of hope that transcends worldly circumstances..
Jesus challenges complacency, comforts, and systemic injustices, inspiring believers to pursue a more authentic, transformative expression of faith. At the core of his message is the radical concept of love demonstrated through self-sacrifice. Viewing love not merely as a feeling but as an active, transformative force that compels believers to lay down their lives for another. This goes beyond superficial acts of kindness to a radical commitment to justice, equality, and the well-being of others, even at personal cost.
Believers are called to hold one another accountable in love, challenging each other to live out the radical teachings of Jesus. This involves confronting injustice, practicing forgiveness, and fostering genuine community where all are valued and supported in their journey of faith.
Love, liberation, solidarity. This is the simplest and most radical description of the ministry of Jesus. It is important to understand the call to lay down our lives for others.
Mariame Kaba, in her book We Do This 'Til We Free Us, wrote, "Yes, think about yourself, reflect on your practice, okay. But then you need to test it in the world; you’ve got to be with people. That’s important. And I hate people! So I say that as somebody who actually is really antisocial.”
Yes we can even hate people. But it does not excuse us from the call upon our lives. I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd lays down His [own] life for the sheep. "I am the bread of life"
"I am the light of the world" "I am the door" "I am the good shepherd" "I am the resurrection and the life" "I am the way, the truth, and the life" "I am the true vine"
The Bible defines hope as a confident expectation or assurance of something yet to come. Hope is deeply rooted in faith and trust in God's goodness, sovereignty, and faithfulness. It's an anchor for the soul, providing strength and perseverance amidst trials and tribulations. Hope in the Bible is eternal life, redemption, and the fulfillment of God's purposes for His people. It's a source of encouragement and comfort, reminding believers that God is faithful to His promises.
1 Corinthians 13: 13 And now there remain: faith [abiding trust in God and His promises], hope [confident expectation of eternal salvation], love [unselfish love for others growing out of God’s love for me], these three [the choicest graces]; but the greatest of these is love.
Let Us Pray,
Gracious God,
In the midst of life's storms, may we cling to the hope You offer, the hope found in Your unwavering love. Just as Jesus, our Good Shepherd, laid down His life for us, may we find solace and strength in His sacrifice. Help us to trust in Your guiding hand and to follow Your voice amidst the noise of the world. May Your abundant hope fill our hearts, renew our spirits, and inspire us to live each day with faith and courage.
In Jesus' name we pray, Amen.
Benediction
May the hope of God's promises sustain you,
May the light of God's love guide you,
And may God's presence fill you with peace.
Go forth with confidence, for in God, there is always hope.
Amen.
Nottingham UMC 4/21/2024
